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Harper Woods, October 14 - |
2008 Newsworthy Events
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Harper Woods, October 14 - |
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October 17, 2008 - Keep Michigan Beautiful, a statewide
organization that promotes beautification and restoration projects, has
selected the library as its 2008 winner in the City, County or State
Government category. The library has been awarded The President's Plaque,
the organization’s highest honor, for its green renovation project. |
 September
23, 2008 -The Harper Woods Rotary has awarded the library a $1,200.00 grant to be used for general programming. The Rotary has been a long-time benefactor of the library and is very active in the brick Paver community fundraiser. The Rotary is a community service group made up of business people and professionals that help fund local and national non-profit efforts. We are very excited to partner with them again to bring quality programs to Harper Woods. |
 August
19, 2008 - The
library received a $1,000.00 grant from Target August 19 to provide
quality children's programming in 2009. The money will be used for
storytimes and the Summer Reading Club."We're proud to partner with Harper Woods Library as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work," said Laysha Ward, Target vice president of community relations. Target gives back 5% of its income to communities; visit www.target.com/community Target owns and operates 1,300 United States locations, including the Eastland Center. |
| MLA Article published in
Michigan Libraries - July/August
2008 Harper Woods Celebrates as Michigan’s First Green Library by Dale Parus, Director Harper Woods Public Library The Harper Woods Public Library celebrated its LEED® Green Building award on April 26. The award, given by the United States Green Building Council, recognizes Harper Woods as Michigan’s first certified green public library. The Library was extensively renovated and an addition put on in 2005. The building was certified at the Silver Level in September, 2007. U.S. Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick and State Rep. Edward Gaffney attended and issued proclamations to the community for their foresight in authorizing an ecofriendly and cost-effective building. Mayor Ken Poynter unveiled the crystal plaque at the entranceway and thanked the many groups and committees that helped make the new building and the award possible. To learn more about the project, visit the Library website at www.libcoop.net/harperwoods. |
July 31, 2008 -
 The
library won a grant of 20 high-quality reproductions from Picturing
America, an exciting new initiative from the National Endowment for the
Humanities. The award was co-sponsored by the American Library
Association. Picturing America brings masterpieces of American art
into libraries, and encourages students and citizens to find a deeper
appreciation of our history and character through art. Watch for
exciting new programs based on this new collection! |
Harper Woods library renovation wins environmental award
It goes without saying that the Harper Woods Public Library is full of information that can educate, but what's not so obvious is that the building itself provides a lesson. The lesson here is how to renovate an old building without being a burden on the environment. The lengths taken to prevent waste, save energy and generally keep the Earth -- and future financial budgets -- in mind during the 2004 renovation of the 43-year-old library have earned it a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Award. The award comes from a national system established by the U.S. Green Building Council to recognize and reward buildings, products and construction projects that are energy efficient, conservation focused and mindful of air quality and other "green design strategies." The 17,750-square-foot Harper Woods Public Library, which is at 19601 Harper, is the first Michigan library to receive the award and one of a "handful of nonprofits to receive a silver or better designation," according to the building council. The award was given in October, and the library still is celebrating it and trying to spread the word about how to close the book on the old methods of building construction and renovation. While the front end of the work may be more time-consuming and require more thought, the back end brings savings in heating, cooling, lighting and maintenance, said Suzanne Kent, adult services librarian. There are at least a dozen green features, including the types of glass, steel, wood and paint that were used and the lighting systems that were installed. During the renovation, there was an insistence on keeping renovation debris out of landfills and on buying building materials as close to home as possible. In addition, there were efforts to use recycled materials and products that conserve energy and save water. "The green features that I wish to highlight are the mundane ones like the roof, glazing, waterless urinals and extra insulation," library director Dale Parus said. "They're not sexy features like the great architecture that uses the natural daylight to filter and naturally illuminate areas of the building, but they are saving us a ton of money in lower energy costs in the day-to-day operation of the building." The $3.1-million project, funded by a bond approved by voters in 2003, is expected to save the library in energy costs and maintenance. A breakdown of the energy-efficient and environmentally conscious aspects of the project includes: • Doors made of wood that came from forests certified as sustainable. The forests are managed to minimize environmental impact of cutting. • A darker roof on the building radiates heat. The reflective nature of the roofing material keeps the building up to 20% cooler, making the building more energy efficient and reducing what's known as urban heat island effect in the city, in which buildings radiate heat and make urban areas hotter. • The library is lit with high-efficiency fluorescent and metal halide lamps and outfitted with lighting systems that turn on only when someone is in a room. There also is a system that saves photo energy from the sun and uses it for lighting during the day. In addition, lights switch off when there is enough natural light to illuminate the building. • About 91% of construction materials were diverted from landfills. • Low-flow automatic faucets and dual-flush toilets that give users a choice between the amount of water to be used for flushing were installed, as were waterless urinals in the men's restroom. • The carpets, adhesives and paints used in the building contain low volatile organic compounds, to preserve air quality. The products used in composite wood materials are free of a form of formaldehyde that's bad for the air, and exhaust fans remove potential pollutants from photocopying areas. • The thermal insulation in the walls and roof was increased by 300% during the renovation, and the building relies on high-efficiency furnaces and air-conditioning systems that operate dependent on the outside temperature, letting cool air in when needed. Carbon dioxide sensors let the units operate at maximum efficiency by pulling in fresh air when needed. • More than 45% of the building materials were manufactured within 500 miles of the library. • The insulated glass and window frames reduce thermal conductivity and improve the building's ability to maintain temperatures. • To encourage biking instead of driving a car, the library has provided bike racks and is on the SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation) route and serviced by Pointes Area Assisted Transportation Service, which uses the library's lot after hours. As part of the award, the library, which proudly displays a glass plaque about the award near its entrance, received a Silver Building rating. "Getting to the silver level was quite an achievement for our small community, as it requires an extra investment in planning time and a buy-in from everyone involved in the project," Parus said. Overall, he said, it's been worth it, as it's clear the building "saves
the environment, the health of the people using it and (has) long-term money
savings." |
| Harper Woods, April 26 - Library Celebrates Green Building Award The library celebrated its LEED® Green Building award at an afternoon ceremony April 26. A bright sunshine broke out and more than 50 people were on hand to see the unveiling of the crystal plaque at the entranceway. The award from the United States Green Building Council acknowledges Harper Woods as Michigan’s first green public library. U.S. Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick and State Rep. Edward Gaffney attended and issued proclamations to the community for their foresight in authorizing an eco-friendly and cost-effective building. Several key groups made the award possible and we would like to thank them publicly: Mayor Ken Poynter and city council members Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Costantino, John Szymanski, Hugh Marshall, Mike Monaghan, Vivian Sawicki and Dan Palmer. We would also like to thank the library board, whose support of building green was instrumental: current members chair Terri Larrew, vice-chair Janet Bobak, treasurer Ron Jachim and trustees Frank Sosnowski and Mike VanDeMark. In addition, we thank Doug Barnes, Mike Müller and Ronna Gillis, who served as members of the building committee and past board members Mary Kingston, Belinda Duggan and the late Carl Bahr, who would have been very proud. Also, to the entire staff, whose daily involvement was instrumental in keeping the library going during the difficult transition period. To the Friends Group members in attendance, including current president Mary Kingston, treasurer Kathleen Carlson and secretary Carol Jachim. Also, past presidents Kim Silarski and Mart Bandyke who helped with the building bond. And, of course, to the citizens of Harper Woods for their faith in the library. Special thanks go to Terri Larrew for providing the refreshments in her role as Library Foundation president, Mike VanDeMark for his musical talents at the reception, keyboardist Brian Cleary and Dick Kingston for his excellent masonry and brickwork. It took a lot of effort from many groups and the staff to make the project work, especially for a small town, and we thank all who helped. As the library board moves forward on a new strategic plan, we believe that with your support of our mission we will be there to help our citizens succeed.
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Harper Woods, March 1 - The library is celebrating its recent LEED® Green Building award from the U.S. Green Building Council with a series of events in April. The award from the United States Green Building Council acknowledges that the library followed stringent green building guidelines during the construction and renovation project. Green building takes in the bigger picture, ensuring that every aspect of the project meets or exceeds the USGBC standards in energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality material reuse and recycling of discarded resources. Following these principles insured that the library is a healthy environment that requires less energy to run and has lower long-term maintenance costs. The green approach has added importance in today’s economy and lean operating budgets. This was in part due to the solid leadership in Harper Woods that looked to the future during the renovation, and we’re proud to say that we have Michigan’s first certified green public library in our community. The library board, Friends Group and Foundation are planning a celebration around the award. Please join us for these special programs: Global Warming Traveling Exhibit
Arts & Scraps Recycled Crafts: Sat., April 19, 2-4 p.m. Visit the website www.libcoop.net/harperwoods for in-depth information on these & other scheduled events.
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