Fairfield library hosts recurring events for youth, adults

In 2023, many new staff members have come on the scene at Fairfield Public Library and several staff have recently moved into new roles. Chiefly among them, former Youth Services Librarian Al Schmidt Mickunas was promoted to the role of Director in July of 2022 and has overseen the hiring of a number of new staff.

Lauryn Shapter, who previously served as an administrative assistant to the Director, has also been promoted to a full-time role at the Front Desk. Senior staff member Joy Craig, who previously served as a Front Desk staff member, has become the new Adult Services Specialist and is taking responsibility as the adult fiction selector, lead cataloger, and adult programs coordinator for the library.

Sara Martindale of Ottumwa stepped into the role of Children’s Services Specialist in October and immediately began providing a new weekly series of storytime programs which include a dynamic mix of music, movement, and crafts. Staff members Dani Hannes and Sean Charleston have both returned to work at the library after short periods of employment elsewhere; Regular library visitors have expressed much happiness at their return.

Fairfield Public Library adopted a “fine-free” policy effective January 1, 2023. Removing previously accrued fines for late materials and eliminating future late fees removes a barrier to access for many in the community that cannot afford these fines.

Within the updated policy, borrowers will still be expected to pay for lost and damaged materials. Long overdue items will be marked “Lost” 28 days after their due date. Accounts will be blocked that have outstanding replacement fees of $10 or more for lost materials. The library looks forward to seeing many FPL card holders return and to meeting many new borrowers for the first time. The fine-free policy is made possible thanks to the support of the Fairfield Public Library Board of Trustees and The City of Fairfield City Council.

Since the summer of 2022, the library has added a number of regular monthly programs for adults such as “Friday Night Movies”, taking place on the third Friday of each month in the FPL Meeting Room; a new “Genealogy Group” led by local expert Barbara Rainbow meeting on the first Monday of every month; and the “Board Game & Puzzle Meet-Up” for adults and children meeting every second Saturday. The library has continued to host the “Write On Writers” group led by David Patterson, and co-sponsors Meredith Siemsen’s much loved “The Thirsty Word” meetings at the Fairfield Food Collective each month.

Regularly occurring children storytime programs are provided for infants and very young children three times a week by Children’s Librarian Sara Martindale. “Songs and Stories with Sara” meets at 10:15 a.m. every Tuesday morning, and “Preschool Storytime” meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 3:45 p.m. Additionally, unstructured Lego Playtime is held every Friday at 3:30 p.m. in the Youth Services Department. Once a month, Ms. Martindale partners with the City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee to provide a hybrid in-person/online storytime together with MIU instructor and DEI Committee member Genevra Bell.

In January, Fairfield Public Library was able to purchase new Apple Computers for the library through a generous gift provided by the Fairfield Public Library Foundation as a means of diversifying the library’s electronic resources. The library now offers two iMac computers and a powerful Apple Studio Adobe Suite Creation Station with 32 GB of RAM and a 27-inch Studio Display for use by the community.

Director Schmidt Mickunas had been aware for some time that students and staff in the Fairfield Public School District primarily use Apple Computers at school and his intention with the new devices has been to create a more welcoming space for Apple users, particularly among the youth.

The Fairfield Public Library Board is currently completing a 1-year strategic plan that will be revisited in 2024 and expanded to include goals and objectives through 2029. Community members interested in contributing their perspective may attend and make public addresses at the library’s monthly board meetings on the third Monday of every month at 5:15 p.m.

As technology and literacy trends continue to inform the development of American libraries, our Fairfield Public Library will keep abreast of all these changes to provide the same access to high quality services, resources and programs that our community has come to expect.