Speaking about the Fallon Chamber of Commerce's choice to have its April 21 lunch meeting at the Churchill County Library, Director Carol Lloyd said, “Why the heck not,” and then asked the attendees, “How many of you have never been in the library building?” Quite a few people raised their hands in response to which she replied, “Really? What you want to do to start is apply for a library card.”
Lloyd then asked how many people in the room had library cards, and that also got quite a few hands raised. “It's a really good way to start. I spoke to someone earlier who listens to audiobooks while driving via Audible. I told them about the downloadable services we provide, Overdrive and Hoopla, and that they are free to use just by having a library card. They offer eBooks, audiobooks, any video, streaming services, it's all for free. Why would you pay for a service that we provide for free?”
The library offers many services for children of all ages including Storytime on Wednesdays and Thursdays and a STEAM program (science, technology, engineering art, and math) on Friday afternoons. Lloyd said, “We started this program in response to the school getting out at 1 p.m. We had activity around the library that wasn't always 100% positive. So, we tried to figure out a way to spin that around to give those kids something to do when they get out of school. That has now evolved to also include virtual reality and 3D printing.”
A Storytime session had wrapped up just before the luncheon. Jeslyn MacDiarmid, the Children's Librarian, reads a different story to the young ones twice a week. Joe Salsman, Information Technology Librarian, handles everything tech – teaching computer classes, VR experiences, and 3D printing, as well as managing the library’s computer systems. He also provides technology help at the Pennington Life Center on Fridays, helping the seniors with anything from their phones to their computers.
The library has a presence on every possible social media platform, making information about its programs readily available from anywhere. During COVID, they started filming Storytime with Jes and posting each one on YouTube drawing a large audience and a following. “We have both kids and parents that watch the episodes. Nobody knows the parents watch them, but they do tell us sometimes.”
Lloyd told the group about some of the upcoming fundraising events planned at the library. The Summer Reading Program will kick off on Saturday, June 4 at 10 a.m. with a carnival to be held in the vacant lot on the north side of the library building, with several games planned plus a dunk tank, a putting green, food, snacks, and beverages. The annual Books, Bites and Beverages event, a community favorite, will take place on Friday, August 5 featuring six books, a variety of wines and other beverages, a wine pull, and finger foods. Smiling, Lloyd said, “If any of you haven't participated in that yet, well, this is fun. But that is really fun.”
“I encourage you to get a library card, and we don't collect fines anymore. If it's been lost under your bed, just dust it off and bring it in. If you don't return a book, we will send you a bill for it. But the last thing we want is for you to not use the library because of an overdue fine.”
Lloyd said they are grateful for the people that participate in their events, as it wouldn't be possible without them. “And it was nice to have lunch in the library again. I look forward to doing it again.”
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