The Mary Cotton Public Library Board recently received a $2000.00 grant from the STEP Foundation to upgrade the technology center at the library. As stated in earlier posts, the board has dedicated themselves to increased accessiblity to the library and its services. This particular grant was used to purchase various pieces of adaptive technology that will aid patrons with vision and physical limitations. On the list for the technology room are larger screened computer monitors, high visibility keyboards with larger letters, adaptive computer mice that will aid arthritic hands or those with limited mobility, and an adjustable computer table to allow for patrons in wheelchairs, on crutches or other physically limiting situations. They are in place and available for use.
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NExpress is here! Easy access to almost 500,000 items! The Library is joining NExpress, a regional catalog of the Northeast Kansas Library System and 30 other libraries. The NExpress Regional Shared Catalog uses Koha, the advanced open-source integrated library system adopted by thousands of libraries worldwide. The advantages of this new library software are numerous. You will be able to access the library catalog at home, work, school, or anywhere there is Internet access. You can look up and reserve books, movies and audiobooks not only from our library collection, but from 30 other libraries in the shared catalog. Materials will be conveniently delivered here at the library in just a few days via the Kansas Library Express courier system—all at no cost to you! Check with a library staff member to see about getting a new or updated NExpress library card, accepted at any NExpress library in our region. Looking for resources for – unemployment, job search, home foreclosure, health insurance, assistance with utility bills?
The State Library of Kansas has put together a website with lots of resources…..
“Thriving in Tough Times”
has links and resources in all those areas.
Check out this new Kansas Government Information Blog for a link to all things Kansan. http://ksdocs.blogspot.com is a blog being maintained by the State Library of Kansas and currently has lots of interesting facts and links to historical sites in Kansas. It would be a great resource for planning any kind of trip in and around the state or for any student wishing to find more information about the history of Kansas.  MCPL Trustees 2009 is starting out great at the Mary Cotton Public library. During a recent walk-thru of the old building, it was obvious that the design changes and renovations are going to be a big improvement to operations. The children’s area on the second floor will be a much larger space for children to participate in story time and related activities. It looks like there will be plenty of display space for books so that they will be more visible to patrons as they seek reading materials. Best of all, the space is going to be draft-free and comfortable for everyone. It’s already apparent what new windows and insulation can do for this building. No more cold toes during meetings and no chilly drafts while using the computers…..Yes, no more fluttering curtains and polar winds whistling thru the stacks. (Just kidding…. It wasn’t that bad… but it did get cold and was hard to heat.) What is making this possible? You! the people of this community! YOU are the heroes of this venture. Without your continued support, this project would never have been attempted. Pat yourselves on the back for recognizing that the library is a part of the town’s history and needed to be preserved. Although it is a long process to get there, the renovations will enable us to keep the library as a central location for social and literary events that are so important to keeping a town alive and thriving. Newcomers to Sabetha will see how important literacy and education are to the community and will feel comfortable coming to a place that can offer everything a much larger library can offer, plus the intimacy of a friendly face and neighborly greeting when they walk thru the doors. Keep watching the progress at 915 Virginia. It won’t be long before you start seeing the steel skeleton of the new addition going up. Once the contractors get it enclosed, the rest of the project will fall into place. New elevator, new accessible restrooms on both floors, more space for computers, and more space for books will lauch the Mary Cotton Library into an era that even our children’s children will be able to enjoy. Keep those Tax Credit Applications coming!!! Many citizens have been recipients of the Friends of the library tax credit sales promotion over the past week. As a person considering whether or not to contribute to the Friends of the Library project, one would expect to see why it is important that the library is maintained and preserved for current users and the future generations. As of October 24th, Sabethans have visited the library over 16,400 times in 2008 and checked out and circulated 47,939 items.
The dollar value of these items can be broken down in terms of actual dollars and cents if they each had to be purchased individually. Consider the following information, generated in part, by an online value calculator that can be found on the Maine Here are the facts: Children’s book circulation—22,634 items valued at $452,680. Adult book circulation—14,002 items valued at $378,054. Magazines—951 items at $3329.00 Movies/DVDs—5958 items at $131,076 Audio books—1276 items at $52,316 If patrons had purchased all of these items that they enjoyed at the Mary Cotton Public library so far this year they would have spent over $1,017,455.00 This does not include the value of children’s programs, internet resources, research services, genealogical research and so much more. The figures are truly a testament to the commitment and dedication of public library users in Sabetha and the surrounding community. Mary Cotton Public library really is a bargain when put into black and white.
The Mary Cotton Public Library is now offering wireless access for patrons with laptops. We also have access for students who have school laptops and would like a quiet place to do their homework. Mary Cotton Public Library current building was erected in 1935 as a WPA project and opened in 1936. It was named after its first benefactor, Mary Cotton who donated her own personal book collection and $3000.00 to establish a public library for Sabetha. The current collection contains over 24000 items, is open 48 hours per week and has free internet connection on 8 patron computers. Friendly, helpful staff are available to assist patrons at all times. |
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