New lighting makes Library an inviting evening presence.
“Enlightenment” has new meaning at the Plainfield Public Library these days.
After years of trying to find books under dim lighting, library users and staff are at last seeing the light -- and the books.
Lighting problems were first noted in a library planning document in 1995, but the 1965 building had other more critical problems: a leaky roof, deteriorating front steps, and a failing heating & cooling system.
Library Director Joe Da Rold was hired the year before and has been spearheading improvements ever since. “The biggest obstacle,” he says, “was convincing the Board of Trustees to commission an engineering analysis.” Once priorities and cost estimates were defined in that document -- in 1996 -- things started to roll.
Direct view of new lamps.
An even greater challenge was finding the money to fix so many urgent building problems. Over the ten-year period, the City of
Lighting improvements began in 2004 in the Young People’s Room, thanks to energy rebates that kept costs to a minimum.
The second phase of lighting improvements was made in the heavily used community meeting room, where faulty dimmers occasionally left audiences in the dark. Donations from private donors enabled the library to upgrade the ceiling lighting and install track lighting to showcase its featured monthly exhibits of art and photography.
The most pressing need -- and the most costly project -- was to upgrade lighting in the main reading room. To underwrite the $250,000 project, Da Rold secured grant funding from the NJ Department of Community Affairs, the federal Community Development Block Grant program administered by Union County, and the Hyde & Watson Foundation.
In 2006 over 300 downlights were converted to low-energy metal halide bulbs, and last month 225 fluorescent fixtures were completely replaced. “The latter was an architect’s dilemma,” says Da Rold, “because the ceiling grid had to be designed to be compatible with projected changes to the floor plan.”
View of the newly enlightened Reference area.
New lighting dramatically improves finding books in the stacks.
“The new lighting is impressive” he says, “and we never had to close the building for construction. We’ve been blessed with excellent electrical contractors on all of our projects.”
Da Rold proudly says that “scarcely a month goes by that some type of improvement is not being made to our building or our services. We are about to make some exciting upgrades to our public computer services, courtesy of donations of 25 computers from PSE&G and a dedicated computer kiosk from Legal Services of New Jersey.”
“We still have a long way to go, however, to complete our strategic plan. We are continuing our $1M capital campaign to fund a technology center and re-orient the main entry. The Young People’s Room is also in need of complete renovation and technology updating.”
With a smile he adds, “I know exactly how it will all look, I just hope I can see it completed before I retire.”
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