Library celebrates National Library Week
PLAINS - April 13 to April 19 marked the celebration of National Library Week at libraries in towns and cities across the nation. As in years past the Plains Public Library once again took part in the annual event.
“I have been here 22 years and National Library Week has been going on in Plains, as long as I can remember,” said Carrie Terrell, the current director of the district library.
The American Library Association, a non-profit organization based out of Chicago and formed in 1876, promotes the weeklong event. Each year the week has an overriding theme, emphasizing a particular element of library services. The theme this year was “lives change at your library.”
The literary celebration is designed to enhance learning and ensure access to information for everyone, specifically by promoting local education through district, regional and municipal libraries.
Started in 1958, the second full week of April has served as an opportunity to recognize the civic contributions of local libraries. The week was initiated as a way for local libraries to show their appreciation to the communities they serve.
“National Library Week is a way for us to say thank you to the community and for people to thank us,” Terrell said.
According to Terrell the week includes freezes on fines for overdue books, free library card replacement for members of the library and free cookies for all that stop by.
As April rolls on the Plains Public Library is also celebrating the end of their two-phase renovation process, which began at the start of this year.
Terrell noted that taxpayer money was not used to bankroll the recent updates at the facility.
“The remodels were done from money donated to the Plains Library Foundation,” Terrell said.
The first part of the recent renovation took place in January and involved replacing the study tables throughout the library and redoing the children’s section.
The January renovations also removed the shag carpeting, dating back to the 1970s, and replaced it with more modern flooring.
The second and final phase of the renovation took place last month, in March, and was geared towards the everyday operations that keep the library open during the week, with a focus on updating the library office and backroom.
Additionally, the library in Plains has maintained its membership with the Montana Shared Catalog, which includes close to 200 libraries across the state, all utilizing the cataloging system based in Helena.
The arrangement that Terrell adamantly believes that is positive for Plains, and for communities across the state, providing residents with expeditious access to books not usually carried locally.