To whomsoever may open this capsule:This morning, after our Story Time for pre-school children, we placed this time capsule in the space reserved for it in the wall of the children’s section of the Hastings Public Library. The capsule was donated by the Wren Funeral Home
The contents of this capsule tell the story of the people of Hasting, MI and their efforts to build a new library. It also tells the story of our first year in this wonderful building.
We have put things in this capsule that tells you who we are. It has
1. a copy of the 2007-2008 Barry County Directory
2. a Barry County map
3. the 2007-2008 Hastings Phone Book (which featured our new library building on its cover)
4. a current Barry County Plat Book (2005)
5. a calendar from Bosley Pharmacy (Dave Jasperse, owner of the pharmacy, has long been a dedicated friend of the library)
6. a copy of the Dec. 26, 2006 Banner which tells about our community’s involvement with President Gerald Ford, who died in 2006
7. a copy of the Hastings Fire Department Annual Report for 2005-2006 – just because our first plans for a library it right next to the Fire Department
8. a copy of Hastings Long Ago, a three-part work written by Hastings teachers (Pat Markel, Susan Flessner, and Bob Palmer) for Hastings teachers to use to teach about the history of our community,
9. a copy of A Call from the Country written by Kensinger and Alice Jones, who have long been patrons of the library,
10. a copy of Every Other Thursday by May Granata, who taught English in the Hastings High School for many years and was not only a gifted poet, but a wise and insightful friend,
11. a copy of a brochure about Hastings – “There’s More to Explore”
12. a Michigan quarter
13. restaurant menus for some of our local restaurants.
14. a brief history of the Hastings Public Library
15. one of our new Hastings Public Library cards
16. a Hastings Public Library business card
17. various brochures currently at our information desk
18. a Hastings Public Library information brochure
19. a bookmark for the library’s hundred years: 1896-1996
We have put items in this time capsule that tell the story of our struggle to build this library. The monies to build this wonderful piece of architecture were not funded through a millage or bond issue. Instead all the money was raised by the community and we only began construction when we had the community’s promised pledges of $5,400,000. There are few public libraries in Michigan that can make the same claim. Much of our success was due to the gift of an anonymous donor, who to this day remains anonymous. In the summer of 2005 this wonderful person promised to quadruple every dollar we raised during a three-month period. Without his/her help we would not be placing this time capsule in the wall today.
Some of our fund-raising efforts are evidenced in
1. a Friends of the Library (Friends) book sale sign and bookmark (we wouldn’t be here without our Friends)
2. a Friends’ cookbook
3. a Sock Hop bookmark
4. a Story Telling bookmark
5. a short piece on the Friends’ Basket Auction
6. two duck race t-shirts, a duck, and a duck race ticket
7. a story about the Friends’ Ladies Tea
8. a list of everyone who bought a brick
9. a Rip-Roaring Raffle poster
10. a donation brochure and a list of donors to the Capital Campaign
11. a Case for Support written in 1998
12. Capital Campaign brochures
13. an update on the progress toward a new building (2003)
14. Susan Smith’s description of the “Journey to a New Library” (4/15/04)
15. an invitation to “The Last Chapter” Campaign kick-off Ice Cream Social and bookmark
16. a placemat heralding the beginning of the Last Chapter
17. a list of talking points for the new library (2005)
18. and a committee report (July 8, 2005)
The year and a half that lay between acquiring the funds needed to build the new library and moving into the new library seemed very short. It was filled with lots of events, the packing of hundreds of boxes, countless studies of blueprints and non-stop planning. A hint at what that time period is contained in the time capsule:
1. an invitation and ticket to the groundbreaking
2. a beam signing bookmark and list
3. a frog – he was our mascot as we prepared our patrons for the concept of a “green building”
4. plans for the inside of the new library building
5. a copy of a form used by patrons donating to the Opening Day collection
6. an article about the new security system that would be in the new library
7. bookmarks about our closing and fliers preparing our patrons for the five weeks they would be without service
8. a copy of the Hastings Banner for June 14, 2007 about our Opening Day Book Brigade, as well as the sign-up sheets for the Book Brigade, a Book Brigade badge and bookmark,
9. copies of the suggestions for things that should be placed in this time capsule
10. a story about the Friends’ Opening Day raffle for a Literacy Bell,
11. an Opening Day brochure introducing our patrons to our Green Building
12. an invitation to the Grand Opening
13. a copy of the Reminder for Tuesday, June 2, 2007 about the opening of the new library
14. guests books for Opening Day
15. an Opening Day t-shirt “Dreams do come true!”
16. the ribbon Barbara Schondelmayer and Brenda Teegardin cut to open the library to the public
Since the day we opened, June 9, 2007, the Hastings Public Library has been very busy. Some indication of just how busy is contained in the following:
1. annual Reports for the library 2005-2006 and 2006-2007
2. mock-ups of the plaques honoring our donors
3. articles about the retirement of long time employees who led the march toward a new library: Barbara Schondelmayer, Susan Smith, Darrel Hawbaker and Charlotte Anton
4. a copy of the Friends’ Calendar, Classics on the Thornapple, for 2009
5. an article about the Literacy bags that the Friends’ prepare for the newborns at Pennock Hospital
6. a postcard from C2AE’s (our architects) booth at the October 2008 MLA conference featuring our new building
7. an invitation to the presentation of the Green Building Council’s Gold LEED award on Saturday, October 25, 2008 – which made us the first library building in Michigan to receive Gold LEED certification
8. mock-ups of the plaques for the Green Tour stations in our building
9. a copy of the self-guided Green Tour
10. a Reminder for Saturday, October 4, 2008 with articles about our Sustainability Month
11. a Saturday October 25 Reminder, about this time capsule and other library events
We have also placed a few photos with some details about them in the capsule.
At the time this was placed in its hidey hole we had no definite plans for opening it up. It may well be at some future anniversary – or it may be when this remarkable building is torn down. Whenever, we hope that whoever finds this vault will find its contents not only interesting, but inspiring. This building is a reminder that when people unite to build for the future or solve a problem, a force is created which lives well beyond the personalities that came together in action.
At the time this was hidden our community was faced with severe economic problems, our environment was challenged and we were a nation losing sons in battle in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is our prayer that when this is reopened it will be in a community whose citizens are healthy and enjoying reasonable prosperity, on a planet that is once again healthy and treasured, and where peace is cherished.
Written this 28th day of October, 2008
Mary Diane Hawkins
Assistant Librarian
Hastings Public Library
Hastings, Michigan
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