Ainsworth opens new public library

Ainsworth has opened a free public library at the city center, run out of the former school building’s library and the current city council’s meeting room.

“This was unique because this used to be an elementary school library, and the Highland school left us a lot of children’s books,” Library Coordinator Sherrie Hazen said. “So we had a good start with kids’ books, and then the UP home in Washington has donated a lot of books for ages 16 and up.”

Hazen said she was inspired to take up the project after starting a little free library outside the building in honor of her mom.

“I just love books, and so did my mother,” she said. “And I just love community stuff, finding ways to bring the community together.”

To keep things from getting complicated, Hazen said the new library would function much like the book box outside, with minimal technical tools required.

“We’re doing this as simple as possible,” she said. “Our books are organized by subject matter for the kids and by author for the 16 and over books, and we’re going to have a sheet where people can sign the book they take out, the day they checkout and the date they return it. We’re going to follow the path like the free little library program where you can bring a book in and take a book, so you can swap out books.”

Hazen said the system was only possible with the support of the city, which is providing the space free of charge.

“We have been very lucky, the city has said that we could use this space at now charge, and all of our books have been donated,” she said. “The work that has come into play here, with people coming in to sort the books, get them organized, that’s all volunteer work. At this point, we haven’t had any expense.”

The library currently has nine staff, all of them volunteers. Hazen said the simplicity would ensure things kept running smoothly.

“We would just like to get our younger generation back into reading books, take them away from the phones and the tablets, and get them back to good old book reading,” she said.

While attempts to restore the library have been made in the past, they were not successful. Hazen said she had reason to be optimistic this time around.

“I hope this will go better because we have a larger variety of books,” she said. “There is a summer reading program already established through the Highland elementary school and we hope to build on that. We now have a preschool in our volunteer building … Plus we have a dance academy located in this building, and we hope to bring those people in too. We’re trying to open it up to a wider audience of people.”

For now the library has limited hours, but Hazen said she hoped to extend them as patron interest grew.

“Right now it’s just Mondays from 4-6:30 p.m., we don’t want to be here extra time and use the utilities that aren’t needed,” she said. “But we are really wanting people to let us know if another time would be better for them. We have volunteers that will be happy to come in and open the library for them if they’d like to come in on a different day or at different hours.”

All things considered, Hazen said she was in good spirits about the project.

“I’m excited, we just need to get the word out to people to come, and it’s all ages,” she said. “We are advertising on Facebook and posters around town and that type of thing, but the more we can get the word out, the better.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com