Story By Press Reporter Shannon Taylor
Director of Ned R. McWherter Weakley County Library, Candy McAdams, told the board that they received a Technology Grant from the Tennessee State Library and Archives for the amount of $1102.00. The project was made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant is a 50/50 match grant. The grant was awarded because technology has become a fundamental service provided by libraries for the community to have equal access to the internet and online services needed in everyday life.
The library’s mission statement for their implementation for the technology plan states, “The mission of the Ned R. McWherter Weakley County Library is to provide all citizens of Weakley County free and equal access to popular, high interest resources and services. The technology provided will greatly enhance the services offered by the library to all patrons. By providing access to the world outside Weakley County, all citizens can make informed choices leading to lives that are more productive.”
The library’s plan is intended to guide technological development in the library for the next three years. It will support the minimal needs of the library’s mission statement, stimulate discussion about the technological needs of the community and provide structure for the planning and budgeting in the next three years.
The library’s goals include providing internet access by the fastest, most cost effective means possible for guest and employee use, providing wi-fi access to all areas of the library and the property, the library hardware, software and network will meet the needs of the library, maintain eight public access, four laptops, four workstations, five jetpacks and four Chromebooks, providing well-trained staff with knowledge about using technology to improve library services, providing access to a color printer, copier and scanner and providing ongoing library guests technology training and support for library guests personal electronic devices when library software is involved.
The implementation of the library’s technology plan will go before the board to be passed in January of 2023.
In other news, Pam Kruzich left the library $25,000.00 in her will, but according to Chair Tommy Moore, those things can take months to settle and for money to be dispersed. The board also wants the Friends of the Library group to start back up and will work on plans to get that going in the upcoming months ahead. The carpet located in the upstairs of the library has been completed by Paint Plus in Paris. The library also plans on taking bids for a landscaping project out front and will be sending out notices before the spring.
The library has held 216 programs during this quarter with 1,671 people attending them. They have had 2,832 visitors and answered 1,871 reference questions. There were 321 computer uses and 3,331 wireless sessions. The book club met twice and discussed “Last Garden in England” by Julia Kelley and “Anxious People” by Frederick Bachman.
Upcoming events include the Discovery Park of America Lego Competition which includes all the area libraries. This competition has a November theme of “Your Community of Possibilities” and entries are due by Nov. 11. There are five age categories including 0-5, 6-11, 12-18 and adult. The size limit is 10”x10”X18” in any direction, no kits are allowed and the prizes include a one-day admission to DPA and a grand prize of a year membership to DPA.
The library is holding its pumpkin decorating contest and will provide pumpkins for participants. Entries must be turned in by Oct. 26 at 5:00 p.m. The pumpkins cannot be carved or cut.
There will be a virtual book discussion with Temple Grandin, but a time has not yet been set. Grandin is a scientist, academic and animal behaviorist. Grandin is a consultant to the livestock industry, where she offers advice on animal behavior, and is also an autism spokesperson. She is currently a faculty member with Animal Sciences in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Colorado State University. In 2010, Time 100, an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, named her in the “Heroes” category. Grandin has been an outspoken proponent of autism rights and neurodiversity movements.
The board will not meet in November.
