Busy Place

People will sometimes comment "why all the cars" when the "reading room" library is relatively quiet but the meeting room is in use. Library regulars eventually get used to the parking lot full of public safety vehicles during a R.A.P. meeting, or the lineup of small town utility vehicles when the water system operators meet for training sessions.

Elected officials use the space to meet with constituents; all sorts of groups with regular membership or Board meetings get a slot in the meeting room schedule. "In house" uses include story times, Board meetings, etc.

Impromptu uses including spreading out and basting together the layers of an applique quilt, or sorting through boxes of family photographs to decide which ones will go into a scrapbook.

Yesterday, five groups kept both rooms busy from early morning to closing time. A construction company's employee safety training sessions, Girl Scouts, Foster & Adoptive Parents, Corps of Engineers field staff, Writer's Guild. Each of the groups reported how the space met their needs. When you consider all these uses, a larger image of the library as a hub of community activity starts to emerge.