Attending the ribbon cutting for the new children’s area at Mount Sterling Public Library are: (at table) Alex Reece; (back, from left) David Timmons, village council member; Mike Tomlinson, library board member; Chris Siscoe, library director; Melissa Reece, assistant librarian; Linda Clemans, Friends president; Katrina Bush, library board secretary; Beverly Bobo, Friends treasurer; Phillip Reece, Friends member; Casey O’Neill, Friends secretary; Mike Bergman, library board member.
(Posted Nov. 22, 2016)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Children now have their own place to hang out and read books at Mount Sterling Public Library.
On Nov. 17, the library dedicated the area, located to the right of the circulation desk where the computer stations once were. The Friends of the Library coordinated the project. The Friends and a private donor covered the $2,500 cost.
The area features a table, chairs, bench seating, rug, and shelves for oversized books. Also included, with a fresh paint job, is the library’s small playhouse in which children can read.
“It took about a year to pull it all together,” said Linda Clemans, Friends president.
Furniture research, fundraising and space logistics were all part of the process. The committee heading up the project included: Melissa Reece, assistant librarian; Casey O’Neill, Friends secretary; and Beverly Bobo, Friends treasurer.
Creation of the children’s area inspired reorganization of space throughout the library. The computers have a new home on the other side of the circulation desk. New seating areas are now available in the center of the library and near the magazine shelves.
“Libraries are now trying to create more seating space to make the library more inviting and more multi-purpose, giving people a way to work on their laptops, for example,” said Chris Siscoe, library director.
To make room for the new seating, the library removed its VHS tape collection and reduced the amount of its reference materials.
“Almost no books were lost in the transition,” Siscoe said.
The changes also include use of the library’s original 1913 magazine shelves and prominent display of the C.F. Alkire collection of Native American artifacts. The collection had been stored in the Community Museum on the library’s lower level.
Mount Sterling Public Library is located at 60 W. Columbus St. and online at www.mtsterlingpubliclibrary.org. For more information about programs and services, call (740) 869-2430.
