Read All About It

Random thoughts

Wed, 04/23/2014 - 8:30am

I’m in my office typing this out and outside the door the children’s story time is in process. Mary, our children’s librarian, and Barb, the program director, are leading the kids and their parents in song, with lots of stomping fee, clapping hands and shouts of joy thrown in. What a great service for our young families, and what a wonderfully positive way to introduce children to the wonders of the world as found in the library. These little vignettes will stay with them and nurture their growth in life.

Our fantastic Maine State Librarian Linda Lord appeared last week at a public hearing in Washington, D.C. held by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to make a pitch for supporting high-speed broadband Internet connection for public libraries, thus bringing important computers technology to some that otherwise would not have it. Linda spoke of the success we have achieved in parts of Maine bringing broadband to our communities, but not all, especially the most rural areas of the state. Linda put it this way: “When people can’t apply for jobs or access government services because they don’t have access from home, public libraries must be there for them. Where else are they going to go?” That’s what the public library has always done, bridge that “opportunity gap.”

The present, outgoing, and some of our former trustees toured the renovated library last week and were thrilled with the progress thus far. It’s exciting to see things rapidly taking shape. All walls have been painted, lighting is in, and rugs have been laid on the second floor with the first floor soon to follow. Our shelving company proposals have been vetted, with installation coming sometime in late May or early June. Then it will be on to relocating and setting up for our grand reopening sometime later in the month.

Our temporary space in the Meadow Mall has served us well, but we’re all getting anxious to move back to the “new and improved” library. Until then drop by our Meadow Mall location and take home a good book. See you at the library.