The Daily Grin

The Cheshire Public Library will close at 1:00 p.m. today, Wednesday 12/31/08, due to inclement weather.

The Cheshire Public Library now offers free wireless internet access throughout the public areas of the building!

NBC Nightly News recently ran a story about the importance of public libraries during tough economic times.  To see the clip, please click here.

Here’s an interesting article about how, in tough economic times, people use libraries more, since they can afford to visit bookstores less.

Last year, the Cheshire Public Library loaned more than 445,000 items.  At an average of $25 per book/CD/DVD, that means it would cost residents more than $11 million to purchase those items if there were no public library.

The library’s annual budget is about $1.4 million, which includes a book budget of $173,100 in addition to salaries and other overhead costs.  That’s less than $50 per man, woman, and child in Cheshire — or less than the cost of two books per year.  The library is open 7 days a week during the winter months of January through March, including Sunday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 p.m.  All library programs are also free of charge.

We may be biased, but we think it’s the best deal in town!

The library’s solar panels have been installed on the roof and are now up and running.  As of 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, 12/3/08, they were generating 3.75 kW, which is enough to simultaneously power more than 62 60-watt light bulbs, or an electric clothes dryer, or several personal computers.  We estimate that the panels will generate about 2-4% of our electricity over the course of a year.

Solar panels on the roof of the Cheshire Public Library, November 2008

Check out our display of books and materials about “green” and renewable energy and building methods — in the library’s lobby from now through the end of December.  Visit our website for a list of these books and materials.

Coming soon: a link to a website showing, real-time, how much electricity the solar panels are generating.