>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

Imnaha’s library, which serves about 50 regular patrons, is supported by the Wallowa County Library. Photos/Ron Osterloh

These days librarians are highly competent, versatile multi-taskers who are constantly striving to stay abreast of the latest technology and information for library users while robbing Peter to pay Paul with their limited budgets.

National Library Week, April 13-19, will be celebrated at the Wallowa Public Library on Main Street in Wallowa. Everyone is invited to stop by an open house for cookies and coffee and check out what’s new and cool at the library.

“Libraries are about books, but they’re not all about books,” says Wallowa Librarian Debbie Lind.

The most recent development for all the county libraries is the online card catalog that allows patrons to browse and locate materials from home. There is no fee to use the library, and books can be obtained from any of the libraries through interlibrary loan. Browse the offerings of all the libraries online at www.g3online.com/wallowa.

There are more than 10,000 items in the Wallowa Library’s collection, which has been recently reorganized. Four computers with Internet access are available for public use. Students may do homework, research or look for a summer job on these computers.

“Mostly adults use the library and we want students to know they can use us as an additional resource,” says volunteer Sally Goebel.

According to Goebel, the library holds an interesting selection of Oregon authors and Oregon history books. In addition, a record of Wallowa County obituaries has been compiled and is maintained by volunteers. People researching genealogy have used this resource. Issues of the Wallowa Record and the Wallowa Sun from 1922 to 1962 are kept in hard copy and on microfiche.

Approximately 400 books on tape are available for loan, as well as large print books. A large selection of donated magazines is also ready to loan. The library has obtained a growing selection of music CDs, which includes many of Wallowa County’s local musicians.

The children’s section contains a wide variety of books from board books for infants to young adult books like the Harry Potter series and a collection of audio-books. A story time for toddlers is scheduled every Wednesday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. with storyteller Mary Therese Sommer.

The library also is a resource for tourists and visitors to the county. The local newspapers are available and also Internet and e-mail access. Book bags, Wallowa County Photo Club calendars and DVDs and videos are available for sale.

According to Librarian Debbie Lind, there are many plans and hopes for the future for the Wallowa Public Library.

The building now occupied is so small that the opportunities for expanding programs and materials are limited. A stable source of funding with an expanded budget is high on the wish list.

A strong contingent of volunteers and Friends of the Wallowa Library contribute to the huge strides the library has made recently, according to Lind.

“I could not do what I do without my volunteers. They are absolutely wonderful!”

The Wallowa Public Library is on Main Street and is open Monday and Tuesday from 1 to 5 p.m., Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursday and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Lind is considering adjusting the hours Thursday to 6 p.m. to accommodate people who work until 5 p.m.

Joseph City Librarian Geneen Kingsford has welcomed visitors to the library for 15 years. Photo/RON OSTERLOH

“There were many more families with kids using the library when I started. Our biggest numbers now come in the summer with tourists and summer residents. Some borrow books and some come to check e-mail, book plane tickets, do banking and use their laptops here,” she says.

According to Geneen, the after-school program with Joann Sneed Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 is a big success, often drawing over 20 kids a week.

Another huge change is in the level of technology employed in public libraries.

“We started with people actually signing the card in the book. Then we assigned them numbers. Next we went to barcoding on the Follett system, and now it’s all web based,” Geneen says. “With this online system you can get on the website, look up the title of the book you want and see where in the county it is located and then contact the librarian and she can get it on inter-library loan and the patron can access it in Joseph. It’s cheaper and more efficient than our old system.”

There are three computers at the Joseph library for public use. The computers are in the process of being upgraded. More than 200 books on tape or CDs are available along with a broad selection of music CDs that includes big band, jazz, blues, Celtic, ’60s and some newer offerings.

Some of the challenges this librarian faces are that she is funded only half time. Getting everything done and waiting on patrons in 20 hours, she said, is sometimes difficult. The configuration of the space of the Joseph Library presents problems too, according to Kingsford.

“It would really be better if we had more open space instead of these smaller rooms. I can’t monitor the collections and the front desk. We’ve had some materials disappear because I wasn’t able to watch all the areas at once.”

Funding is always difficult. According to Geneen, books have gone up a dollar a year since she started 15 years ago. It costs $60 an hour for a technician to work on the computers if something goes awry.

“The router and the switch blew when the transformer down at 1917 Lumber went out. There is no money budgeted for repairs like that. We’re trying to set aside a fund for those things, but there is no extra money.”

Geneen is always looking for computer literate volunteers.

“Someone who is comfortable with computers and is willing and able to learn the system would be very valuable.”

Joseph Public Library is open Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m.

A sunny spring day lures Joann Sneed and her afterschool group to the warm sidewalk for fun with tops and yo-yos in front of the Enterprise Public Library. Photos/Ron Osterloh

 Librarian Denine Rautenstrauch is an eight-year veteran at the Enterprise Library and says that in addition to the building renovations on the exterior and updates inside, the library’s collection of materials has also developed to meet the needs of the community. 

“With the shared data base we have in place with the other county libraries, lots of materials are available to the communities. The people in Enterprise are aware of what is available and they really use it. We have the support of the community. Any time we express a need, someone helps. People want their public library, and they bring their checkbooks to make it happen.”

According to Rautenstrauch, when budget cuts forced the library to close on Fridays, within a week two patrons had donated $500 each to allow the library to reopen on Fridays.

Enterprise Public Library users are a diverse group.

“The library is one of the first places kids can come to independently where their parents feel they will be safe,” Denine has observed. “We get lots of families and adults of all ages. The 19 to 25 age group we see least.”

She encourages organizations and agencies to call and arrange a tour of the library if it will help to familiarize more people with the site and what is offered to fit their needs or the needs of their clients.

Average users number from 300 to 500 per week. But according to Denine, the Enterprise library experiences heavier use in the summer, as do the other libraries in the county.

A summer reading program themed around insects and reptiles is in place for kids. It has been sponsored by the State Library and runs through June and July at all the county libraries. A story time for toddlers is scheduled Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., and Joann Sneed’s science-based craft and exploration program meets Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

One thing many people may not know about the library, according to Denine, is that it is always getting new materials. New books, magazines and DVDs are acquired on a monthly basis. The Enterprise Library carries some of the higher-end magazines that many people may not buy like Fine Homebuilding.

The library maintains a core collection of 16,000 items. Materials are “weeded” regularly based on how frequently they have been used.

With the exception of the classics or historical documentaries, if a book hasn’t been checked out in five years it is removed from the shelves. The item then goes into the ongoing book sale inventory for a few months and then, if not sold, is donated to the Soroptimists.

The Enterprise Library is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Fridays.

Denine Rautenstrauch has been instrumental in creating a library foundation, which has recently applied for non-profit 501C3 status. The goal of the foundation is to form an organization to accept memorials, gifts and endowments that could be used to build a source of equitable, stable funding for all the libraries of Wallowa County.

The foundation has organized a Mother’s Day fundraiser of gift baskets from each of the three city libraries. Raffle tickets are available for $1 each or six for $5 at each library, where the baskets can be viewed.

“Storytime for Toddlers” features Mary Therese Sommer entertaining some of the younger users of the Wallowa Public Library. Photos/Ron Osterloh

Each of these libraries serves about 50 regular patrons and is an essential resource for the schools in these two remote communities. They have Internet access: dial up in Imnaha and satellite in Troy. The library in Troy serves as a central meeting place, a recent survey showed, and is an important part of the community.

The county library also sponsors the Training Wheels Program that provides a story time for toddlers at the city libraries and childcare providers; the Up and Away Program featuring Joann Sneed’s unique crafts and experiments for youngsters after school; and the Deliver Me a Book Program that delivers books to seniors and others who might be housebound.

More than 2,500 people have been served by delivery driver Pat Wade since the program began.

Resource materials are also available at the county library on early childhood development, focusing on the importance of communicating with and reading to children from birth. County Librarian Susan Polumsky works closely with childcare providers, Building Healthy Families, the Health Department and other agencies to emphasize the importance of reading and make resource materials available to the community.

National Library Week is April 13-19. The libraries of Wallowa County will be celebrating their vital role in the communities and welcoming new visitors and regular patrons to stop by and see what’s new.