Jake Browning
reporter@thefranklinpress.com
It’s been almost an entire year since the Macon County Public Library had to shut down its normal business model, and library staff members are still finding new ways to keep people reading.
Classes and seminars are starting to become more integral to the library’s approach. The library’s tax assistance program, monthly yoga classes, art exhibit viewings and other in-person activities are now available alongside the browsing appointments that have defined the past several months, though they typically require registration ahead of time to keep crowds small.
Not everything is in a physical format yet, but any opportunity to socialize is a victory for many library patrons.
“There are a lot of people, especially older people, who going to the library is all that they do,” said Laura Lansford from the adult services program. “They don’t get to see their friends as much, and they have church stuff that they don’t get to go to now, so doing these things lets them see us and talk to us and get out of the house.”
The library remains an especially important resource for children, too. In addition to their regular virtual story times, the library’s children’s department is testing new ideas like book bundles, which contain several books of one genre to make browsing easier for families, and the “Homework Gap” program, an upcoming series of classes on how to better manage schoolwork in a virtual space.
Students still have regular opportunities to pick up take-home activity bags to supplement their lessons in a fun and creative way.
“We try to make it more hands-on for them if we can,” said child services coordinator Angie Walker. “Because it’s a tactile experience, they remember it and retain what they’re learning better. That’s the important part.”
Families continue to depend on the library as a place to make learning more enjoyable. The library has dozens of wireless hotspots that can be checked out to improve virtual learning at home, but they can also offer a much-needed offline experience. Many parents make appointments for their kids that serve as an escape from spending all school day long behind a screen.
“He does all of his school virtual, so instead of always being on a computer, he can come here and get out sometimes,” said Amy McCall, a parent who brings her son Tyler McCall to the library more and more often this school year.
Librarian Karen Wallace said demand for library services has persisted over the last year. Even as online tools have gotten more sophisticated, people still come to the library every day to work on a puzzle, take a new class or just enjoy the feeling of a book in their hands. The library staff is determined to make sure that whatever else is going on in the world, those people don’t have to stop learning.
“We’re still trying a variety of ways to facilitate learning,” Wallace said. “We still have a lot of people who just want to hold the book.”
The Macon County Public Library is open Monday through Saturday for curbside pickup and accepts appointments on the hour Monday through Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. For more information, call the library at 828-524-3600 or go online to fontanalib.org/franklin.