FEBRUARY 2013. Once we complete improvement work planned for our public spaces this spring, our attention will turn to filling those spaces with the materials, resources, and activities that are most important to you, our patrons. To that end, the board of library trustees and the library’s management staff are undertaking a strategic planning process to ensure existing and future library services meet the evolving needs and expectations of the Vernon Area community.

As part of the strategic planning process, we have hired an independent marketing and research firm to gather information about how our community residents interact with their library, and where the library fits in to the broader marketplace. The background study includes valuable insights from patron interviews, a Community Leaders Forum conducted with representatives from local business, education, and government, and—most importantly—a community survey, which will be sent to every household in the Vernon Area Public library District at the beginning of March.

The survey is designed to take less than 10 minutes to complete. I encourage you to invest that relatively small amount of time to help make sure that we are investing your tax dollars to their maximum benefit. We will use the results of the survey to select and prioritize projects over the next few years.

— Cindy

OCTOBER 2012. In 2010, the Vernon Area Library Board of Trustees approved a facilities master plan intended to help ensure our continued high level of service to this community. Last winter, we implemented the first phase of that master plan,  which included greatly improved, energy-efficient lighting, new shelving for DVDs and CDs, and a centrally located reference desk.

Later this winter and into spring, we will implement phase II of that plan, with exciting new spaces for community and collaboration, a cozy quiet reading room, cool new areas for kids and teens, and more.

As the plan calls for new public restrooms and significant changes to the lobby, the main library building will be closed to public access during construction. Library services will not close, however. In addition to the many and growing services that you can access online—e-books, MP3 downloads, specialized databases, and now digital magazines—you’ll be able to check out materials from an abridged version of our library to be located in the Annex in back of the main building. 

The tentative schedule calls for the “Library To Go!” to be in place from mid-February through April. We aim to reopen the main library space in time for finals study sessions, and the big summer reading kickoff. Project drawings and  schedule details will be available on our website as they are finalized.

This second phase will complete nearly all the goals set forth in the facilities master plan, and bolster our path to success in the 21st century. 

- Cindy

AUGUST 2012. It’s hard to believe summer is at a close and we’re headed back to school already. As your kids are digging back into the books, remember that your library is here to help—and with more than just the required reading list.

Students in K–12 can log on to tutor.com through our website for one-on-one live homework help from 2–11 p.m. Their live tutors are great help, especially for math homework.

Is your high schooler suffering from midnight term paper madness? Our online Gale Virtual Reference Library is a teacher-approved authoritative source of information on arts, biography, history, and literature information, 24/7.

Adult students can find help here, too. Look to us for information on area community colleges, study guides for the GED, GRE, LSAT, or MCAT, or even help locating government student loan forms. We are here for you.

Best wishes for fall and happy reading,

Cindy

There has never been a better time to reconnect with your library. There are wonderful new things to discover here this summer.

Over the winter, we worked to refresh the library’s main public space. If you haven’t been here in a while, you may hardly recognize it. The room is bright and airy, with a pop of color, more flexible space, and improved access to materials. Come in and see!

While you are here, sign up for the “Reading is So Delicious” Summer Reading Club. Earn prizes for reading and other library activities, such as by attending a free public program. Try any of the dozens of delicious choices on the pages that follow. I also encourage you to join your neighbors in reading this year’s “One Book, One Community” title, The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia. Stop by for a book discussion or “Dessert with the Author” in July.

Leaving town? Download audiobooks or music for the road, grab a paperback beach read, or check out travel guides (paper or digital) before you go. Learn some helpful phrases in your destination’s language with lessons from Mango Languages online or as a mobile app.

I encourage you to stop by this summer to discover something new and wonderful at your library. We are here for you. See you in the stacks!

- Cindy

We’re so excited for the improvements that are headed our way! As this newsletter goes to press, we are making final preparations for renovation work to take place over the next few months.

We hope you can “pardon our dust” during this short period. We pledge to do what we can to minimize the disruption, and we apologize for the inevitable inconveniences. Through May, portions of our collection will be unavailable as work progresses from one section of the library to another. We also anticipate some partial and full-day closures when the day’s construction work calls for particularly disruptive or hazardous tasks. But we aim to remain as open and accessible as we can, and our staff is committed to going an “extra” extra mile to meet your needs during this time.

The results will be worth it. Come June, your library will be a bright, airy space with improved lighting, warm colors, and friendly new shelving where you’ll more easily find our most popular materials. As we prepare to start this project and enter into our next chapter, I thank you in advance for your patience and support.

Happy reading,

Cindy