Library offers more than just books

ST. REGIS - On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons in St. Regis, area residents including young children and adults have a place where they can gather, socialize, play games and use the internet and it’s not a coffee shop or other private wifi enabled establishment.

The joint public and school library in St. Regis functions as much more than just a place to check out books or videos. Far from the always quiet place where librarians routinely hush noisy patrons and one can hear a pin drop, the mood at the St. Regis library is active and vibrant with kids playing games and interacting in a social manner after a long school day.

And surprisingly, that’s the way the St. Regis librarians like it. School district Librarian Linda McLinden and Public Librarian Jo Amy Roberts said they want to provide a place for kids to have fun and if they want, finish up homework or read a book.

“We push the social aspect of this,” Roberts said. “This is a place to communicate with others. As long as they maintain a certain decorum and follow the rules, it’s their library and they can use it how they want.”

With over 15,000 volumes, video and audio materials, magazines, internet access and a connection to other state libraries, the facility in St. Regis has something for everyone according to Roberts and McLinden. McLinden said the library plays an important role in the community and for area youths.

“It gives them something to do,” McLinden said. “It keeps them out of trouble. They can stay busy. They can come here and do their homework. They have access to computers. Especially for the school kids, it’s a place where they can wind down after a long day. They can socialize and we really need that in our town.”

Roberts said the library isn’t just for young people in St. Regis. She said they often have as many adults use the facility as kids and for many people in the area, it’s their only access to the internet.

“We have a lot of people come here who don’t have internet at home,” Roberts said. “We have people come here to send information to their doctors, apply for jobs and all kinds of things.”

Roberts and McLinden said they thought one of the primary reasons the library in St. Regis has been successful in attracting people of all ages is because it was a joint effort between the school district and the public library.

Because the entity serves both purposes, they have been able to tap into a wide variety of resources and receive support from multiple sources.

“We double our resources by doing it this way,” Roberts said. “It’s worked out really well. We get a certain amount of books donated to us every month. It’s a win-win for us.”

One of the young patrons of the library took a brief moment away from his computer screen to elaborate on why he chose to spend his free time at the library. Kaleb Park, who took first prize in a summer reading contest this year, said he liked to spend time at the St. Regis Library because he can be involved in multiple activities at the same location.

“I get to play a whole bunch of different games here,” Park said. “I come here almost every Thursday, Saturday and Tuesday. It’s fun cause you get to play.”