Pinehurst’s Given Memorial Library is part of an exclusive club.

Supported solely by private donations, Given Memorial Library is among the 1 percent of libraries in this country that receive no federal or municipal funding.

When you check out the latest volume by Stephen King or peruse a Pinehurst-related document in the adjoining Tufts Archives, you do so knowing your pocketbook is none the lighter for the privilege.

And what does the Village resident receive for his or her non-investment? In addition to the white bread of any library — books — Given Memorial boasts the aforementioned Tufts Archives, which houses a storehouse of Pinehurst historic memorabilia: photos, artifacts, records, deeds, and even the soda machine Pinehurst founder James Walker Tufts made his fortune on.

The library itself offers free internet access (donated by Millie and Wilson Souders), entertainment programs for children, and –– coming soon, thanks to the recycling of an older computer –– educational computer games.

And even though no tax dollars support it, the library does possess an endowment of approximately $2 million, which accumulates dividends thanks to investing by the Board of Directors. But only the dividends earned from this endowment — not the whole sum —may be used to pay for the building’s upkeep, as well the salaries of its three full-time employees.

After touring the library with Board of Directors president Warren Wells, it‘s obvious that maintenance is a major expense for the library.

"You can see we’ve had quite a bit of water damage," said Wells, pointing to the flaking, peeling walls of the basement where many historic photos as well as documents and books are stored. Amid an army of dehumidifiers and air conditioning units, the library is in a constant battle with its worst enemy, humidity.

"Our drainage system is very inefficient," said Wells. "Rain pours off of the slate roof and seeps down the wall into the basement. We’re most concerned about our photos. We’ve got over 80,000 negatives stored in the basement and the humidity can be very destructive."

In addition to the destruction wrought by the elements, every day wear and tear also takes a toll on the library. For despite the zero cost to Pinehurst taxpayers, Given Memorial had more than 50,000 visitors in 1999 — with an additional 2,753 taking advantage of the resources in the Tufts Archives.

Wells and Board of Director member John Bell estimate it would cost approximately $60,000 to make all the needed repairs to the building. That includes repairing the faulty drainage system, replacing the worn flagstones at the front of the library, and installing new, more efficient air conditioning units (which, by Wells’ estimates, would save the library 15 percent in operating costs). And add another $40,000 to that cost if the library is to be made handicapped accessible.

"There’s no way to get a wheelchair into our restrooms," said Wells. "And the walkways for our book stacks are just too narrow for wheelchairs."

What Given Memorial really needs is a new building. But when that possibility was brought up previously, it produced a firestorm of protest from taxpayers who feared the extra burden, and according to Wells, the extra distance.

"It would have cost the taxpayers of Pinehurst just $35-$40 a year for a new facility," said Wells. "But aside from this nominal cost, many people were upset that we would have to erect a new building away from the core of the village, though it would have been a very short distance to travel. The proposed building site was in the Rassie Wicker Park area."

So the library continues to rely on dividends from investments, private donations and twice-yearly book sales to stay in operation. Wells says that lack of taxpayer support can be attributed to the demographics of Pinehurst’s population.

"Many of the folks who live in Pinehurst moved here from a large city where the library was supported by municipal funds," said Wells. "Unfortunately, they’re just not used to the idea of contributing to a library."