WebJunction

We provide technology for those who do not have access at home. We provide a great collection of books for young and old with varied interests. We play the role of keepers of information. I would like to see us provide more hands on teaching of classes for the technologically impaired. After school programming could be introduced, as well as teen activities. As I mentioned before, our older population and our teens should be our target audience in the near future. I think a morning coffee on the weeks the town doesn’t sponsor it, would be nice, using the meeting room for more than Trustee meetings, city council, elections and Summer reading. I am still contemplating what direction to go and where to start. Right now, my head is spinning.

The library plays many roles in my community, we are a learning center, entertainment venue, computer center, answer service, and oh yes we have books. There are always roles that we are not meeting and we cannot meet them all, as we could be putting too much on our plate. We are working on better serving the prison population as well as the other care centers associated with that (youth and mental health).

The Ellsworth Public Library had been an inactive part of the town for 10 years so had not previously played many roles in the community. I have tried to get the residents to begin to use the facilities again. It is slowly improving. In the last year, 2 additional public access computers have been purchased, the building has been made handicapped accessible, more books and DVDs have been available to the patrons and we had several programs for the children. This year we are going to concentrate more on Adult and teen programing. I feel we have come a long way in a year, but hope to achieve more accomplishments. I see a need for the Library to be the "gathering place". The hardest part is getting the people in the door.

I would call our library a hub of information. With the Internet, people have access to immeasureable information (some of it accurate!) and there is much to be gleaned from books, magazines and even movies. The main information seekers are students, and that is a role that should be filled by the library, but the recreational readers and i'net surfers also should have their needs met. One role that we could play would be more outreach to our older citizens, with book deliveries, computer assistance, and even just a listening ear. I have one lady in town who used to come to the library to have me help her with her creative writing, but when she was no longer able to drive, she couldn't come in anymore. She mostly came for companionship and intellectual stimulation that she wasn't finding at the senior housing. "All they want to talk about is their health, " she complained to me one day of her apartmentmates. I have worked out an arrangement with my library board to pick her up a few times a month to bring her to the library so she can continue to work on her writing, but mostly, I think, she just wants to get out of her apartment for awhile. This lady is 93 years old and likes to discuss poliltics and religion and some other deep subjects; I enjoy her company. If we could get a discussion group started for people like her, that would be cool, but I don't think there are enough people in town who would be interested. That would be a nice need to fill.

In my view our library here in Paullina provides a nice quiet, safe, relaxing place to come to....when life outside these walls is alot
of times noisy and hectic.....people need a place they can come to and "shift down a few gears" .....take a deep breath.....and
relax.
When I interviewed the teenager....she suggested maybe and TV tuned into a news channed......and some cool music playing...
those things are great, but there are many many places outside these walls that provide those things....but not so many places
that offer peace and quiet.......so that is the nich we are providing here... We don't have enough space to provide both noise
and quiet by separating the two....
What we are providing which shouldn't be overlooked is lots of wonderful books to "get lost in" that provide entertainment and
"escape" from the worries and cares of life.......I'm all for technology and staying "with it".....but none of that can take the
place of teaching our children and young people to "READ"!!

I like your idea of a morning coffee for senior citizens.....or whoever would like to come.......How about a "book read" where at
this coffee klatch a chapter or two of a good book would be read each time by someone who has excellent reading skills...........
to weird??????

Making arrangements for your 93 year old patron to be picked up and brought to the library several times a month is so cool, you deserve a pat on the back for being so creative. I know it must mean a lot to her to still be able to get to the library for some stimulating conversation.

Jean, I'm with you too about the relaxing place of escape and teaching young people to read. BUT Here's the rub. The young people know"how" to read, its the LOVE of reading that they are missing out on. I find a treasured few that you just can't keep enough books on the shelf for, but the majority judge a book by its cover, or thickness or would rather watch the movie! Ugh! They haven't taken the knowledge and experience of books from their head to the heart and lifestyle. Sometimes its like spitting against the wind. If teenagers and younger adults need their technology and gadgets, music and lights to feel comfortable in their space then I say bring it on. Whatever it takes to allow them to enjoy the library. At least they will be library users and maybe they will pass on their love of the library to their children. Granted their library experience is different from what we remember or would prefer but so will their children's be to them too. And if we can slip in a book or two then score one for us!!

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The roles not met for the adults would be the use of the computer. First I need to get them interested in learning e-mail, I have taught one of the girls onl the board things in the computer and after a couple months she is really into it and enjoys it.
Also from the use of a survey we could determine if there are elderly that would like to have a book or movie taken to their home.
Change is hard for most people, it takes a lot of work to overcome the scareyness out of change.

Janet, it does take a lot of work to get people in the door. I love to read, I guess people have to like to read to get them in. There are so many different kinds of books too. Do you find you read out of your box and try many new authors? I do anyway, and then
I feel I can recommend a book to someone.