Check out SPL during Library week

Sidney Public Library officials are midway through their National Library Week celebration, and they said they welcome anybody in the community to come by the library to indulge in cookies, coffee and a cold beverage.

National Library Week is a national observance that was first sponsored in 1958 by the American Library Association. Libraries across the country celebrate it each April.

National Library Week is celebrated in Sidney during the week of April 14-20 this year, and Sidney Public Library Director Doris Jensen said that this year’s theme is “Communities Matter.”

“Of course our library, I feel, is at the center of our community - and we hope that it is,” said Jensen. “We have so many things going on here.”

“We have Saturday programs for the community and all of our computers draw a lot of people in from our community. It’s also a gathering place for young mothers, school children and people traveling through,” said the director.

“As long as I’ve been director we have celebrated National Library Week by doing something.”

This year, library staff is celebrating the week by serving cookies, coffee and a cold drink each day at the library from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

National Library Workers Day was celebrated this Tuesday by Friends of the Sidney Public Library serving lunch to staff.

“The last few years since we have had a Friends of the Library group, the library staff has been honored by the Friends of the Sidney Public Library on Library Workers Day (which always occurs on the Tuesday of National Library Week.),” said Jensen.

National Bookmobile Day will be celebrated today at the library to recognize the contributions of the bookmobile, as well as the staff who make the public outreach possible, according to Jensen.

“Vickie (Morlock) tries to handout special little things to the kids on that day and little things the rest of the week for bookmobile day,” she said.

Library officials are also holding their April Book Sale all week.

“We are a community library and our community does matter to us,” said Jensen.

Library staff not only holds special reading group services for all ages at the library, but they also participate in multiple other events to service the community.

“Since we don’t have a Department of Labor anymore in town, all of the people that are signing up for unemployment or for jobs they come here and use our library,” said the director.

“The library has been very active for employment services in the area through the Nebraska Department of Labor. A representative from the Department of Labor is in the building from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Tuesday.”

Jensen said that anyone interested in more information can call the library.

Library officials also host area school art exhibits in the library and this week’s display features art from Leyton Public Schools.

This is the fourth year the library has hosted the art, and it includes art from Sidney, Potter-Dix, Leyton, Creek Valley and Peetz.

“We always display the Art Guilds stuff and I know there’s a lot of gifted high school kids. I asked Doris if we should talk to the art teachers and see if they want to do it,” said staff member Vickie Morlock. “Everybody said, ‘Sure.’”

“The first year we only displayed it for a week and what happened the first year is the parents would come in after they were gone,” she continued. “So then I decided to keep them for two weeks that way parents could come in and say “Look there’s my daughters!

“We get so many compliments on them; it’s a great outreach program.”

Eileen Nightingale reads for Headstart children every Monday and Morlock reads to Golden Living and Sidney Regional Medical Center senior citizens once a week, according to Jensen.

They also support a program called Homebound that is for those who cannot make it to the library.

“It’s out there for anybody on short-term disability that can’t get out and doesn’t have transportation,” said Morlock. “I go to their home and the only stipulation is they have to be in Sidney city limits.

“Anyone can call the library if they are unable to get to the library if it is a short-term problem like a broken leg so they can’t drive, or have been on medication and can’t drive, and we can deliver to the home,” said Jensen.

“Whenever they call we try and get information whether they want mysteries or CD’s or large print books and Vickie will deliver them every other Monday in the city limits,” the director continued.

For those new to the personal computer or laptop, the staff conducts individual computer classes. Anyone can call for an appointment.

“If they need to have an email set up, that would be another service that we can do,” Jensen added.

A scanner, colored printer and multi-card reader for downloading files from cameras or cell phones is also offered at the library.

The library features a small meeting room that needs to be booked a week or so ahead. It has limited space for up to 12 to 15 people, and is free during normal business hours, according to the director.

“Everyday, libraries in big cities and small towns, colleges and universities, in schools and in businesses help transform their communities,” she said. “At our library, people of all backgrounds can come together for community meetings, lectures, and programs to do research with the assistance of a trained professional to get a job or to find homework help.”

The library offers free wireless and internet access, interlibrary loans, books, CD’s, books on tape, DVD’s, magazines, newspapers, large print books, Library Commission talking books and Braille services.

Toddlers and preschool age children may attend story time on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Kindergarten to second grade children may attend the Book Bunch on the second Tuesday of the month, and third through sixth graders may attend Middle Pages on the fourth Tuesday of the month.

The library also offers a Junior Friends for teens and an adult Friends of the Library group.

For more information on the library staff’s efforts and programs those interested can either visit the library at 1112 12th Ave., call 308-254-3110, or visit the library website at http://libraries.ne.gov/sidney.