Fern Ridge Library needs support.

Byline: Janet Romanek For The Register-Guard

On May 20, the Fern Ridge Library district will ask its voters to renew the local option levy, which funds library services at the current level.

From its humble beginning in 1966 with donated books housed in orange crates in the music room of the old elementary school in Veneta to the present modern building, the Fern Ridge Library has been a symbol of everything good about small-town America.

The Fern Ridge Library is not just a building. It is an integral part of our community.

Fern Ridge community members' involvement in their library is exemplified by the number of volunteers who donate their time, expertise and knowledge, and by patrons' continuing financial support.

The words "This Is My Library" appear over the inside entrance to the building. They are not just words of welcome. They are a statement of fact, a guiding principle, a commitment that goes back to the orange crates that held six boxes of books.

In 1968, this same dedication to learning and reading prompted a local dentist to donate a small plot of land on Territorial Road, with the stipulation that it was to be used only for a public library. With seed money from donations collected over previous years, the community took on the project with zealous enthusiasm by donating labor and materials. The federal government pitched in with a construction grant. The United States Marines engineering battalion donated its time to assist with foundation work and framing, but volunteers did most of the actual construction. The 3,000-square-foot library was completed in 1974.

The building served its purpose for many years, but as the area's population grew, the need for a larger facility became apparent. Crowded storage and work space, crammed shelves, deficiencies in fire safety and limited handicapped access prompted the library board to appoint a facilities committee to study ways of maximizing the usage and safety of the existing library. This committee evolved into the building committee when all efforts to upgrade the library were exhausted.

The need for a larger library was obvious. It was also obvious that financing the project would be difficult, if not impossible.

Fortunately, two guardian angels, Sam and Roberta Konnie, were looking over the library board's shoulders. In 1996, the Konnies offered a $300,000 challenge: The board had to match the challenge with money received only in the community, not with grants or foundation dollars.

This was a formidable task. A fund-raising committee was formed, and the community responded enthusiastically with donations of all amounts.

A 5-year-old girl who had just received a brand-new $5 bill from her father to buy Christmas gifts presented the money to the library director. "To make the library bigger," she said.

Students at Fern Ridge Middle School turned in several hundred dollars they had raised for a party. They felt the library was more important.

A milk carton painted green and fashioned into Fernie the Frog sat on the checkout desk with mouth open, happily accepting pennies, nickels and dimes.

A family wrote to relatives in Connecticut about the building fund. The Easterners donated $100 to the library instead of buying Christmas gifts for the family in Elmira.

Within 1 1/2 years, the $300,000 had been raised, and the Konnies presented their matching dollars. Grants were applied for and eventually $1 million was raised.

In the meantime, Greg Demers donated a parcel of land adjoining the library. This was crucial for the building's expansion. The 3,000-square-foot library would become 11,000 square feet by June 1999. A state-of-the-art building was paid for, free and clear, all by donations, and the Fern Ridge community spoke proudly of its new/old library. The decor has been greatly enhanced by children's art financed by the Oregon Country Fair through the Lane County Arts Council.

The library has come a long way from books in orange crates. It is the little library that could, and did. In 1998, the voters approved a four-year local option levy, allowing the library to be open 45 hours per week, buy more new books and increase programs for children and adults.

To continue this level of service, book purchases and programs, the voters now must renew the local option levy for another five years. We not only need a yes vote, we also need a 50 percent majority to turn out and vote.

When you cast your ballot on May 20 for Measure 20-85, please remember: "This Is My Library."

Janet Romanek of Veneta served on the Fern Ridge Library board for seven years, twice as chairwoman.