Residents of the tiny town of Shutesbury, Massachusetts have produced the latest in viral videos in their efforts to fund the building of a new library. The current M.N. Spear Memorial Library, a 110-year-old quaint but tiny structure, lacks running water and space for any event comprised or more than four toddlers with caregivers. Those forced to stand toward the back of story hour or to wait in line to check out may hop from foot to foot while the heating vent melts the soles of their shoes. In a town with no commercial zoning or gathering space, the library is the community hub but can hold only a spoke or two at a time.
The Town of Shutesbury has been awarded a library construction grant of $2.1 million from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. To accept the grant , the town must raise $1.4 million by June 30th. Fundraising efforts are well underway, with the total currently exceeding $190,000.
Last week, supporters released a video about their library on YouTube. The video has quickly made its way onto popular blogs, including boingboing, http://boingboing.net/2012/03/06/tiny-library-raises-money-with.html and the New Yorker’s Book Bench, http://m.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/03/in-the-news-novel-politics-finding-fairy-tales.html. As of today, the video has been viewed nearly 15,000 times. Donations are pouring in from across the nation and all over the world. The video has shown up on blogs from the fantasy writer Neil Gaiman to the Daily Show’s John Hodgman.
Residents of the tiny town of Shutesbury, Massachusetts have produced the latest in viral videos in their efforts to fund the building of a new library. The current M.N. Spear Memorial Library, a 110-year-old quaint but tiny structure, lacks running water and space for any event comprised or more than four toddlers with caregivers. Those forced to stand toward the back of story hour or to wait in line to check out may hop from foot to foot while the heating vent melts the soles of their shoes. In a town with no commercial zoning or gathering space, the library is the community hub but can hold only a spoke or two at a time.
The Town of Shutesbury has been awarded a library construction grant of $2.1 million from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. To accept the grant , the town must raise $1.4 million by June 30th. Fundraising efforts are well underway, with the total currently exceeding $190,000.
Last week, supporters released a video about their library on YouTube. The video has quickly made its way onto popular blogs, including boingboing, http://boingboing.net/2012/03/06/tiny-library-raises-money-with.html and the New Yorker’s Book Bench, http://m.newyorker.com/online/blogs/books/2012/03/in-the-news-novel-politics-finding-fairy-tales.html. As of today, the video has been viewed nearly 15,000 times. Donations are pouring in from across the nation and all over the world. The video has shown up on blogs from the fantasy writer Neil Gaiman to the Daily Show’s John Hodgman.
Hoping to meet the requirements of an anonymous matching grant of $150,000, the video is just what the library needed. “We love our little library but we’ve outgrown it,” says Mary Anne Antonellis, library director. “The building was designed for a population of 400. We can only serve about 10 people at a time right now. But with this video, we’re opening our doors to millions.”
To view the video visit, http://www.youtube.com/user/ShutesburyLibrary
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