Small-town libraries create an environment for learning and sharing

Don’t miss the article in TEXAS CO-OP POWER April, 2016 edition that gives a nice update on how small-town libraries are serving their communities.

The article relates how Silverton, a small community in the Texas Panhandle, recently remodeled and reopened their library and changed it from a hushed and dusty quiet zone to a hive of community activity with seniors and students alike occupying the well-lit rooms, relaxing in comfortable chairs, scanning freshly installed shelves filled with books and taking advantage of the high-speed wireless internet at computer terminals. In other communities the libraries “double as community centers, not just offering an educational setting for youths, but also providing employment resources and skills training for adults, and in some cases, even health screenings. The goals is to update them for 21-century use.”

Patricia Smith, executive director of the Texas Library Association says, “The modern library is a little bit of everything. In small towns, they are the intellectual hub, community center and a major resource for social services.”

The Tocker Foundation, credited in the article for helping many Texas rural libraries, has written a letter of support for our POC project. We look forward to their support when we reach the ground-breaking stage. For more information contact: friendsofpoclibrary@gmail.com