| Allerton Public Library District |
2011 no. 1 |
| Library Profile |
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| What is unique about your library? |
| At the April 1895 Town Meeting, the possibility of a combination Town Hall-Library building was discussed. After much debate the proposition was about to be rejected when Mr. Samuel Allerton stepped forward. Mr. Allerton stated that if the people of Monticello Township would erect a suitable building, his wife would donate funds to stock the library with furniture, books, periodicals, and all the necessary equipment to make it a first class facility. This generous offer influenced a number of people and the proposal carried by a large majority. It was further decided to construct a building that not only housed a town hall and a library, but also an opera house, in hopes that the opera house receipts would help support the library financially. The library was financed largely by gate receipts from the opera house until 1919 when Monticello Township had to vote a tax to support the library. |
| What are the primary goals and objectives of your library? |
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We provide patrons with current, diverse, and high demand library materials in a variety of formats. We provide a variety of children’s activities for all ages with Lap Times, Story Times, Craft Programs, and a weekly teen club. Once a month on a Saturday we present a themed event for children. Past programs have included a Fancy Nancy Party, a Construction Program, and the popular Library Luau to kick off the Summer Reading Program. We coordinated with local daycare centers and schools to present programs. We work hard to increase awareness of library resources and services offered by posting informational articles in the local newspapers, the local access cable channel, and the library’s website. |
| What cooperative efforts are you currently doing? |
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| Tell us a story about your library. |
| In 2005, we received notification that the library was named in the will of former Monticello resident Max Hency who passed away April 2005. Max was the son of a blacksmith who graduated from Monticello High School and later pursued a career in the navy. This substantial gift of $2.9 million will be used to build a new library building in the near future. |
| If money were no object, what services would you add? |
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| What is popular in your library? |
| The heaviest used library collections are audio books, dvds, and fiction. Public computers are in high demand and WiFi has become very popular. I’ve noticed that Media Mall usage has really picked up. Many patrons who have not been active library users for years are coming in to get new library cards and to learn how to download books from Media Mall. |
| How does your library use online tools to connect to your user? |
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Request a visit to your library Library of the Week Executive Director: Jan Ison, Editorial and Design Team: Michelle Ralston and David Lottes |
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