You received’t should journey far to go to Montana’s finest library. That’s as a result of the Sidney-Richland County Library is it. The library was not too long ago named Library of the 12 months by the Montana Library Affiliation. In a latest Fb photograph, you possibly can inform how excited library workers and its director, Kelly Reisig are concerning the accomplishment.
They’ve deliberate an open home to have fun, in truth, from 3 to five p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 30. They’ll have fun not solely the Library of the 12 months award, however different awards of distinction they’ve not too long ago received, together with the Excellence in Library Providers and Administration Award, and the Trustee of the 12 months Award.
Richland County Library gives a powerful array of companies throughout the summer time, and actually all yr lengthy, for the neighborhood. Amongst these is a program for kids that has dozens of children studying earlier than they even hit kindergarten.
Their newest program, 100 Books Earlier than Commencement, begins freshman yr of highschool. As soon as a month, every participant can qualify for a small prize by logging a minimum of one e book that month, even when it’s a schoolbook.
“We’re all the time making an attempt new issues,” Reisig instructed the Sidney Herald. “Doing applications each right here and popup applications out in the neighborhood, simply wherever that there are folks gathered that we will have a program and get folks concerned within the library, we in fact do this.”
Reisig credited her workers for his or her excellent concepts and dedication in growing and placing on applications, starting from interlibrary mortgage to e book golf equipment and extra. These applications led to the overwhelming neighborhood help that finally impressed the Library of the 12 months choice committee.
The committee, in asserting the award, famous that Richland County had much more letters of help than another library within the state. A few of the letters had been two or three pages lengthy, and even included drawings by younger patrons.
“The awards committee chairperson was similar to, ‘I can’t consider all these letters are coming in,’” Reisig mentioned. “More often than not, libraries common round three or 4 letters, and we had over 30. That was by far the most important.”
Sidney-Richland County Library not too long ago accomplished a renovation that doubled house on the library, and has allowed them so as to add 4,000 extra books than they’d earlier than.
“We’ve a juvenile nonfiction, a straightforward nonfiction, a YA nonfiction, and YA, we by no means had that part,” Reisig mentioned. “Montana historical past room, all of that stuff was saved within the again and no one had entry to it. Now it’s out and all people can put it to use.”
The enlargement was made potential by way of help from the county, and didn’t require a particular bond or referendum.
“The county obtained a brand new renovated house with out extra tax {dollars},” Reisig mentioned.
Library of the 12 months just isn’t the one award the library acquired this yr. They had been additionally acknowledged as soon as once more with the Montana State Library’s Excellence in Library Providers and Administration Award. It’s the seventh yr in a row the library has earned this award, which acknowledges public, faculty, tutorial, tribal and neighborhood libraries which have gone above and past in enhancing their companies and infrastructure.
Out of practically 200 libraries, simply 38 acquired this distinction this yr.
“(It’s for) going above and past in all areas of the library,” Reisig mentioned. “It’s a must to show not solely that you just met the requirements, however that you just went above in excellence on these requirements. It’s the whole lot from assortment growth to administration to applications, each finances, it has to line up with that. And this yr, they’d opened it up so it wasn’t simply public libraries. It was tribal libraries, neighborhood libraries, larger teachers, even particular libraries like Montana Legislation Library.”
Two Trustees, Robin Hernandez and Terry Sivertson, shared within the Jane Lopp Trustee of the 12 months Awards as nicely. That award acknowledges achievement and management of a library trustee by way of service to native, state, and nationwide library pursuits and development of library companies.
Robin and Terry had been acknowledged for his or her management within the strategic imaginative and prescient of the library, in addition to their contributions to construct robust neighborhood and funding partnerships, Reisig mentioned.
The awards had been introduced throughout the latest Tr-Convention in Missoula, the place librarians from 20 states together with Canada met for per week of studying, useful resource sharing, and celebrating all issues library.
“These awards had been potential due to the dedication of workers, administration, traders, and neighborhood members. That is actually an award for all of Richland County. We look ahead to celebrating with everybody on the open home”, Reisig mentioned.