Library open house can open a world of knowledge
Back in the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less money on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. A committee was formed with goals that ranged from "encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time" to "developing strong and happy family life."
In 1958, sponsored by the American Library Association and the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was held. The theme, not surprisingly, was "Wake Up and Read!"
National Library Week will be held this year from April 6-12. The theme is "@ Your Library," a reference to all the information to be found at the local public library.
Did you know that there are approximately 117,418 libraries in the United States? Of that total, 9,074 are public libraries. (A friend once told me that this means there are more public libraries in this country than McDonalds. I'm not sure why that has always stuck in my mind but it has!)
The rest of the number is divided among school libraries (93,861), academic libraries (3,658), and the infamous "other" (10,825). That's a lot of libraries helping a lot of people.
What can you find @ your library? Books, of course, for all ages. Books account for 78% of the materials checked out at the Indianola Public Library. Adults still check out more books than children (45% of the total) but children's materials are popular (33% of the total).
You can also find audiovisual items, ranging from books and CDs on tape to videocassettes to DVDs (a very small, but growing, collection) and CD-ROMs. Those checkouts were 20% of the total.
That leaves magazines trailing behind at 2%. Small but mighty!
A library is more than the materials it houses, however. On any given day, you can find neighbors having an impromptu neighborhood gathering or old friends catching up with one another. You might find people from out of town accessing their email or checking in at work.
You're likely to see someone sitting in one of the chairs, reading the newspaper while basking in the sun coming in the windows. And don't forget the sound of small children getting their first exposure to the problems that come from choosing among all those books!
In fact, a patron told me recently that they knew someone who came to the Library whenever they were feeling lonely, to read the newspaper and be around people.
Partly to celebrate National Library Week and partly to celebrate the change in our big community room, the Library will be having an open house on Tuesday, April 8 from 6:30 to 8.
We invite you to stop into the building and take a look at the mural that now adorns the room of our children's storytime room. Designed by Mary Lundberg, staff member and Simpson art student, it adds a measure of warmth to the room that was lacking before. You'll also get a chance to meet Mary.
And you might also be present for the naming of the pets. We now have a dog, a cat, and a mouse on that wall and they all need names. So, come in before that evening, add your favorite pet name to the drawing, and maybe your name will be chosen for our pets!
That's (some of) what you'll find @ your library.
