March 28, 2024

Happy New Year library friends

We have many new and exciting things in the future for Monroe Library.

Before we talk about that, I wanted to share some information about how our library is seen through the eyes of our community. This fall I partnered with our library mentor to create a survey for our community to offer input on the Monroe Public Library. I guess being in the information business I enjoy having data to direct our future and see where we need to improve.

The results from the 30 community members who submitted their survey conclude they usually visit the library every one to two weeks to borrow books or DVDs, attend a program or to visit our public computer or children’s spaces. Overall, they find the quality of service to be considerate, helpful and knowledgeable.

The collection of books was deemed excellent and easy to check out. Eighty-seven percent saw our library as comfortable but lacking in building size. Many comments included adding more space for programming and children’s space.

As many of you know, an enlarged community cultural center has been a desire of our Friends of the Monroe Library, our library staff and library board. Eighty-three percent of the persons who were surveyed said the new building would be a service to their family and 100 percent said it would be of service to the community.

That is very exciting to me that this community supports our efforts at the Monroe Public Library. I know this survey did not get input from every Monroe resident. The Monroe Public Library Board and I would always welcome ideas and thoughts from our citizens.

“Libraries aren’t just feel good spaces, are solid tangible evidence of public money returned directly to a community as public value” as stated by Oleg Kagan from Medium.com. The average cast per tax payers for library services is $31 per year. The local library’s willingness to adapt and experiment in order to promote the good of the community has been very effective. The strong support and commitment of The Monroe Friends of the Library and our community supporters have envisioned and raised funds for this current library into existence. Monroe is one of roughly 10 percent of the libraries in the state of Iowa that can claim the Accredited Library Status. This statement means we have met all 70 standards required by the State of Iowa. In compliance with this Accreditation, Denise Nichols, library assistant completed the Public Library Support Certification. With a focus on the future, I have just completed a grant writing course from Emporia State University School of Library Management. Both of these courses prove the commitment of the Monroe library staff to be the best we can be. The future of Monroe library looks bright.

Another way the library is blessed is through private donations, business donations and memorial donations. Recent donations have provided exceptional entertainment for families through our holiday parties and summer reading programs. These things are events only afforded outside of our library budget. A generous gift from Jane Fennema allowed the library to purchase family friendly STEAM & Go take-home kits. These kits are a fun and family-friendly option to learn skills and explore science, technology, electronics and engineering, art and mathematics. I love that these great kits are NOT combined with screen time. We have an “All About Dinosaurs Kit” that includes two books, adinosaur game, reusable sticker scene and six jumbo dinosaurs. Another kit explores science and nature with a microscope, book and brainbuster game. We have a total of seven choices and are geared for pre-K through sixth grade depending on the subject. These kits are self-contained and include many small parts therefore, they may only be checked out by a responsible adult.

I encourage everyone in the community to take a moment and check out our great little library. We hope it brings a smile to your day.