As many of you know, I am a degreed librarian. No longer practicing, but that’s what my master’s degree is in — Information Sciences. I love libraries. They’ve always been some of my favorite places to hang out. You can get just about anything at the public library — or have access to just about anything.
On April 21, Bristol Public Library held an Open House, and I decided to check it out, just for a refresher course on what was there. Oh, my goodness! I had no clue what’s going on! Honestly, I haven’t worked in libraries since 2013, and then it was at the community college library (which is still a really cool place to hang out and access information of all types). But I was totally out of the loop as to what BPL has to offer its patrons. I left there buzzing with ideas and overloaded with respect for the folks making things happen at BPL!
I had the opportunity to chat with Rita, who is in charge of programs at the main location on Goode Street in Bristol, VA. I took a lot of information with me so I could try to give people a run-down of some of the multitude of offerings.
First of all, the electronic resources are mind-blowing! You can learn over 110 languages with the Tennessee Electronic Library (www.tntel.info), plus test-prep programs, genealogy, newspapers, career tools, and tons of other stuff — you just have to go to their website and “check it out!” It’s free for all Tennesseans – and those with a card for BPL, which covers part of Virginia. (I love living on the border!) There’s Hoopla, which allows you to “Read, Listen, and Watch with Your Library Card.” And there’s Libby, the library reading app. There’s Find It Virginia (which also works for Tennessee users – again, I love living on the border). And there’s free Wi-Fi, plus computers you can use in the library.
Programs? You want something to do? Let me tell you about some of the things going on at the main library. There are Art Gallery displays. The Friends of the Library (only $10 to join) hosts a FREE Library Bingo night monthly. There’s a monthly BPL Book Club. A Nevermore Book Club that meets weekly. A Crochet Club that meets twice a month. A monthly Photography Club. A LEGO Night for Grown-Ups once a month! There are special programs for teens in the Teen Area downstairs that include book club, crafting, gaming, and more. The children’s area upstairs has story time twice a week, after school programs, Summer Reading Program (everyone’s favorite), and even has a mascot — Citrus, the Library Bird. (They also offer classes in conjunction with Steele Creek Park at the park, right there in nature!) There’s a special area downstairs for folks to work on their GED maintained by the Mount Rogers Adult Education Program (MRRAEP.com). There’s a great genealogy section downstairs, too! And FREE Notary Public Service (call ahead to make sure someone is available). There’s a gift shop with books and snacks/soft drinks. The library offers Books on Wheels, a Homebound Book Delivery Service, too. Not to mention the fact that they have authors come in and talk about their books and do readings from time to time, too! (I hope to join them next spring, fingers crossed!)
There are some pretty unique things happening at BPL, too. Let’s talk about the Seed Library. You can “check out” up to five seed packets per month from a special collection of — seeds (flowers, fruits, vegetables, etc.) Fill out the seed checkout form, take the seeds home, plant them, and enjoy. When you harvest your goodies, you’re asked to save some seeds and take them back to the library so they can keep on sharing. I love this concept! The “original” seeds are donated by the Virginia High School Horticulture Department.
I’m saving my favorite two things for last!
One of these favorite things is just so cool I can’t put it into words. (Well, I’m struggling with it!) It’s the LIBRARY OF THINGS! Ever wish you could try something out before you buy it? Or maybe just borrow it because you only need it once in a while? Welcome to the Library of THINGS! I’m operating from memory on this, and from the brochure I picked up, but here are some of the “things” you can borrow from this interesting collection: pressure washer, weed eater, metal detector, cake pans, board games, hotspots… Isn’t that just the coolest concept?!? Call them up and ask them to tell you more about what is included or drop an email to the circulation desk staff (look them up online at Bristol-library.org). This is seriously on my list of top reasons to promote the library now! I already loved it oodles and oodles, but this just made my day when I found out about it!
And the last part is some serious library-within-a-library stuff. The Jones Center, located upstairs and slightly behind the Circulation Desk, is a magical universe in its own right. From the brochure: you can get resumé help, take computer classes, get help with job searches. They offer proctoring services and have the boating exam, which is a big deal in our area with two lakes in the area. They will help you with electronic devices (like if your smart phone is making you feel stupid: they will help you figure it out — for free)! They have an audio booth for recording purposes. All you have to do is book it ahead of time. They have a 3D Printer. Wicked cool to watch that working its magic. While I was there, they were working on some stuff for one of the local history museums. I was absolutely blown away by the way it copied the original. And they have a Glowforge laser engraver. They even gave me a cool pencil engraved with the BPL logo. And this is all just sitting there waiting for people to come in and discover it, then to use it and spread the word about it.
I had so much fun going from station to station at the Open House, getting my little passport stamped and learning about what was going on at the library. One thing is certain: BPL has come a long, long way from what they had when I joined their staff way back at the beginning of June 2000. When I started there, they were just starting to talk about “the new library,” where it might be placed, etc. Even though it stayed in the same location and expanded, there has been so much progress there — and even though I haven’t worked there in forever, I’m proud that my journey took me through their doors. They do so many wonderful things for so many people. Take time to go check them out. The staff is superb, some of my former colleagues are still working children’s programs and doing reference. There’s always something going on, and it’s not just about books, anymore! Don’t forget their Avoca Branch location on the Tennessee side of town, too. (Go get you some THINGS!!!)
Recent Comments