The Farmington Public Library started from a private collection of books in 1921, owned by the town’s first librarian, Larena Mahany. Now, it’s an award-winning work of art, serving San Juan County and beyond. Written by Donna Hewett
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Transcript
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A library is more than
its collection of books.
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It makes a community livable.
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It’s a place of safety
where all are welcomed
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without cost to learn, have
fun, tap into valuable resources
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and to leisurely browse
high-anticipated book covers
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on well-lit shelves.
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To reopen the Farmington
Public Library’s doors
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and keep them open amidst the pandemic,
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Director Karen McPheeters
had to switch pages.
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You’re watching the Local News Network
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brought to you by CMIT Solutions
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and Express Employment Professionals.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
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Just beginning her third
decade as head librarian,
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McPheeters found herself
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in a strange position last spring.
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You have programming to get
people in to use the library.
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We just did, for the last
year, we’ve done the opposite.
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We’ve done things to keep people out.
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So in that period of time,
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we were getting a lot of electronic use,
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digital downloads, eBooks,
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databases.
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We made an e-card, so you can
just get a library card online
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and check out books that day.
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The library closed for
only six or so weeks
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throughout the pandemic.
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Quite a feat when you
consider that many libraries
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across the nation remain shut.
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But for many readers, even
limited hours are a blessing.
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We are a busy library,
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and we’re the largest
library for quite a few miles
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for a lot of people.
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We have people, cardholders
in Colorado, Utah, Arizona.
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And of course we serve San Juan County,
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which is about the same sizes
as the state of Connecticut.
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San Juan County’s really big,
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so because of that, it gets used a lot.
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We’ve had years where the daily usage
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is around 2,000 people a day.
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We’ve been, right before the pandemic
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it was probably closer to 1,100
or a thousand people a day.
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Still, lot of folks who
dearly miss their routine
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of browsing the shelves, picking up books,
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returning them, are
keeping their distance.
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Some of the trends that
we’ve seen is that people
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are still being very cautious
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and that’s probably a good thing.
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And when they’re coming in here, we’re
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we’re doing everything
by the book, so to speak.
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I am
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cautiously optimistic
about in-person programming
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maybe
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next fall.
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I don’t see us doing that this summer,
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so I’m a little worried about that.
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This year, McPheeters won’t be hosting
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200 excited kids a week
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for her annual youth summer
reading program, inside that is.
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She’s developed three large
outdoor reading events
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that have a more individualized
focus and a chance
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for the kids to compete for cool prizes.
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Because the library does serve
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a significantly larger population
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than just the city of Farmington,
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considerable demands are
placed on existing collections.
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The shorter hours have provided McPheeters
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and her crew a rare chance
to get caught up and ready
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for the return of readers en masse.
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Because we were limited hours,
we took the time to work
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on our collections and kind of catch up.
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We were so busy, a lot of the times
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we don’t get to have that care
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and feeding of the collection.
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And so we put some
investment back into our core
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library services.
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And I think we’re well positioned
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for that growth to happen again.
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We’re going to be here when
they want to come back.
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The 10,000-square foot
structure, with 65 foot ceilings,
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opened in 2003 garnering numerous awards
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for spectacular lighting and
innovative native design.
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And it’s regularly listed
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as one of the most beautiful
libraries in America.
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Farmington Library originated back in 1921
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when Loraina Mahaney turned
the parlor of her home
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on 506 Arrington Street into a study club.
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Mahaney would be gratified to know
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that 100 years later her private
book collection has grown
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into an iconic $7 million crown jewel.
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The Farmington Public Library’s located
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at 2101 Farmington Avenue,
open 1 to 6:00 p.m.,
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Monday through Thursday
and 10 to 2 on Saturday.
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For more information on
summer reading activities,
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search #ReadFarmington
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or look for Tails and
Tales at infoway.org.
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Thanks for watching this edition
of the local news network.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
