Video Kicks Off Library Promotional Push

ORLEANS – The Snow Library board of trustees has been making its case for a new library for some time. But a new video lets residents see the need for themselves.

 The 10-minute video shows the aging library’s cramped quarters while trustees, residents and town officials make their case for why a new facility is needed. All the fine points are covered, from the lack of space inside for books, materials and programming to persistent roof leaks and the lack of parking outside the Main Street building.

 Board of trustees chair Jamie Balliett said the new video marks the start of a reenergized public information campaign leading up to next year’s spring town meeting, when it is expected an article will be brought forward seeking funding to design and build a new Snow Library.

 “The library is very, very used, and we felt it was really, really important for people to see that rather than just hear somebody summarize something,” he said.

 Orleans resident Charlie Johnsmeyer shot and produced the video, which Balliett said took about four months to complete. The video was funded through a grant from a capital campaign board put together to help raise money for the new library.

"I thought it would be the perfect medium to make the case for a new library," Johnsmeyer said. "It's one thing to tell people the building's falling apart and there's all these space and safety issues, but it's another thing to show them."

 “We’re really lucky, because he lives locally and he works for a local company,” Balliett said of Johnsmeyer. “He’s got this side business going that’s just booming in terms of making videos for different organizations, groups and businesses.”

 The existing library dates back to 1952 and was last renovated in 1992. Few people can speak more intimately about the need for a new building than Tavi Prugno, who has been the library’s director for the past 12 years. Prior to that, he served as assistant library director and as a reference librarian in the building.

 “We don’t have enough parking spaces,” he said. “We don’t have a fire suppression system. The building has run out of space for books and historical items. There’s no storage.”

 “We’ve run into scenarios where we’ve literally taken a whole bunch of books out of an area because that area cannot take the weight of those books,” Balliett added.

 Another renovation of the existing library has been considered, especially to address the need for a new roof. But a renovation would also require that the entire building be brought completely up to state code at great expense. 

 The trustees last spring applied for a construction grant through the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners that, if awarded, could have covered as much as half of the cost of building a new library. But the board learned earlier this year that it missed out on the funding. Now trustees are looking ahead to the May 2026 annual town meeting, where they expect to prepare an article seeking approximately $41 million to design and build a new building at the Main Street site.

 That might seem far away, but Balliett said that postponing the article to next year helps trustees avoid competing for funding against other capital projects, namely a new fire station. Voters this May will be asked to vote on a request for $45 million to design and construct a new facility on Eldredge Park Way.

 “The new fire station is really a needed project, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “It’s something that’s on the front burner for the select board and the town manager’s office, and we totally recognize that.”

Prugno added that the extra year will allow library staff, trustees and advocates the extra time to make the best case possible to voters for why a new library is needed.

 “A part of me would be very nervous about going this May, even though the trustees and I know we have been doing a lot of outreach,” he said. “I really don’t think you can do too much outreach. Presenting the case again and again will provide more opportunity to get to all the members of the community.”

 The promotional video plays a key role in that year-long educational push, and Balliett said it is already paying dividends. In just the week after its posting online, the video garnered about 100 views, and he said he expects that number to grow.

 “We felt wading into a video lined up really well with what we all use in our daily lives. People are constantly on YouTube,” he said. “They’re looking at stuff on Facebook. So we thought something that hits people with what’s really going on at the library from the perspective of 10 people would really help cut through that difficult educational challenge that you face with any sort of infrastructure project.”

 The video is available on YouTube, and the trustees also hope to share the video through other outlets including the town website and Lower Cape TV. 

 In his many years at the library, Prugno has watched as demands for programming have expanded. No longer are libraries seen as places to simply check out books, he said. Instead, residents want a multi-faceted space that functions more like a community center, complete with the space to host a variety of programming and the flexibility to service different needs at once.

 “The real reason for this is just greater service to the community and serving a greater need,” he said.