Library gains volunteers, plans to add hours
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ARLEE — Ask, and you shall receive.
The Jocko Valley Library board discovered the truth of this statement recently as more than a dozen community members stepped up to offer their time to save the library. A handful of volunteers had worked tirelessly for years to keep the library open for a few hours three or four days a week, but in October, several board members of the small nonprofit library announced they were retiring.
Without more board members and volunteers to man the library, it was on the brink of closure.
So the board decided to ask for help at a community meeting, and although the gathering drew only about 30 people, those who attended were quick to offer to serve. By the end of the evening, three new volunteers had signed up, and now that number has grown to between 12 and 16 people, board president Jay Kirby said.
With their help, the board hopes to expand the library’s hours, but the first step is to be consistently open during posted hours, Kirby explained. In the past, with only four volunteer librarians, there wasn’t anyone to fill in if volunteers were unable to make their shift.
“For right now, our major goal is to get a schedule going that everyone can count on,” Kirby said.
To that end, the board will host a potluck dinner for volunteers and anyone interested in supporting the library from 4 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 22 at the Brown Building, which houses the library in its basement. Everyone is invited to bring a favorite dish, friends and ideas for improving library hours and services. Of course, more volunteers are always welcome, and with the added help, the board plans to staff the library with two people at a time so there’s always a backup, Kirby said. He also hopes to add more hours and days to the schedule, which now has the library open nine hours a week plus two on the first Saturday of the month.
“One of my goals is to have it open on Friday afternoons so when school’s out, the kids have somewhere to go,” Kirby said.
The library’s new board of directors is Kirby as president; Keith Barrows and Clint Folden, treasurers; Andrea Brister, secretary; Maureen Talbert, director; and former director Kim Folden as consultant.
