Hidden Treasure
Jocko Valley Library seeks new home
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Two years ago Sharon Hawley was taking a walk and stumbled upon the Jocko Valley Library hidden in the basement of the Brown Building, the community building. Like others, Hawley could have easily walked past the building and not known that beyond the stairs leading below, there were shelves of books waiting to be read. The only indication of its presence was a small sign outside the building.
“I didn’t even know there was a library,” she said.
Now Hawley is a familiar face amidst the rows of books in the library. She and other volunteers are the foundation of the small underground library.
Known as “Grandma Sharon,” Hawley volunteers as part of the community foster grandparent program that allows seniors to mentor children. Hawley also reads to children on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
“We have a pretty dedicated volunteer force,” Library Board Chairman Jay Kirby said. “They are the whole guts to our operation.”
Kirby has been the director of the library since last November. He took on the role with the hopes of moving the library to a better, more visible location.
Kirby explained the library’s current location, in the basement of the Brown Building, is hard to find and difficult to access, particularly for many elders.
Volunteer Cherie Garcelon said the library has between 2 to 10 visitors per day. She noted that the summer is usually the library’s busiest season.
According to Kirby, accessibility problems have made the library ineligible for many library grants. A common stipulation of the grants is that the library must be accessible to all.
Run by volunteers, the library is funded annually with $3,400 awarded by the county, which is used to fund youth summer reading programs and purchase books. The library currently updates their collection by buying the New York Time 10 best sellers.
Seventeen-year-old Sarrena Ammen, who now lives in Butte, was home for a few days visiting family. Ammen had to carry her cousin’s baby, who was sleeping in a stroller, down two flights of stairs to get to the library. When Ammen lived in Arlee she used to come to the library to check out books and check email. Today she took the baby for a walk and decided to escape the heat outside by visiting the library.
“It is nice and cool down here, might as well get cooled,” she said.
Though Ammen enjoys the basement library’s cooler temperatures, she agrees that moving to a better location would be beneficial.
“More people would know there is a library,” Ammen said. “If people don’t have something to do they can come read a book instead of sitting at home.”
Seven-year-old Josslinn Hoover decided to spend a summer afternoon in the library instead of at home.
Hoover rode her bike over to library to check out some books for herself and her brother. Hoover said she likes to read books about dolphins, while her brother enjoys books about trucks and sharks.
She browsed the youth section, placing her selections on a small table.
“I really like this book,” Hoover said of Sylvia Browne’s “All Pets Go to Heaven” as she made her way to the DVD section.
Kirby recently approached the board of the Arlee Fire Department about the possibility of moving the library into the old fire hall. Kirby did the architectural design for the new fire hall and hopes he can serve as a liaison between the fire department board and the library board.
The library currently has about 187 feet of shelves that contain 14,500 books. Kirby said he has already made a few preliminary estimates of renovation to the old fire hall. Estimates include construction of a few walls, some electrical and mechanical repairs and improved fresh air intake. According to Kirby, there are grants available that will match up to 55 percent of cost, which could include his architectural services.
He added that talks with the fire department are still in early stages.
Despite all the work that needs to be done, Kirby believes making the library more prominent is important to the community.
“Libraries are part of the fabric of a lot of communities,” Kirby said. “Here in Arlee there is not a lot of meeting places or places for kids to hang out after school. It is even more important to Arlee than other communities.”
