This week, schools, campuses and communities across the country celebrate National Library Week, a time to remind the public about the contribution libraries, librarians and library workers make to their communities every day.
In today”s tough economy, libraries offer free resources to help people find jobs and learn new skills. People of all ages and backgrounds find entertainment, develop skills and come to find their place in the community. People gather for book discussions, for storytime with their children or to volunteer or look for volunteer work. Our library helps the community thrive.
What makes the library unique is access to trained professionals–librarians–to help people find and interpret the information they need to make a difference in their lives. Our libraries also help keep us connected, providing a space for people of all ages, classes and races to come together, while keeping us connected to events and people around the world. Columbus–Lowndes Public Library has three librarians with a masters degree in library science, and archivist with a master”s degree in local history, a reference specialist with a master”s degree, a cataloger with a bachelor”s degree in library science, and four staff who have attended the Librarianship 101 and 201 training offered by the Mississippi Library Commission.
The Columbus–Lowndes Public Library is open to the public 92 hours each week through the Columbus Library and branches in Artesia, Caledonia, and Crawford. Citizens can access the Internet on 32 public computers. Pre-literacy storytimes for preschoolers are presented weekly throughout the year. Summer programs for school age children are geared to encourage recreational reading to keep reading skills from eroding during the summer break.
The Friends of the Library support programs and the book collection, as well as offer book talks for adults throughout the year. We provide online databases for information and magazine/journal articles that can be accessed from home or office, inter-library loan for resources not owned by this library, and fax and photocopy services.
How can the library help you thrive? National Library Week is the perfect time to find out. Communities thrive @ your library.
Alice Shands
Columbus
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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