The Ladies' Library Association in Kalamazoo is in the midst of a construction project that will allow greater access to its historic building and the unexpected benefit is that more women want to be members.
The group which has the distinction of being the first women's club in Michigan and third in the nation is reversing the trend many service and philanthropic groups are experiencing. Rather than seeing its membership drop as members have aged, the group is growing.
The Ladies' Library Association now has 200 members, up 18 in the past year, and its count has been stable, says Paula Jamison, vice president of the group.
New and younger members are joining at a time when the building that the group is known for, and which often has been the impetus for someone to investigate the joining group, is closed. Even though the building is not open to the public during the construction period that started in June 2012 interest in the group's programs has remained high. In fact, the construction work has drawn attention to the group.
The new members are part of a transition for the organization as their energy has meant the group's philanthropic efforts have expanded into areas it previously has not been able to go, such as the cleanup of the Kalamazoo Valley River Trail.
The Ladies' Library Association got its start as a group in which members read aloud to one another for their mutual benefit, and the group's community service still has an emphasis on promoting literacy. Today, for example, one of its ongoing projects is providing books for babies. Donated books are bundled twice a year and given to area agencies that make them available to parents. Typically, 1,200 books are given away each year.
The organization also sees as central to its mission the preservation of the 134-year-old building that has been its headquarters since it was built. The building's upkeep is in part funded through rental for weddings, receptions, and meetings.
In recent years, the group has studied how to add an elevator to make the building accessible since it was designed at a time when accessibility was not taken into consideration. The advice the group received was to create an addition, rather than try to modify the historic building.
The decision to proceed became known as the 21st Century Project, and it calls for construction of a two-story addition that will include an elevator, hadicap-accessible restrooms on both floors, and updated safety features throughout the building. Work on the new addition is expected to be completed in June of this year, although a date for occupying again the building has not been determined.
On April 1, the group begins its public campaign to raise $2.1 million, funds that will pay for the addition, and also create an endowment to make sure the group can continue to carry out its missions. Already, significant progress has been made toward reaching that goal with gifts from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation, the Dorothy Dalton Foundation and Consumers Energy.
The campaign will feature radio presentations, banners, and other methods of getting the word out. Its
Facebook page already is in place with the slogan "The Ladies' Library Needs a Lift."
Another unanticipated benefit of the renovation project has been the realization that the performance space in the building, believed to be acoustically dead, actually has acoustics that will make it much sought after as a venue.
Barry Ross, of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and D. Terry Williams, formerly of the theater department at Western Michigan University, examined the auditorium. At their request, carpets were pulled from the floors, quilts taken from the walls, and extra curtains removed from the stage. When all the deadening fabrics and materials were removed the true acoustics of the room were revealed to much excitement.
"It's a unique acoustical venue now, a special place for intimate performances," says Jamison. It will be a place for recitals and has potential for many other events, she says.
The finding of the acoustically pristine conditions in the auditorium may be a surprise, but the results of such a finding are not.
The renovation project has "galvanized the members," as Jamison says. "The new members are really quite excited about our programs."
Kathy Jennings is the managing editor of Second Wave Media. She is a freelance writer and editor.