Ready
I am going to start this bookworm with a disclaimer. Either that got you excited or it made you stop reading. I am not sharing this information to upset anyone, it is genuinely an issue and I don’t know what else to do.
Well, here it is, it is hard to get things done at the library. I am not talking about my staff, they are powerhouses and often I cannot keep up with them. In fact, as I am writing this I have around 10 stacks of things they have left in my office to go through. I am talking about jobs that don’t fall under the list of staff responsibilities, weeding, filling raised beds with dirt, concrete work, etc.
I am a person with lists and ideas and I like to get them done, but sometimes it is not within my control. For example, I have wanted to allow credit card usage at the library, oh, and I think it would be cool to have a Chilton’s database. I get contacted by salesmen that I don’t want to talk to everyday, but the people for both the before mentioned items never respond to my pleas. The landscaping was redone in 2016, the business that did it was exceptional, but weeding was not under their list of responsibilities. I have had 3 different landscape maintenance people since then, Landscapes by Hunter is the latest and I think we have finally found a perfect fit. The job was bigger than the 2 before imagined, but Jason has done a fantastic job and I have plans to keep him even more busy.
We added 2 raised beds in 2018 and in 2019, I added 2 ½ more, but as of today, they are still not ready for use. Between weather and COVID they were pushed to the side, but currently I have 2 people that I am working with to get them ready before the end of April. One person is local, one is not and this is the main reason why I decided to write about this. It is the COUNTY library’s goal to keep what funds we can in our county. As I mentioned before, it is not within my control, it should be, but if no one responds I have to keep looking.
After our Summer Reading Program in 2019, we realized that outside programming was not only beneficial, but necessary to meet the needs of our large amount of participants (120 kids on average per week). We used Kidwell-Garber’s tents to protect everyone from the sun, but realized that wasn’t the most efficient way to handle things. I sent a plea out and received memorial funds for Hope Dunklee that allowed us to purchase our own tents. One issue was solved, but we still had a problem. The ground is not the best outside, moles are the devil, and a new patio area was needed. The Friends of the Morgan County Library have been raising funds so that we can create this patio.
So, it is hard to find weeders, it is difficult to get dirt, and now we realize that concrete workers are swamped. Members of the Friends and myself have sent out pleas, but have had no responses. I want to take this time to make sure that the concrete contractors in Morgan County understand that we want to pay you, this is not a plea for any kind of donation. Please contact us, I don’t want to use the funds raised in the county to pay someone not from here, but we are ready and excited about the patio, we also need it. I refuse to do Summer Reading virtual again, but to do it onsite, space is necessary and outdoor space is even better.
Yep, I felt the disclaimer was necessary and at this time I want to reiterate it. I do not mean to upset anyone; this is just a plea. A plea for a returned phone call or maybe even a new phone call, maybe there are other people out there that are also ready.
Upcoming Events: 3/31 Story Time in the Community room (masks required for adults) at 10am, 4/2 Genealogy Club (masks required) at 10am, 4/6 Book Club at 6:30pm