Long-time dream of Sherwood Library patrons to become reality

SHERWOOD, Ore. — With the help of Sherwood residents and the tireless work of the Sherwood Library Foundation, the Sherwood Public Library will soon have a meeting pod. 

A meeting pod has been a long-time dream of the library and the nonprofit library foundation. 

The library received word that it has received enough funding to buy an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant modular pod that holds four people and allow for privacy in what is becoming a busy public library.  

Sherwood Library Foundation president Deb Diers said, “If you have been in the library, you will know that there are no public meeting spaces – we’re out of space, the city is out of space, there is no space.” 

Diers said that in two years, more than $30,000 was raised and that the cost of the pod came out at $30,000

Explaining funding efforts, Diers said, “We started with a grant from the Keane Family Foundation through the Oregon Community Foundation – we just applied to the community foundation and they matched us, and out of nowhere, we got a $10,000 grant from them.”  

Diers said $3,200 came from a Community Enhancement Program (CEP) grant to start the fundraising project. A second grant from the CEP came two years later in the amount of $9,300. 

“We got almost two thirds of it through two grants, and the rest of it, we collected,” she said, noting one fundraising event was a free gift-wrapping service at the Sherwood Book Store, starting Thanksgiving weekend. 

The foundation collected more than $500 in that effort. 

“It also helped us get the word out,” Diers said, adding that more money was awarded through the Fred Meyer Community Rewards program. 

Diers has been impressed with community involvement in the fund-raising effort. 

“We had a lovely donation from somebody that pushed us over the top,” she said. “A lot of people gave in memory of a parent who loved to go to the library.”

Library Manager Adrienne Doman Calkins praised the fund-raising effort. 

“It’s always a reason to celebrate, and a sense of accomplishment, when we can turn a ‘no’ into a ‘yes’ for the public,” Calkins said. “In this case, one of the most frequent questions we have had to say ‘no’ to over the nearly 12 years I’ve been library manager at Sherwood Public Library is whether we have a public meeting room or study room. The day is coming soon when we can say ‘Yes.’”

Doman Calkins continued, “Thanks to Sherwood Library Foundation’s work with fundraising and grants, and many generous individual donors, we are adding a modular meeting pod this spring. The pod will fit up to four people, is wheelchair accessible and will be reservable in advance. I’m incredibly grateful and proud to be making such a meaningful addition to our facility.” 

Diers anticipates the modular pod, which will have lighting, ventilation, and internet access, will be in place around mid- to late- April. It’s anticipated that a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place. 

Diers said everybody loves the library. 

“None of us are professional foundation people,” she said. “We are here because we love the library and we want to help out. We want to make the experience of a library inclusive for everyone. Every week the librarians are asked if there is a space for a meeting. And the answer, unfortunately, has been no. In about four or five weeks (at press time), the answer will be yes.”

You can learn more about the Sherwood Library Foundation by visiting its website, www.sherwoodlibraryfoundation.com. 

According to the foundation’s website, “Our fund-raising efforts will ensure that every Sherwood community member has access to a wide variety of services, creating a more accessible and equitable space in the heart of our thriving city.”