Former State Librarian Jo Budler visited the following libraries in August 2007:Greene County Public Library: Xenia Branch, St. Mary’s Community Public Library, Rockford Public Library, Mercer County District Library - Mendon Branch, Mercer County District Library, Auglaize County Public District Library, Coldwater Public Library, Mercer County District Library - Marion Branch, Mercer County District Library in St. Henry, Fort Recovery Public Library
August 2, 2007
Greene County Public Library: Xenia Branch
When I arrived at the Xenia branch of the Greene County Public Library (where Administrative Offices are housed), there was a line of children standing next to the building. As I walked up to the front door, the bookmobile pulled up, bringing with it the event of the day: the Children's Book Sale, the culmination of the Summer Reading Program. Several of the youngsters had their book coupons in hand. They earned these as rewards for reading and this was the day to cash them in. I have never seen such an excited but well-mannered group. What a great way to begin a library visit!
Director Karl Colon gave me a quick tour of the Xenia branch. There was not an empty seat at the bank of public access computers and the circulation staff was busy the entire time I was there. This is a well-used collection and facility.
Karl also showed me the Greene County (Historical/Genealogy) room and told me of plans to digitize more material so folks can access from anywhere, anytime. Others may be interested in knowing how he is keeping track of usage: folks who are not Greene County Library card holders get a "visitor" card before being given access to digital material.
Our next stop was Cedarville Community Branch. Both Karl and Associate Director Tom Dille (pictured above with bookmobile left to right Karl; Tom). Tom was the former director of this branch and was the perfect tour guide. While this branch is small, it is well used. Again the circulation staff was busy the entire time I was there. As you can see from the picture, it is a warm and inviting place to spend time reading and relaxing.
When I ended my visit more than two hours after my arrival, there were still children climbing into the bookmobile with coupons in hand! I would say that this was a successful program.
August 6, 2007
St. Mary’s Community Public Library
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Jan Haines and I began our visit with a tour of the library with Director Sue Pittman. Sue had attended a CE event entitled Trading Spaces which was sponsored by NORWELD and the State Library and has been busy ever since putting into practice several of the suggestions that she heard at that workshop. Like other librarians who have tried this marketing technique, Sue and her staff have found that books that are displayed face outward circulate more than traditionally shelved items.
Sue has also begun to display “recently checked out” books. She has found that her customers want to read what others have. This shelf of recent reads serves as recommendations for others.
After the tour we met with Sue, some of her staff and her board. We learned a lot about the library services through our tour and talk, including:
- St. Mary’s Community Library has a great deal of original, signed art work in the children’s area, presented to the library by visiting authors and illustrators;
- The community has a juried art show on an annual basis at the library (we were lucky enough to see this during our visit);
- The Rotary Club of St. Mary’s sponsored a Health and Wellness materials collection of books and CDs on a variety of health topics;
- The display area in the front of the library is filled by the local Historical Society;
- The library sponsors a business persons’ breakfast once a year with about 40 business persons in attendance;
- Children’s programs are well-attended as is evidenced by the Princess Party where more than 50 little girls came dressed like little princesses. And for the young men: a Super Heroes party (little boys with capes, of course!);
- The children’s area also houses books of interest to parents and teachers. This has proven popular and this material circulates well.
The library and its staff have found many ways to partner with organizations in the St. Mary’s community. One such partnership with ABLE hospital allows the library to reach out to new babies and their families.
Thanks to Sue, her staff and her board for an educational visit. And a special thanks to Sue for the tour of the Grand Lake and sharing her dinner time with us (at Behm’s where you can get some of the best meatloaf I have ever tasted!).
August 7, 2007
Rockford Public Library
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Our first stop of the day was Rockford Public Library where we were greeted by not only Director Rozann Maurer and her assistant Becky Stephenson, but also Clerk Treasurer Bob Maurer, Austin Schneider (Director of the Mercer County Library), Connie Smith (Adult Services) and Liz Muether (Circulation Librarian). What a treat to start the day with such a welcome and a gift of a beautiful corsage. You will notice in the pictures that we wore these throughout our visit – both days!
The original Carnegie structure of the Rockford Public Library was added onto in 1996. The addition was done in such a way that the building flows nicely. It has since also been redecorated – beautifully in cranberry and blue hues.
The front room houses the audio books, DVD and video collection as well as the new fiction and the periodicals. This is also where we saw a display of popular authors. Rozann pointed out that often readers will discover an author later in the author’s writing career and want to go back and read earlier writings by that same author. The display includes these earlier works and is a great way to increase the circulation of somewhat older but still popular books.
There are two good sized meeting rooms in the basement (which does not feel like a basement). One room served as a “children’s room” and began when a former director got a grant to buy toys. This was a place for children to come to enjoy “play group” time before there were pre schools in Rockford. The room is still enjoyed by groups of children who come to enjoy storytime and crafts.
Like St. Mary’s, Mercer County District Library, Rockford Public Library is a member of SEO. They have found that their library users appreciate the “expansion of their collection” when they are able to find material in other SEO libraries and have this material delivered to them at their local library. Rozann and Bob Maurer both pointed out that this was a great return on investment: paying for US Cargo is cost effective when you consider how many titles would have to be purchased, processed and shelved in order to meet their communities’ requests.
Thanks go to Rozann, Becky and Bob for a great visit (and special thanks to Becky for delicious blueberry zucchini bread).
August 7, 2007
Mercer County District Library - Mendon Branch
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The Mendon Branch Library (of the Mercer County District Library) is actually two buildings. The first building we toured is a converted bank. The library staff has been creative and is using all available space. There are cozy reading areas, a terrific children’s area and many public access computers.
Jan and I were both surprised to see a collection of vinyl records in this children’s area. Branch manager Carol Mullins told us that these are very popular with the children. They are fascinated by these and often ask for the headphones for the record player where they sit and listen to the “old favorites.”
The other building was formerly the library but now serves as a large meeting room. Director Austin Schneider gave us a fascinating history of this building. When he was planning to build in 1980, he wrote and was awarded a grant to include passive solar power. The blinds automatically adjusted to track the sun. Heat was stored in salt bags which converted to liquid form when in use. This is another example of how truly innovative our library community is – Austin is to be congratulated on being such a conservationist as well as innovative.
August 7, 2007
Mercer County District Library
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Our next library stop was Celina where we toured the Mercer County District Library. There are many items to note at this library but the most remarkable is the mineral collection which was donated to the library in 2006 by Ron and Ruth Langston. There are over 660 specimens on display. When the new wing of the library is built, more will be displayed.
The library is taking advantage of this remarkable collection to offer classes to both children and adults. Retired professor Ken Strickland and Lyn Loughridge gave us a sample of a class. These classes are called “discovery exercises” and are aligned with Ohio Department of Education standards. Jan and I were so engrossed that we were 15 minutes late in leaving… thank goodness Jan glanced at the clock or we might still be there exploring. For more information about this unique collection, please go to http://www.mercer.lib.oh.us/minerals.htm
The library has been expanded several times and each time, it appears to me, not only were they able to add room but also wonderful lighting. Here again the old and new blend so well, it is difficult to distinguish the additions from the original.
This library system is part of the SEO consortium and I am always amazed at how many items circulate. Between 70-100 bags leave and come into the main library daily (they have 5 days / week delivery). Both Jan and I were impressed with the metal shelving that they were using to sort and process requests (see the picture). This might work for others who have a small area in which to work and a lot of material to manage.
August 7, 2007
Auglaize County Public District Library
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Off to Wapakoneta to our last stop of the day where we were greeted by Director Jo Derryberry, her staff and several of her board members. Because time did not allow me to visit all the branches, Jo had prepared a PowerPoint presentation so that I could tour these facilities virtually.
After my virtual tour, we sat and talked about the Ohio Libraries Share MORE (OLS MORE) system. I was pleased to hear that the members of this library’s community use this resource sharing system and truly value it. I was glad to assure Jo, her staff and her board members that for this very reason, I feel it is important that the State Library continues to support OLS MORE until we have another system in place to ensure no disruption of service to Ohio residents.
Several other highlights were:
- This library has many local newspapers back to the 1850’s, many of which are preserved on CD ROM.
- The genealogy room is managed by the local genealogy society.
- The very impressive story time mural was created by the 2005-2006 Wapakoneta High School Art Club.
Thank you to Jo, her staff and board members for their patience with our tardiness. This made for a long day for all involved. We very much appreciated the tour and the time you took to visit with us.
August 8, 2007
Coldwater Public Library
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When we walked in the Coldwater Public Library, we were greeted by a wall of gorgeous quilts hanging from the second story stack area. The previous weekend Coldwater had celebrated their annual community picnic which included a quilt show. Thanks go to Director Carol Evers for her thoughtfulness in requesting that these quilts remain in place until after our visit. They were breath-taking.
This is another library which has been expanded and grown not only in space but also in beauty. There were too many nice touches to include them all but here are just a few:
- Patty’s Nook which commemorates former director Patricia DeBrosse (August 1969-October 1997) – such a nice little retreat for a reader.
- Large story time room in addition to a very nice meeting room for the community.
- A mural that goes all the way around the children’s section and includes fantasy hot air balloon, dinosaurs, and the solar system.
The community members of this library take an active part: several do reviews of works, both books and AV material. These help others to discover items of interest. I wish that there were a way to share these resources statewide: who knows perhaps this can be included in the next generation of resource sharing and the incorporation of Web 2.0?
August 8, 2007
Mercer County District Library - Marion Branch
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Next stop: Chickasaw to visit the Marion Branch of the Mercer County District Library. This library also started out smaller than it is now but again the addition was done so well, one would be hard-pressed to distinguish the old from the new. Here I also met the Marion Branch Friends President, Ralph Liette. Mr. Liette had just returned from a trip to Europe the day before our visit – it was fun to hear about his trip and I really appreciated that he came to the library to meet me – in spite of what had to be incredible jet lag!
Mr. Liette’s cabinetry skill is evident throughout the library in the woodwork and cabinets. The built-ins were not only functional but also beautiful in the detail. The same could be said of all the cabinets upstairs and down. One of these cabinets holds many championship pictures and awards. This community held the State Championship in both boys and girls basketball in 2003. photo (Jo with Ralph Liette, Friends President)
The basement has two very large meeting rooms and large storage areas. This library is truly a community center. Seniors have a weekly card playing session here and the library has children’s programs as well.
For a picture of this library please go to http://www.mercer.lib.oh.us/marion.htm You will note the large circular window in the front of the library. One of the creative staff members decorates this to coincide with special events. When we were visiting, it was painted for the summer reading theme.
August 8, 2007
Mercer County District Library in St. Henry
We were pleased to find another bright and cheerful library branch of the Mercer County District Library in St. Henry. Here we also found a mural painted all around the children’s area. This work was done free-hand; the library staff told us how amazing it was to watch this being created and added to day-by-day, until its completion.
There is also a special reading room in this branch, named for Library Director Austin R. Schneider and his wife, J. Kaye Schneider. In addition there is a memory tree which is actually a painting of a tree with names along its trunk and branches.
An interesting fact about this branch (and the Marion Branch): Director Schneider recommended that these buildings be “super insulated” when they were built. The walls consequently are very thick to accommodate a 40 R factor in the walls and the ceiling is insulated to a 60 R factor. This greatly reduces the cost of heating and air conditioning and is friendly to the environment.
As you can see from my journal entries, there have been many additions to the library buildings in the Mercer County system. As the need for larger facilities was recognized, the community responded in a positive, proactive manner. For example, St. Henry’s first library was in the town hall. Community members went door-to-door to raise money to expand their facility. There has never been any need to place a levy on the ballot in this community for expanded library service.
August 8, 2007
Fort Recovery Public Library
Our last stop of the day was Fort Recovery. After a lovely lunch at the Tin Cupboard, Jan and I toured the library. There are many nice touches here that make one feel at home: a beautiful wood table with books lying on it under a lamp is tucked away near the stairway leading to the second floor, flowers add color, and there are several displays. It is easy to see why the members of this community come to this facility and why the library is so well-used.
This community boasts nearly 2,500 registered borrowers with a total annual circulation of nearly 19,000. Library director Kathy Faller told us that the audio books have gained in popularity and she has entered into a lease program to meet growing needs. (photo: left to right,Jane Haines; Jo; Kathy Faller, Director; and Board President Pam Fullenkamp)
Non-fiction is stored upstairs and to assist library users in using this collection, Kathy has placed “Dewey signs” in the non-fiction area. The signs simply distinguish each area of the collection. When asked where she acquired these, Kathy told us that she found them at Highsmith.
Also on the second floor is the story room, a spacious area that becomes the setting of the Festival of Trees at Christmas time.
Worth noting: This year the Fort Recovery Public Library had its first adult summer reading program. It was a great success and will most certainly not be the last.
Thanks go to Kathy and her staff for hosting our last but certainly not least visit in Mercer County – at least for now. I look forward to many more!