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Shh!” Is that your impression of a library? Not mine!
On a recent afternoon the Yoncalla library was buzzing. One sunny, cheerful room hosted children, laughing as they made hand puppets dance and sing and talk to each other. A man in a Japanese jacket moved chairs, preparing for storytelling.
In the main room, a young boy in headphones almost as big as his head sat in front of a computer, listening to the text as it appeared on the computer screen before him, the spoken words in his ears reinforcing his comprehension of the writing on the screen.
Nearby, two women sat at a table, one reading a newspaper, another a magazine. People grazed the shelves, often reaching up to pull out a book, leaf through, read a bit, then tuck it under an arm or back on the shelf.
A young girl and a woman with a cane selected DVDs and dropped them in a bag. Anyone with a library card can check out up to 50 items at any time from the Douglas County Library System, and many people do, especially families that home-school their children. Everything is free.
The Yoncalla librarian, Jill Cunningham, sponsors programs for all ages. The well-attended summer reading programs in this and every branch provide an important bridge, helping kids maintain reading skills over the summer and return to school in the fall ready to learn more. Young kids up to fifth grade attend in droves, and older kids show up as helpers. Teen programs draw participants, too.
Computer use spurted last summer, Cunningham said, with adults coming in to find jobs, produce résumés, and apply online. Library helpers show newbies how to use the computer and navigate sites. Teens are computer/Internet users, too, sometimes searching for colleges or filling out applications. They also like to hang out in the teen room and just talk.
The meeting room is in heavy use, not only for library-sponsored groups such as a book club and Friends of the Library but also for groups such as a water board and for teacher negotiations. The library sponsors lectures and various other programs for the community.
Doris Bartlett, a leader in the community effort to build the library, said it took eight years of grant-writing and local fundraising, but the payoff for the community has been great.
Yoncalla's thriving library is joined by nine other branch libraries in Douglas County and the central library in Roseburg, each one an important asset in its community.
Reedsport library supporters have just completed fundraising to repair their beautiful, but aging, library. Through grants and donations, they've amassed more than $200,000 and will begin repairs this summer. People in Drain, Sutherlin and Winston have also expended huge efforts raising money to build or improve their libraries.
In Canyonville, Drain, Glendale, Myrtle Creek, Oakland, Reedsport, Riddle, Sutherlin, Winston, Yoncalla and Roseburg, the Douglas County Library System provides books and other media, computers with Internet access and help for beginners, and many offer community meeting rooms. Libraries are also safe havens for young people who, in many communities, have no place else to go after school and in the summer.
Each library functions as a community center, and each has been supported by strong efforts in the local community. And every one of them is at risk.
Counties like ours with large federal land ownership currently depend heavily on the federal “safety net.” If this is not renewed for 2012-13, the property tax receipts in Douglas County (about $8 million per year) and timber receipts (about $3.5 million annually) will not be enough to fund anything beyond public safety. As of July 1, 2012, the landfill, parks and recreation, the museum, and the libraries may be left without county funding.
Few if any cities or towns in Douglas County could replace the county dollars. These vibrant community centers, places local people have worked hard to build and improve, would be lost to the children and everyone else in the community who uses them. Wouldn't that be a shame?
Diane Williams of Winchester is vice chair of the Douglas County Library System Foundation Board and part of a group of concerned citizens looking at the future of our county libraries. She would like to hear your thoughts on libraries. Write to her at Diane.Y.S.Williams@gmail.com.
On a recent afternoon the Yoncalla library was buzzing. One sunny, cheerful room hosted children, laughing as they made hand puppets dance and sing and talk to each other. A man in a Japanese jacket moved chairs, preparing for storytelling.
In the main room, a young boy in headphones almost as big as his head sat in front of a computer, listening to the text as it appeared on the computer screen before him, the spoken words in his ears reinforcing his comprehension of the writing on the screen.
Nearby, two women sat at a table, one reading a newspaper, another a magazine. People grazed the shelves, often reaching up to pull out a book, leaf through, read a bit, then tuck it under an arm or back on the shelf.
A young girl and a woman with a cane selected DVDs and dropped them in a bag. Anyone with a library card can check out up to 50 items at any time from the Douglas County Library System, and many people do, especially families that home-school their children. Everything is free.
The Yoncalla librarian, Jill Cunningham, sponsors programs for all ages. The well-attended summer reading programs in this and every branch provide an important bridge, helping kids maintain reading skills over the summer and return to school in the fall ready to learn more. Young kids up to fifth grade attend in droves, and older kids show up as helpers. Teen programs draw participants, too.
Computer use spurted last summer, Cunningham said, with adults coming in to find jobs, produce résumés, and apply online. Library helpers show newbies how to use the computer and navigate sites. Teens are computer/Internet users, too, sometimes searching for colleges or filling out applications. They also like to hang out in the teen room and just talk.
The meeting room is in heavy use, not only for library-sponsored groups such as a book club and Friends of the Library but also for groups such as a water board and for teacher negotiations. The library sponsors lectures and various other programs for the community.
Doris Bartlett, a leader in the community effort to build the library, said it took eight years of grant-writing and local fundraising, but the payoff for the community has been great.
Yoncalla's thriving library is joined by nine other branch libraries in Douglas County and the central library in Roseburg, each one an important asset in its community.
Reedsport library supporters have just completed fundraising to repair their beautiful, but aging, library. Through grants and donations, they've amassed more than $200,000 and will begin repairs this summer. People in Drain, Sutherlin and Winston have also expended huge efforts raising money to build or improve their libraries.
In Canyonville, Drain, Glendale, Myrtle Creek, Oakland, Reedsport, Riddle, Sutherlin, Winston, Yoncalla and Roseburg, the Douglas County Library System provides books and other media, computers with Internet access and help for beginners, and many offer community meeting rooms. Libraries are also safe havens for young people who, in many communities, have no place else to go after school and in the summer.
Each library functions as a community center, and each has been supported by strong efforts in the local community. And every one of them is at risk.
Counties like ours with large federal land ownership currently depend heavily on the federal “safety net.” If this is not renewed for 2012-13, the property tax receipts in Douglas County (about $8 million per year) and timber receipts (about $3.5 million annually) will not be enough to fund anything beyond public safety. As of July 1, 2012, the landfill, parks and recreation, the museum, and the libraries may be left without county funding.
Few if any cities or towns in Douglas County could replace the county dollars. These vibrant community centers, places local people have worked hard to build and improve, would be lost to the children and everyone else in the community who uses them. Wouldn't that be a shame?
Diane Williams of Winchester is vice chair of the Douglas County Library System Foundation Board and part of a group of concerned citizens looking at the future of our county libraries. She would like to hear your thoughts on libraries. Write to her at Diane.Y.S.Williams@gmail.com.
