In 2003, the Middletown Public Library completed an addition and renovation of the library. The project received construction reimbursement funding from the State of Rhode Island through the Office of Library and Information Services. The library did not have adequate funds at the time of construction to undertake landscaping that would make the grounds of the library look as good as the inside. For that, Director Robert Balliot turned to Roger Williams University, located in nearby Bristol, and local community groups. Thanks to the Community Connections project at the university and the efforts of many other volunteers, the library now has an outside to match the inside. In the article below, Robert Balliot describes how the community worked together to help the library complete its library improvement project.

This year, the Middletown Public Library was selected by the Feinstein Service Learning Office at Roger Williams University for a Community Connections Day project. The project was coordinated with members of Middletown Garden Club, Middetown Public Works, Middletown Tree Commission, and Middletown Open Space and Fields. Since the Library additions and renovations were completed in 2003, the Tree Commission has planted over 40 trees on the Library lot. The Garden club has also donated and planted over 700 bulbs and shrubs in newly-created beds in front of the Library.

On August 28th, 42 Roger Williams University (RWU) students along with their supervisors, members of the Middletown Garden Club, and the Middletown Tree Commission converged in the rain at the Middletown Library for a day of community service. The mission was to landscape and preserve the grounds at the Middletown Library. Middletown Public Works provided their dump trucks. Mason Hawes of Open Space and Fields provided many tools and wheelbarrows. June Halliday of Chaves Gardens, Art and Joanne Benner, Iris Field, Marge White and Paul LaMond of the Garden Club provided expert instruction on planting and excavation. Several of the fine people who support the Library and Town graciously loaned their own tools to help out.

Thirteen yards of mulch were used along with three yards of screened loam. All of the trees that had been planted by the Tree Commission were mulched and protected. Four dump trucks worth of sod and debris were removed. Flower beds were reorganized and most of the bones of our planting plan were completed. At the end of the day, we still had quite a few plants left to put in the ground. When we began, we expected there would be some topsoil underneath the sod. What we found was lots of rocks and each planting hole required much more time with pick axe and shovel to excavate than anticipated. Our screened loam became dense and heavy clay as the rain prevailed throughout the day.

The Roger Williams students behaved like real troopers and had a great attitude about the project - even after the mulch became heavy and saturated with rain and they had worked for several hours. They left looking like the folks who slid in the mud at Woodstock and left behind a much improved public library along with one of the most intriguing works of art I have seen. It is a mud-man/woman fashioned of clay and bits and pieces of objects one might expect to find in the mud. The mud-man/woman was photographed by Paul LaMond. Although the rain eventually took the mud-man/ woman from us, his/her/its memory will remain! After using shovels, pick axes, and rakes and moving thousands of pounds of materials in wheelbarrows and pots - the creativity shone and a sense of humor prevailed from the great new class of RWU!

We still have quite a few plants to put in the ground. But the work will get done and we have RWU and other members of the community to thank for it.

If you have undertaken a unique community project at your library, we'd like to hear from you! Please send your stories to the OLIS webmaster.