Read On! Save Money. Use Your Library.

Sometimes when I’m between (or avoiding) projects, I run random reports on our library software. We library workers really like to be able to get into the nitty gritty of library usage, so our library software, Apollo, has a whole host of reports we can run.

The report I ran today while I was waiting for an online meeting to start is called “Materials Amount Saved.” This report looks at how much money our patrons have saved broken down by each type of material checked out.

I know from other reports that our patrons have saved $2,410,000 since August, 2017. Had our patrons purchased the materials they checked out, they would have spent over $2 million. Instead, we were able to either save that $2 million or spend that money on things that are slightly less important than having materials to read, listen to, and watch. Things like groceries, clothing, housing, etc.

What I learned from the new report I ran today is that patrons saved over $1 million on print for grown-ups (which breaks down to roughly $230,000 on non-fiction; $640,000 on fiction; and $177,000 on large print materials). Patrons saved $400,000 on DVDs, blu-rays, and audiobooks for grown-ups. Checking out kids’ materials instead of buying them saved patrons $600,000 on print and $83,000 on movies and audiobooks. Checking out teen/young adult books saved patrons over $176,000.

When I look at each of those four years individually, the total saved is different, of course, but the breakdown of what people checked out and where they saved money is similar.

One thing to note about these numbers: they don’t reflect the full range of services available at the library. If we added in our free computer use, wifi, research assistance, and digital materials, the total savings for our community would be much, much higher.

Read On! Library Card Signup

Your Library staff wishes you and yours a joyous and merry National Library Card Sign-Up Month!

Libraries across the country take the month of September to actively encourage community members to get signed up for library cards and take advantage of all the services we provide. You’re paying for these services every time you buy something in town, so you might as well use them!

Mayes County has five independent libraries (Chouteau, Langley, Locust Grove, Pryor, and Salina) who actively work to serve every county resident. If you live in Mayes County, your library card (along with all the privileges that card grants you) at any of these libraries is free.

I can’t speak directly for our four sister libraries, but I can say that getting a library card is pretty much the same everywhere. Specifically in Pryor, you’ll need to bring in a photo ID and a piece of mail that has your current mailing address on it. There’s a short form to fill out, then you’re set up. You’ll get your library card the day you sign up.

Your library card is your key to accessing everything we offer. Pryor offers more than 33,000 physical items (books, audiobooks, movies, comics, magazines, etc.) and almost 72,000 digital items (books, audiobooks, magazines, and videos). We also have online resources that can help you find a job, learn a school subject, study for an entrance exam, learn a new language, chart your family tree, and more.

Of course, you’re welcome to browse our physical collection, use our computers, and access our wifi without signing up for a card. To do so, you have to come to the library and stay in the building. It’s a nice building with a nice staff, but a card lets you take physical materials home and grants you access to our online resources anywhere you have internet access.

Read On! Strategic Plan

This is the last year of our current three-year strategic plan, so it’s time for the library to start writing a new one. I’m thankful we don’t have to start from scratch again, but we are going to face some different challenges as we plan for the next three years. Namely, we’re still dealing with a pandemic that has changed our current service model dramatically. We are also about to embark on a major construction project, which will disrupt our services and work even further.

While it is hard to plan around unpredictable events like pandemics and construction, the foundation of our planning remains the same. Our mission is still to enrich lives in our community through our services and staff. Our values still lie in the relationships we have within our community, being responsive to change, respecting the intellectual freedom and privacy of our patrons, and providing free and equitable access to everyone.

While we haven’t accomplished every goal from our current strategic plan, I’m proud of the progress we have made. We began our Adult Literacy and English Language Learning programs (though COVID interrupted their true establishment), we continued to offer early literacy programs like storytimes despite the pandemic, we continued to partner with the Friends Group to encourage caregivers to sign their young kids up for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library service, and we have written some vital documents that will help train future employees and guide our services.

Much of this strategic plan was implemented because of the feedback we got from the community. We will be asking for your input again as we build the next strategic plan, so keep an eye out later this year and early next year for surveys at the library and/or links to surveys on our website and social media.

Read On! Hope in Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction genres – fantasy, science fiction, horror, etc. – are my preferred areas of reading. Recently, I read a quote from Neil Gaiman (a personal favorite) that helped me understand why I’m drawn to these stories. He said, “a world in which there are monsters, and ghosts, and things that want to steal your heart is a world in which there are angels, and dreams, and a world in which there is hope.”

Much of what I read and watch in these genres include a heavy dose of hope mixed in with strange worlds, magic, terror, and fantastical creatures.

Fantasy books, movies, and video games tend to present a story where a seemingly ordinary person must save the world from an unfathomably dark and powerful evil. Many times victory depends on a journey and a gathering of friends who offer their support and skills to the hero’s task. Discovering hidden strengths, forming lasting bonds, and overcoming evil are all hopeful themes for me.

Science fiction works are similarly built, but there’s more technology and a lot more traveling through space (and sometimes time). Many times, the hope I find in these are themes that affirm Life isn’t the same for everyone (and that’s okay); we are all truly connected; the universe is vast and wonderful, but all species we encounter are basically like us in their core.

The hope in horror is both in the survival of the main character and the comfort of feeling afraid while I am in a safe, controlled environment. It’s like the thrill of a roller coaster. You’re convinced that Death is waiting for you at the bottom of that hill or that this will be the time the cars detach from the rails, but you also know you’re perfectly safe along the ride.

It may be that I find hope in these genres because I’m looking for it, but I don’t think I’m alone.