The Haxton Memorial Library Board of Trustees will hold their monthly Board Meeting for February 2024 on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the library. The public is invited to attend.

The Haxton Memorial Library located at 3 North Pearl Street in Oakfield provides residents with a variety of programs, events, and materials that are listed on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.

Press Release:

The Haxton Memorial Library Board of Trustees will hold their monthly Board
Meeting for January 2024 on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the
library. The public is invited to attend.

The Haxton Memorial Library located at 3 North Pearl St. in Oakfield
provides residents a variety of programs, events and materials that are listed
on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.

The Haxton Memorial Library Board of Trustees will hold their monthly Board Meeting for January 2024 on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the library. The public is invited to attend.

The Haxton Memorial Library located at 3 North Pearl Street in Oakfield provides residents with a variety of programs, events, and materials that are listed on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.

Travis Scroger’s entry into writing was a bit unconventional: After graduating in 2020 from Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, Pa., Scroger entered one of the fastest growing industries in the United States.

As a social media manager Scroger, of Rochester, regularly oversaw posting across all social media platforms. Yet, amid the hustle and bustle that comes with managing the online world, he was deeply unhappy.

“I worked a lot of desk jobs and I kind of fell into a depressive state and went through some pretty severe anxiety episodes,” he said during an interview with The Batavian. “I didn’t go to college or anything with the plan of writing. I just kind of fell into it.”

Halloween Party: Thursday, October 26 at 6:45 p.m.

The whole family is invited to wear a costume and join us for games, treats and a craft! This year we will also have a "Costume Contest". Registration is appreciated. Call the library at 948-9900 to register.

2nd Annual Triangle Park Halloween Parade: Saturday, October 28 at 10 a.m.

Children of all ages are invited to wear their costume and "Trick or Teat" around Triangle Park in the Village of Oakfield. Our Library Volunteers will be handing out candy and we will also have a Halloween photo booth available. No registration necessary.

Halloween Preschool Storytime: Monday, October 30 at 10:30 a.m.

Wear your Halloween Costume for this special Halloween Preschool Storytime. We will enjoy “not-so-scary” Halloween stories and activities and then we will parade around the building for some Halloween treats! This program is designed for children ages 2-5, but ALL ages are welcome to attend. No registration necessary.

The Haxton Memorial Library located at 3 North Pearl Street in Oakfield provides residents a variety of programs, events and materials that are listed on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.

Baby and Preschool Storytimes will resume in September at Haxton Memorial Library in Oakfield.

Preschool Storytime is held on Monday mornings at 10:30 a.m. and is designed for children ages 2-5. It includes stories, rhymes, songs, and activities related to a theme. Older and younger siblings may attend.

Baby Storytime is held on Saturdays at 10 a.m. and is designed for infants and toddlers ages 0-24 months and a caregiver. Older siblings are also welcome to attend. We will share rhymes, songs, and simple board books,
followed by playtime!

The Haxton Memorial Library located at 3 North Pearl Street in Oakfield, provides residents with a variety of programs, events, and materials that are listed on the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org.

More than 80 participants — children, teens and adults — attended an end-of-summer-reading ice cream party this past week at Haxton Memorial Library in Oakfield, Director Kim Gibson says.

Soft serve ice cream was served, and all of the prizes were distributed during this fun-filled evening at the library on Aug. 17. 

The library had a lot to celebrate: a busy summer of 200 children, teens and adults in the “All Together Now” Summer Reading Program, and children and teens reading more than 70,000 minutes combined as the library offered 35 programs, and an attendance of more than 1,020 participants during the six-week program. 

 “We had such an amazing turn out and we are so proud of all of our readers this summer,” Gibson said.

Press Release:

Haxton Memorial Library had its Summer Reading Kick-Off Carnival on June 29 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at Triangle Park.

This year’s theme is “All Together Now” and our carnival consisted of kiddie games, face painting, crafts, popcorn, cotton candy, and the Iroquois National Wild Life Refuge had a display including a blow-up Archery Station for the kids.

"This annual library event had a wonderful turnout of over 170 people in attendance and was put together with the help of dedicated staff, board members, patrons, and young volunteers". "We love to offer this program each year to our community to encourage everyone to be a part of our Summer Reading Program, which starts July 3 - Aug 11," said Kim Gibson, Library Manager for the Haxton Memorial Library. "Throughout this 6-week program our readers of all ages can participate in our programs and win prizes and more importantly, read for fun!"

Stop by the library, check out our website (haxtonlibrary.org), or follow Haxton Library on Facebook for more information on what’s happening at the library this summer.

Submitted photos

Press Release:

Residents of the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District are being reminded to vote on Tuesday, May 16, at the Oakfield-Alabama High School from noon to 8 p.m. 

Posters about the Haxton Memorial Library vote featuring local residents and library patrons can be seen in the library and at various locations throughout the area. The signs and posters are a reminder for residents that their votes will determine the future of the Haxton Memorial Library.

A presentation by the Haxton Memorial Library Board of Trustees with details about the proposition was held at the Oakfield Government and Community Center on March 28 at 7 p.m. Details from this meeting can be viewed at www.HaxtonLibrary.org/vote and can also be picked up at the library. An informational flier with details about the budget vote was mailed to Oakfield-Alabama School District residents in mid-March.

The Board of Trustees also hosted two small group sessions at the library for residents on April 13 and 15. At these meetings, Carol D’Alba, president, and other Trustees from the noard of the Haxton Memorial Library, shared information about the May 16 vote that proposes to transition the library to a school district public library. The library’s service area would expand to serve the residents of the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District.

The library would remain housed in the same building with the same staff. The school district would have no direct control of the library but would collect funds for the library. This transition to a school district public library would stabilize the funding needed to operate the library and provide elected representation to the taxpayers as library trustees will be elected rather than appointed. 

According to D’Alba, “We hope that residents remember to vote on May 16. At our meetings and online, we have explained that library usage remains strong while our funding has decreased. With this vote, the proposed level of community-based funding would amount to 57 cents per $1000 of assessed values on properties in the Oakfield-Alabama School District. Without this transition, the future of the library is uncertain. We have been encouraged by the positive comments we have received from the community who believe that the library is important to all of us.” 

The slide presentation, along with additional information about the upcoming library vote, are available online at the library’s website at www.HaxtonLibrary.org/vote. Residents with questions can also contact D’Alba by calling the library at (585) 948-9900.

Photo: Submitted by Patt Fagan

Haxton Memorial Library, which offers a list of programs that has grown over the years, has also been dealing with a budget that has been shrinking in comparison, library trustees say.

The Oakfield staple established in 1963 is in danger of ceasing operations without an influx of more revenue, Board of Trustees President Carol D’Alba said after a recent public presentation about the situation.

“We really won’t be able to keep our doors open for very much longer,” she said to The Batavian. “The main reason is that minimum wage is going up, and the need for current materials. We have been scraping by. As a school district library, our tax base will be the same, it represents the geographical area of the village and town of Oakfield. The school will be the tax collector.”

The board presented its proposal last week to make Haxton a school district library, which doesn’t change anything other than which entity collects the taxes, D’Alba said. Oakfield-Alabama Central won’t run the library in any way, she said.

Library taxes are expected to go up two cents per $1,000 assessed value, from 55 cents to 57 cents per $1,000, or from $55 to $57 a year for a home assessed at $100,000. The total proposed budget is $158,790, and taxpayers will have an opportunity to vote for that, the proposition to establish a school district library, and the school budget on May 16.

This tax rate has decreased considerably, as residents used to pay 85 cents per $1,000 from 2018 to 2020, she said.

“It’s our independent budget. We do our own reports,” D’Alba said. “A school district library will function the same, and the public will have more control.”

She emphasized that the state has been encouraging library boards to move in this direction to secure their revenue sources, and it has been sorely needed at Haxton library.

"It's important that people know that the New York State Board of Regents continues, for the last decade, urging libraries to try to stabilize funding. And one way to do that is to redistrict, from Municipal Library to School District Public Library," she said. "We had a nearly 30 percent reduction in funding from the town during COVID. And that money was never restored."

Town funding dropped by more than $22,500 from 2020 to 2021, and then by more than $4,600 more from 2021 to 2022, and remains flat for this year. 

"So that's the main reason, is that the funding was never restored. And so we really won't be able to keep our doors open for very much longer. If we don't make this move, we might have a few years under us with our savings account. But we're using, you know, we're tapping that savings now, our reserves," she said. "So, that's the main reason, but the minimum wage is going up, and, obviously, in order for the library to stay current, we need the current materials. We've been really suffering, scraping by for the last few years. And so that's why we need to make this move now."

Oakfield is catching up to others in Genesee County who have already become school district libraries, including Corfu, Pavilion, Le Roy, and Batavia.

“Everyone is looking to do this now,” D’Alba said. “We’re all looking to make this switch.”

Some 50 people attended the presentation last Tuesday evening, and some spoke on behalf of the importance of Haxton and how much their families enjoy the programs there, D’Alba said.  Those programs include story time for preschool, summer reading, baby story time, music, dance and art activities, book club, craft night for adults and children, technology help, special one-time adult, family and youth sessions throughout the year, plus various computer, Internet, material and workspace services.

“There was just so much love in that room,” she said. “People did not know all of the programs the library offers; there’s a lot going on here, and we want to do more outreach that we haven’t been able to do without more funding.”

The board has had to do some belt-tightening, according to 2021 data, spending $7,313 on materials (books, DVDs, periodicals, computer software and upgrades), compared to Corfu’s $13,898, and Byron-Bergen’s $24,793. Program expenses have been another disparity, going from Corfu’s $2,058 to Haxton’s $689.

The presentation led to the board’s final decision that, “after consideration over the past few years, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution to transition from a Municipal Library to a School District Public Library that would be funded solely by a voter-approved budget.”

Again, what is a school district public library?

• The school district collects tax money for the library and turns it over to the library board.
• The school district would have no involvement in the library’s operations.
• Libraries can secure funding through a district-wide public vote on a budget.
• If approved, the library would revise the Charter to be a school district public library, and trustees would be elected.
• The coverage area is the service area that serves the entire school district. This means that the service area would include patrons in the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District.
• This establishes secure and reliable funding for the library building, utilities, materials, personnel, programs and Nioga services.

The proposed budget of $158,790 includes a part-time library manager and two part-time clerks; 10 additional hours of operation, going from 25 to 35 hours as mandated by the state; the ability to purchase more materials and to offer expanded programming, and keep up with new technological programs and equipment (computers and software); and library utilities and maintenance.

For more information about Haxton library, go HERE.

Top Photo (submitted) is the kick-off of a summer reading program at Haxton, and, above, an art exhibit with guest artist Anthony Terrell, by Joanne Beck, as two of the many programs offered at the Oakfield library.