The Library at RiverWoods Durham was planned and curated before residents moved into the building. This article, written by the Library Committee, explores the process they engaged in and how you can become involved with this committee.
A year before RWD opened, several future residents met monthly with the assistant to the director, Brianna Toomey, at the Durham Public Library to discuss what we wanted in our future library. What brought us together?….our love of books, reading, and the desire to build a library our residents would use.  Such topics as library committees, book purchases, accessibility issues, and more were discussed in depth on our agenda. Before we opened, a few of us met with library committee members at Exeter’s Ridge and Boulders for advice. They were generous in their suggestions, sharing how their libraries operated.
At first, our library inventory comprised books donated by residents as they moved in. We put them on shelves designated by genre. Soon resident, Barbara Baldwin, arranged them in alphabetical order by author, and we were in business. We established committees, chose officers, wrote a mission statement, selected sub-committee officers, devised agendas and met monthly.
In the summer of our first year, we learned how to operate the computer software provided by RiverWoods and began the lengthy process of entering each book into our database. After three years, as shelves filled, we culled our collection of those books that had never been checked out since officially opening. They were offered to residents before donating them to local charities.
RiverWoods Durham has been supportive and generous with our budget. Book reviews and resident suggestions are considered when finalizing the purchase list. The sub-committee selects and buys 12-15 books per month, deciding unanimously to purchase our books from a local business, Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, which also supplies two RiverWoods Exeter properties. Supporting a local business was and continues to be our policy.
Besides books, our library has a large collection of jigsaw puzzles, a computer available to residents for their personal use, a printer, a reader for visually impaired residents, and a rotating magazine rack with donations from residents. Our volunteer librarians are available six days a week from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Residents can check out books by scanning into our OPAC computer scanner or writing their selections in a notebook. Residents can also access and search the library inventory and book availability on their personal computers via OPAC. We also support the smaller library in Newfound Lodge, our supportive living residence. One of our subcommittees is Supportive Living.
The Durham Public Library supports RiverWoods Durham. Our residents can obtain DPL library cards to utilize the town library. DPL also delivers a selection of books biweekly which are displayed on a designated table in the Piscataqua Room for residents to sign out. If a resident calls the library to request a book, the DPL will deliver it to RWD. We are encouraged to join Friends of the Library. Recently, the director and assistant director gave a book-banning presentation to our residents.
We continue to explore ways to improve our library and accessibility for vision and hearing-impaired residents. Staff members are welcome and encouraged to utilize the library. The purchasing sub-committee is developing a survey so we may learn what types of books residents like to read and how we can improve our communication and accessibility. We look forward to welcoming new residents and encouraging them to utilize our fine library and get involved in the community.
Learn more about the Library