3 desks with computers.

On the south side of the building there are 3 spaces, between the windows, where minimal desks could be built. Loading some chromeboxes with Linux would be cheap. If I buy them in bulk, it would cost around $600 for 5 setups. Monitors could be mounted to the walls, keyboard on a hidden, sliding tray, and the chromebook could go under the desk as well. Each desk would be usable with a laptop or for writing.

The only unusual restriction, is no wifi and minimal EMF transmission. Which should be simple, so long as ethernet cables are put in during construction. We'll also need our AC electricity to be filtered and as pristine as possible.

Plus a wall-mounted computer for quick inventory searches. With a lightweight and userless version of the inventory software.

Electricity

Now the goal is to keep utilities below $50 a month. So if we allocate $30 to electricity, how far does that get us? About 586 watts of continuous use, 12 hours a day. Not bad. 300 would go to computers, that leaves plenty for lighting. The only drawback would be AC in the summertime, which would double that cost.

Now while I'm not against using the main utilities, it would be easier to provide clean power, if it were coming from battery banks. And may save money in the long run, if we used environmental energy. Mounting 800 watt panels and a few residential wind turbines, aren't outside the realm of possibility.

Overall though, I think it would be wise to consider this operation as a low tech library from day one. With the possibility of adding in minimal technologies as time progresses.

Changes to Floor Plan.

Mirror the original building. North side is concatenated, as in extending a shorter distance from the building's center line. Which would have the effect of giving the opposing wall a larger space, possibly for windows. Larger windows to take in as much light as possible. Office and back storage.

The atrium / entryway, bit of both buildings? Perhaps the best option would be a small entryway which would contain some informative posters about the place and its mission. From there you need a key of some kind or to come back during the open house hours.

Crowd Funding

There's no way I'm going to be able to save the $20k to $50k I'll need to make this a reality anytime soon. And my income isn't stable enough to get a loan, whether from an individual or from a bank. So crowdfunding is the logical next idea, even though the jury's still out as to whether it's a valid and useful one.

It would be useful to chunk the phases of this (still hypothetical) project into chunks, and running a separate campaign for each one. Each campaign will necessitate advertising. But perhaps it could be factored into the budget.

To run a crowd funding campaign, all the numbers will need to be worked out. Even for just the initial "chunk" of planning and consulting with professionals, how do I entice people to invest? What would they get out of it?

I could provide copies of all plans and ideas generated. Unfortunately the really juicy things like future memberships and whatnot have to be retained for the bigger crowdfunding campaigns down the road. Oh! The most useful advice would be around the practicalities of building this thing. As in, is it worth it?

Laws. Statutory misunderstandings. Who's jurisdiction do we fall into? Are there any laws on the books for private libraries? What would neighbors think about? Do random subdivisions have an issue with residential land being bought to construct private businesses? While a bunch of this knowledge would be specific to the project, there are ways of digging for more generic answers for sure!

Within that framework, this is more like investing in a research study. But a practical one that we can all benefit from.

Benefits of supporting the campaign:

1. Access to primary documents.
2. Results of surveys and research and professional consults.
3. Ability to draft questions to be answered during the research and interviewing phase.
4. Q&A's during and after the process.
5. 3 spots reserved for your name to be engraved on the final building.
6. Physical copies of plans.

My Next Steps

Make a list of professionals who would be qualified to assist. Look for movers and shakers who would be willing to meet and discuss these ideas.

Crowdfunding Platforms?

I have no idea what the current most-used platforms are.
...
Well, never mind. It looks like IndieGogo, Kickstarter, and GoFundMe are all still alive and well.

That's all for now!