Kingston Library

Community Interviews Summary

721 Media Production Co-op (20 Companies) — Jeremy

Motion Picture/Graphic Design/Web Development — Share 140 People, equipment, etc.

• Perceptions of “Midtown” Location — rough section of Kingston in “general perception”

• Fencing is a big negative — the chain link is even perceived to be barbed wire
• Lighting (needs improvements?) – both building exterior and site
• More welcoming approach for all access – pedestrian, bicycle, vehicle, public transportation
• One-Way Street a problem in easy and intuitive access to the site
• Landscaping lacking – perceived as overgrown and unkempt in places
• More signage from central points & paths leading to the Library — visibility, from Broadway, Liberty
• Streets are dark as well, better lighting on streets – perceptions of safety
• Long standing business — not much off Broadway, Synergy with Business District
• Meeting Space — big one, Alcoholics Anonymous
721 Conference Rooms — booked all the time by community
Amateur radio club
12-15 Person Meeting space
30-40 Person meeting, issue with parking at current option locations
• Local History/Tourism — Pier House, Crown & John St., early stone building — oldest house/intersection in
America
• Rondout only deep water inlet
• City very disconnected — Mayor’s Advisory Board, Midtown is a vacuum in between improved areas
• Divided Community — 3 districts — city-wide master plan — New Mayor
• 721, JPAC — Broadway capture
• Hob Million — Homestead — Bank/America $80,000/year
• Arts Community — Lace Factory, Live Work Lofts
• Arts/History/Tech. — Access to Startups
• Marketing & Perception, no-man’s land

Friends of Historic Kingston — Jane Keller, Lowell Thing, Bill Rhodes

Local History and Preservation of Buildings

• 10 years ago, received grant for Library Local History, preservation of materials
• Collaboration between institutions — would like to see more (supplemental programs, not competing)
• Accessibility of Public Library — makes Local History more available
• Library Level 1 Introduction to Local History
• Local History Room — size adequate, remote/private, table seating, newspaper microfiche included — Lowell
• Reading Room — Lowell
• Lost 3 stacks — preserving survey reports, neighborhood — Jane
• Local History Bigger — move some archive collections up from basement, now Friends — Jane
• Second Lowell’s Comments — City Directories, best place is Library — Bill
• Redundancy with FHK — opportunities — Bill
• County Genealogical Society at Hurley Reformed Church
• UCCC — Stone Ridge & Elting — Staffed Local History
• UC Historical Society — disorganized and inaccessible
• City Historian — has Daily Freeman in Basement — bound volumes, no where else — digital newspaper project
• Senate House Museum
• County Archives — early Dutch, Foxhall Ave.
• Goal for Library — First stop for public information for Local History (Level 1 Introduction)
• Comprehensive Plan — Historical and Architectural
• Move non-rare books — to open collection
• Community Classes — history lectures (FHK not open in winter)
• Fence is off-putting/improve landscaping
• Remember the school – history of architecture

Kingston Library Community Interview Comments Document

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VP Kingston High School — Anderson Sheber
Former Teacher & Administrator for Kingston High School (Saugerties Resident)

• Library building was a school for about 100 years — roof is leaking, physical issues, some people wanted to move,
Board passed a motion to remain in the current building
• Current events —crime issues
• Aware of Library services
• Kingston Library, Hodges Center, Boys and Girls Clubs — count on safe haven for students, outpost in an unsafe
neighborhood, benefit to city for guidance — warm, dry lunch
• School District utilizes building for unscheduled tutoring, school bus to library, not within 1.5 miles
• Crucial to survival/growth — Library/school interaction
• Course work, workshops — at Library
• School trying to reinstitute Adult Ed. — coordinate with Library venue
• 180 doors to outside, convenience and security
• Likes fence as show of security
• Former Carnegie Library now KFQ — multi-function studios and 1 computer lab: lease not signed, TV studio in
Carnegie space?
• Interdisciplinary small learning communities — project global: engineering, social studies, art — 10 grade
th

— media com.: journalism, engineering, art — 11 & 12th

th

• CCE people non-profit — Hope & Arts — mid-town clients — EV Mann Dir., Drew Andrews
• Financial demographics more than racial — urban vs. suburban
• Bordering school districts: Saugerties, Rondout, New Paltz & Highland, Onteora (Hurley)
• Kingston — culturally, night life, entertainment, arts, retail

Micro Business — Anastasia

Promotes Micro or Solo Entrepreneurs

• Kingston used to have The Beehive — a for-profit space to rent desk/workspace

• No cafes open past 6 pm — need some later night hours
• Need space to work — but also to network
• Need to make resources for solo entrepreneurs more obvious at Library
• Many software development and programming businesses to network with
• Socially conscious businesses
• KDC — Kingston Digital Corridor — networking
• Library needs to standout in community to instill ownership
• ASK — Art Society of Kingston
• O-Positive — Festival in October
• KUBA — Kingston Uptown Business Association (more traditional association)
• Uptown — the stockades
• Midtown — lower economic demographic, ethnically diverse
• Waterfront — artsy, museums, shops/galleries
• Dynamic between — old Kingston & new Kingston

Kingston Library Community Interview Comments Document

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Retired IBM Professional — David
• Like-minded individuals support education and the Library (create & maintain open communications (David wants
to assist)
• Traditional collections — active, good use — vibrant
• Board Dynamic: supports this project, sophisticated understanding of politics; sustainable design interest;
respects monumental architecture (most); improved Library functions
• Programs: Children’s — excellent, especially in proportion to budget (David has found that young mothers
are most active & passionate patronage); Adult’s — most gen. entertainment; some unique with classics and religion
(amazing religious diversity in community)
• Technology Access: physically limited — infrastructure needs to be replaced (ugly); computers — acceptable;
would like to convert to Apple computers; no basic presentation devices (movies, projection screen, etc.)
• Would like to see more books, especially non-fiction
• Library achievements: ILL (but should be more advertised)
• Improve aesthetics: restore ceilings — height and monumental appearance; stairs — open and elevating;
overall appearance — general appeal — sell Kingston
• Suggested Contacts: Greg Swanzic, Mayor Offices — Grant Applications
• Areas to visit: Rondout; Uptown — Stockade, Senate Building, Sports Arena; Midtown — immediate neighborhood
• Key buildings: Carnegie Library building, City Hall, Stone Houses, Waterfront, Clearwater Sloop — New Dry Dock
Building

Retired Library Director — George Allen

Library Director until 2001

• Responsible for planning and planting gardens

• Initiatives to invite more people to Library and take pride in Library (like progression of City Hall)
• Negative Association with building for (older) blue collar Kingston because of attachment to original Carnegie
building
• 1978 — Library relocated to current building (Carnegie Library sold to school district and abandoned)
• Location to act as social services agency — perception thanks to Democrats and Republicans
• Bill Rhoads — SUNY Professor, Art Historian — writer of Kingston architectural guide and Ulster Co. architecture
• 1-1/2 years ago — dramatic weeding of collection
• Matt Bolerman — 19 month Director (following 8 months gap, following GA’s retirement)
• Bruce George — 3-4 years (not vocal) pursued grants
• Local Bunderhot Community — school at Mount St. Alphonses (on Hudson River)
• 2000 — became Library District
• 2001 — Library took building on
• 1998 — started building fund
• Planned garden improvements
• Library’s features — computer access/internet; audio books (computing population) — e-books
• Library’s deficiencies — not at the fore-front of technology (relative to IBM history — connections & solo-preneurs);
local history collection; empty shelves
• Lacking/need to be addressed — sustainable/environmental conservation
• Al Allstown — active advocate for grants

Community Interview 2
• Library functions as community center
• Fence — off-putting, improve landscaping; enhance curb appeal — catalyst for Midtown
• Remember/honor original school function

Community Interview 5
• Arts Community is hue draw for community
• Live Work Lofts — Lace Factory — new project for “Repco” in Midtown
• With school closings, low graduation rates, low test scores, etc. families are moving out of city for better school
districts
• Kingston — high tax area, large no-vote population for referenda; businesses pay high taxes — Homestead Act
• Arts, technology, local history, business support
• Library needs to market itself better

Kingston Library Community Interview Comments Document

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