Literacy Speaking...

The Scott County Public Library is our library. We live in Scott County and this library serves all our county. The library building is in Georgetown, Kentucky and is a truly beautiful facility.

I'm impressed with the way our library is reaching out to our community and thinking outside that 'library box' to meet the 'new' needs residents have from their library.

• So many people read eBooks now and our library has eBooks you can check-out as it were.
• Our ward (congregation at Church) had a picnic a couple of weekends ago and they were going to do fishing. I learned that one can even check out fishing poles from our library.
• There is a beautiful Kentucky Genealogy library room at the library.
• The kids section is just super.
• There is a large meeting room, a computer room as well as computer plug-ins at all the tables so you can bring your own laptop to work.
• I've noted the selection of books and documentary DVD's and other items that the library loans to the nursing home my mother resides in.
• When I got my hair cut a few months ago in Sadieville, there was a basket with an nice assortment of books in Tyra's shop. These books you could read and return OR read and pass on to someone else without returning them.
• I know the Bookmobile was at our Sadieville in September festival last year and comes regularly to this northern part of Scott County.

With so many possibilities for the community to use the library one might ask, "What could they possibly do to serve the community even more?"

The answer to that would be a 'kiosk' in the outlying communities. The very first community to get a kiosk is Sadieville.

Earlene Arnette, who is in charge our the Scott County Library, has worked with the City of Sadieville to select a place to built this kiosk that would best serve the citizens of Sadieville. The spot chosen was the side of City Hall. Herb Archer, a resident of Sadieville, was hired to build the kiosk. The work was completed and a dedication event was schedule for yesterday, Sunday, June 10th at 2pm.

Fortunately, this Sunday choir practice was canceled after Church. Papa and I had already picked out songs to sing at the nursing home for last Wednesday and didn't get to use them because he was sick so I didn't have to go to Papa's. That just left visiting Mimi and straightening out her clothes. I was able to leave Church at 12:30 and head to the nursing home, straighten out Mimi's clothes and then sit with Papa and Mimi as he fed her. I left at 1:30pm and made it to City Hall for the dedication with a few minutes to spare.  Whew!!

The library staff did a wonderful job of creating a fun dedication. Appropriate dignitaries were invited to attend. Our city officials were all there except Jamie Donovan who was on vacation. The library staff were also there keeping the program going.

Short thank you speeches were made. Then the ribbon was cut using the Chamber of Commerce scissors.

The kiosk is behind this group of people with the sign saying 'Library Express' on the side. Inside the kiosk it looks like this.

All we have to do is go on-line to the Scott County web page, select the item(s) we want from the library. When it is time to pick up the item(s) we go to the kiosk and on a key pad that is on the wall to the left (it doesn't show up on this picture) press in the last 5 digits of our library card number. When we have done that successfully, the door to our box will open and inside will be our item(s). The computer monitor to the right is to help those who may not have Internet access at home. They can use it to key in their requests. There is also a box outside the kiosk that you can drop items you want to return to the library.

Claude and some others were asked to try the system out first. Claude opened a box and inside was a Scott County Library T-shirt.

After the dignitaries opened their box, the public was each given a turn to open a box and each time they found a Scott County Library T-shirt.

The Bookmobile was on-site for checking out of books.

An ice cream truck was there for refreshments. The ice cream was free and was greatly enjoyed on the hot summer afternoon. This is Herb Archer getting some ice cream.

And a magician was there to entertain the kids and provide face painting after his act.

It was a wonderful event and enjoyed by all. We are grateful for this addition to the City of Sadieville. I don't see how in the world the library could do more to meet the needs of the citizens.