Stayton Mail Monthly Guest Commentaries by The Stayton Public Library Foundation

Library is a hub of community

March 3, 2010

The Stayton Public Library has become the main gathering point for the citizens in the Santiam canyon; 10,126 citizens came through the doors last month to take advantage of its many services. That is up from 8,417 last January. Though Stayton's population is only 7,765, the library serves a much wider audience from Aumsville to Mill City.

On Martin Luther King Day, 600 individuals came for the activities, and about half of them were children. According to a survey conducted last fall by the City's Department of Planning and Development, the library rated highest of all the city services. It's an amazing hub of activity every day and serves all ages of Stayton area citizens with many and varied offerings, including story time for toddlers, computers for researching and checking email, spaces for completing homework, the latest books and CDs, and lots of opportunities for volunteers. In the main entry there is a community bulletin board to post notices of meetings and other activities of interest. The free Wi-Fi service, donated by Stayton Telephone, allows people to bring their own computers to use.

In 2004 the Stayton Public Library Foundation - www.staytonlibraryfoundation.org - launched a fundraising campaign to expand the 5,000 square foot facility to its present 12,500 square feet because the Library was too small to adequately accommodate the approximately 24,000 citizens in its service area. It is interesting to recall that, during the market research we conducted in the community, many people surveyed were concerned about the meeting room feature we were proposing as part of the addition. They were not convinced it was necessary. That room - the E. G. Siegmund Meeting Room - is now in constant use for activities such as the Stayton-Sublimity Chamber of Commerce monthly Forum lunches, weekly yoga classes, genealogy interest groups, and driver training refresher courses. The room is equipped with SMART boards and up-to-date technology. It can be divided so that more than one activity or meeting can occur at the same time. This community space is today's version of the town square seen in centuries-old cities as the main place where citizens gathered for sharing information and socializing. Last Fall, the foundation raised funds to provide an outreach storyteller service to area preschools. Crystal Neal is the story teller and had contact last month with more than 400 children and 50 adults by delivering and reading library books to preschool children.

The Foundation raised $2.9 million for the 7,500 square foot addition which was completed in June of 2007. Much of the funding came from Stayton area donors so it truly is a citizen's library and, more than ever, we are taking advantage of what we built. Besides the meeting room and more computers, we expanded the youth area, the children's library, remodeled the old facility, improved the heating and cooling system, and installed all new weather-resistant windows. Come to the Stayton Public Library and enjoy all that it offers. It's located at 515 N. 1st Avenue; phone 503.769.3313; www.stayton.plinkit.org.

Dave Karr is President of the Stayton Public Library Foundation.

Copyright ©2007 Stayton Public Library Foundation