South Burlington Community Library

Mission:

The South Burlington Community Library strives to be an integral part of the community by providing recreational and informational resources for all ages in an atmosphere that is welcoming and accessible to all community members. All South Burlington residents should see the Library as a source of lifelong learning and enrichment.

History:

The South Burlington Community Library was established in October 1971, with the goal of serving both the school district and community at large. Located in South Burlington High School, the library serves a growing and increasingly culturally diverse community in the 3rd largest municipality in Vermont.

The Library operates as a joint venture of the School Board and the City Council, with oversight responsibility delegated to high school administrators and the Library trustees respectively. The citizens of South Burlington support the Library through property taxes distributed annually through two funding sources, one from the school budget and the other from the city budget.

For the first thirty years of the Library's existence, until May 2001, one professional librarian managed the Library for both the school and the community. The librarian was primarily supported by school funds, with only a small amount of dollars allocated by the City to support the role of community librarian. Effort followed funding source and the community library received less attention than the needs of the high school and its students. During the FY 01 budget process, the City Council approved the hiring of a full-time Community Librarian to better address the community's library needs. With two librarians, each with a different focus, the needs of both the community and high school can be addressed more effectively.

Since the arrival of the Community Librarian, there have been numerous improvements to the Community Library. With the financial assistance of grants obtained through the Vermont Public Library foundation, the library renovated and expanded its children's library; opened a new entrance on the North side of the building dedicated to the community and expanded staffing and program offerings to the community, both on-site and through outreach to the city's growing senior population. These changes are consistent with renewed interest in the growth and development of the library as a vital community resource.