Committee to Survey Springs Residents on Whether Public Library is Wanted There

The Springs Public Library Exploratory Committee has decided to survey residents of the school district to see if having a public library in Springs is what they want. The committee convened to discuss the possibility of forming a public library for the Springs School District on Wednesday night.

The currently serves Springs residents. While there is a a library in Springs, called the , it is a private library run by the  in a historic building. It does not have a state charter.

The formation of a public library would, in effect, split the current library district which is comprised of the East Hampton, Wainscott, and Springs School Districts.

Henricka Conner, a Springs Citizens Advisory Committee member and a former member of the board of trustees for the East Hampton Library, said the location of the East Hampton Library presented logistical problem for the residents of Springs. Studies show, she said, that people will use a library much less often if it's further away. "Three to five miles is the maximum . . . five miles is on the outskirts," she said. Parts of Springs are more than six miles from the East Hampton library.

Tina Piette, an attorney and member of the exploratory committee, told the group that Dennis Fabiszak, the East Hampton Library director, was not receptive to the idea of an annex or branch in Springs, citing building code and safety concerns about the building that houses the current Springs Library.

When reached for comment later, Fabiszak said in a statement, "The library serves all of the residents of the East Hampton, Springs and Wainscott School Districts." He said, "The East Hampton Library has looked for ways of increasing library services outside of our building."

He pointed out ways that the library has made efforts in that respect, including installing wireless Internet services at the private library, which are available from outside the building around the clock. In September, 300 residents used this free service, he said.

"The East Hampton Library has offered to help supplement the school curriculum, by purchasing books on specific topics based on teacher projects, and loaning these items to the schools for the children to use," Fabiszak continued, noting that the library has "requested that the Town of East Hampton add the East Hampton Library as a stop on the Senior Citizen bus route."  

Questions that Springs residents will find on the survey might include, "How many times do you use the East Hampton Library?" and "Would you use the library more is it was closer?"

Since the residents of the Springs School District pay taxes to support the East Hampton Library, Connor asked, "If we got a positive reaction, the next step would be, would you be willing to take the money back?" She said, "The only way we can get the money back is to secede from the East Hampton Library."  

However, according to Conner, "Wainscott, Springs and East Hampton school districts would have to vote to allow it."

According to Piette, Fabiszak had told her, a secession could prove "too detrimental to the library." The exploratory committee is not convinced of Fabiszak's claim. The residents of Springs contribute approximately $250,000 of the library's approximate $1.6 million budget and the library has over $4 million in liquid assets, according to Conner.  

In a statement addressing the committee's claim Fabiszak said, "The Springs residents contribute 20 percent of the tax support, which is approximately $234,000.  Currently 35 percent of the residents using the library are Springs residents."

He also said in the statement that the library does have "an endowment that has grown to $4 million dollars but the majority of it is donor restricted money.  The library can only use the interest that this money generates."

Fabiszak added that the East Hampton Library has paid for a study which showed that creating a separate library in Springs would result in a 314 percent tax
increase to Springs residents. "Although Springs residents pay 20 percent of the tax support for the East Hampton Library they amount to more than 35 percent of its usage," he said.

Conner also expressed concern about the board of trustees for the East Hampton Library not being publicly elected, but rather appointed. "The best comparison would be the MTA. They get all this public money but it's a private board." She said that if the board was publicly elected then the director would in effect have to "answer to the public instead of a board of trustees."  

Piette felt that the residents of Springs should be given an option to establish their own library and expressed derision over the current situation saying, "there is a group of people who say: 'You opted in and that's that.'"

But, Conner said, "If you look at the New York State Division of Libraries, you have libraries coming together and falling apart all the time."  

Even if the survey finds that the Springs residents want a public library in Springs, and the East Hampton and Wainscott school districts vote to allow it, they would still need to be given an official charter from the New York State Division of Library development.

Heather Anderson of the exploratory committee who also serves as president of the Springs Historical Society, said "If you want to get a library, you have to get a charter from the state which has become very difficult. The state has become very strict."