THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 24, 1996 TAG: 9604230135
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Only ministers can use hell in a sentence. I feel that heaven is a place, not a thing.
Jordan C. McAllister
Moonlight Road
Smithfield Wonderful volunteers
The public library in Smithfield was begun in 1925 by a group of volunteers who were dedicated to books and reading. From that year to the present, the library has depended heavily on its faithful volunteer staff to help provide the proper service to the people of our area.
When I began working at the library in 1979, there were only a handful of volunteers, and the circulation was 18,002 for the 1979/80 fiscal year. The circulation for the 1994/95 fiscal year was 62,971, and the need for volunteers drastically increased. The library staff could not keep pace with the rapid changes occurring due to the tremendous growth.
Many local people responded to our call for help and gave countless hours performing such tasks as checking books in and out, shelving books, keeping the facility and its collection of materials in order, assisting in children's programs, researching genealogy requests, serving on boards and committees, spreading the word to citizens and officials of the benefits our library provides, assembling furniture, moving filing cabinets, raising money, giving copying machine assistance, making phone calls, sitting for long hours at the computer terminal entering the data for the automation process, counting patrons as they come in the door, and many other tasks that are part of the daily routine.
Since July 1, 1995, the beginning of our fiscal year, these 30 permanent volunteers and 10 special projects volunteers have logged 2,979 hours of service. Without them, the staff could not begin to accomplish their varied tasks of offering in-depth assistance for projects and reports, keeping records, filling special requests, planning and presenting programs for over 5,000 children a year, attending meetings, keeping the library visually oriented to books and reading, selecting books or furniture, planning and implementing the automation process, and working with the people of the community, its officials and the administrators at the Rawls Library to obtain the support necessary to offer the public the best service possible.
I am so thankful for these wonderful people. Not only do they improve the services that the library offers to the public, but they have had such a positive impact on my life. I have always loved my job at the library, but they make coming to work a joy. They brighten my spirits if I am down. They make me laugh if I am sad. They worry about me if I'm not feeling well. They are strong supporters of our library, but, most of all, they freely give of their beautiful spirits and their precious time - to you and to me.
In April, National Volunteer Week and National Library Week are both celebrated, and there's no more fitting time to thank the library volunteers for a job so well done. Thank you, friends!
Emma Jean Brady
Branch manager
Isle of Wight County Library
Smithfield Branch by CNB