At the library: Unique projects for a unique time

by LeAnn Kunz

The library building is quiet. Every so often I hear a creak or a ping or a swish and maybe it is just the wind moving against the windows. Or maybe the library is whispering to me? 'Where are my people?” We miss our patrons during this closure. We miss the comings and goings, the camaraderie and community, the daily 'noise” of the library. In the meantime though, your WPL librarians are truly utilizing time to the fullest. I think I have heard every staff person say that they have been working longer hours than normal (since we are sometimes working from home, as well as in the building) to get projects completed, to learn something new, to figure out a way to continue to connect with our patrons. For a couple hours today I was lucky enough to spend time with the members of my Washington Writers' Workshop via Zoom. It was lovely to hear the voices and laughter of my participants coming from my laptop and for the program to go smoothly. We certainly have delved into a whole new world with programming, but we are making every attempt to use technology to help us.

Besides all the cleaning and sorting, organizing files, taking online courses, putting out book grab bags, planning virtual programs, etc. each of the librarians have had some unique projects to work on. For me I have studied the website manual like I am back in college and, with baby steps, have learned how to manipulate our website. It has been exhilarating to be successful and to create a more user-friendly homepage with quick links to our digital resources. I hope you will check it out. I plan to make more improvements in the future as I gain confidence and knowledge on web work.

In addition I have begun the big undertaking of cataloging the historic Scofield collection. This collection has been in storage for most of its time in this building, making special appearances (like during our 10 year anniversary month) in the second level display cabinet. These books were a gift from Hiram Scofield who came to Washington from New York in 1858. He was a Civil War veteran, an involved community member, and an avid reader. His personal library was estimated to contain up to 20,000 volumes and was thought to be the largest private collection west of the Mississippi. In 1908 some of his books were given to the Washington Public Library, the Wellman-Scofield Library, as well as the Vassar and Wellesley College libraries. Thus, these are some of the original books from our original library! Our collection contains beautiful editions on a wide variety of subjects, many with exquisite illustrations. Some are in decent shape and some are decaying. During my process I have been carefully cleaning, creating a record for each item, and placing them in the second level cabinet for display and storage. They will not circulate but it will be very nice to finally have them organized and cataloged. This is a time-consuming but important task and that is precisely why it has not been completed in the past. I am so grateful that I am able to give them the attention they need during this time of closure. I will be posting pictures on Facebook, if you have access, of some of these charming old books.

In the meantime, the library continues whispering 'where are my people?” and we hope we will see you all sooner rather than later.