By Carol Jones
Library to mark 10th anniversary
On Thursday, September 9, from 2 to 6 p.m. the Friends of Freedom Public Library honor our library's tenth birthday with an open house. Come and help us celebrate!
In September 2000, when the library’s doors first opened, 3 employees were on hand with about 24,000 books. The books were not on shelves. They were arranged on long panel boards and planks placed across sawhorses because the shelving did not arrive in time. A couple weeks later when the shelves did come, the library closed temporarily for installation. The wood planks and boards had to be dismantled and the books totally rearranged on the shelves.
By the end of that first month, the small library had circulated 4,145 books. At the end of the first fiscal year, circulation was 118,676. For this current year, Oct. 1, 2008 to Sept. 31, 2009, the count reached 230,940. From the time it opened, Freedom has circulated more books every year than any other branch in Marion County.
Items available at the library currently total 52,973 with little space for anything more. This very busy library operates with a staff of 9 and 25 volunteers.
Heather Ogilvie, library supervisor, is pleased to note the library's phenomenal growth. "The children's programs alone, funded by the Friends, are exciting, informative, and heavily attended,” she says. “We are so proud of the many fun activities for learning here at Freedom."
In the year 2000, the then Friends organization held their opening celebration on September 9. Following in their footsteps, today's Friends decided to honor that tradition and hold the 10-year birthday party also on September 9.
Joan Francis, past president of the Friends and current co-chairperson of the Celebration Committee, explains, "The reason for this celebration is to recognize the tremendous number of services provided by the library and staff for the community. Freedom Public Library is the second busiest library in the county. It offers free public access to computers for children's homework. For adults, it provides access to various government sites and social assistance programs, such as job application filing, food stamp application, unemployment filing, etc. Wi-Fi wireless capability and free Internet access are available here at Freedom. The county provides and maintains these computers, and the library staff provides assistance when needed."
Art in its many forms adorn the library throughout, changing monthly for patrons’ enjoyment. Then we have the meeting room, free of charge and currently used by 29 groups, plus the library's own scheduled programs.
Yes, in these 10 years, our little library has grown in service to the community. We look forward to the next 10 years. Let's see what growth the future holds.
Happy Birthday, Freedom Public Library!
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