Public Library Visit

I visited the public library in our town, Talbot County Free Library (TCFL). The main branch that I visited is located downtown Easton Maryland. There is street parking and a public parking lot across the street. Two walkways lead to the entrance, one with stairs and one level with the town sidewalk, both have two automatic doors. Near the entrance there is a book drop, a bicycle rack and a bench in the surrounding garden. 

As stated in Foundations of Library and Information Science by Rubin and Rubin, libraries have become and create digitally inclusive communities. Rubin, R. E.,  Rubin R. G.(2020)  The public library I visited not only has a webpage http://www.tcfl.org/ 

facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Talbot-County-Free-Library-130124829867/ and an instagram page https://www.instagram.com/talbotcountyfreelibrary/ , but also so many digital resources for our community. The website is not fancy nor is it visually appealing yet it is navigable. If you enter your library card you can search the online catalog, fill out request forms and suggest a title. There are also a ton of eResources available with your library card: tutoring, local newspaper, language learning sites, online borrowing sites (Hoopla and Libby), Bookflix (a scholastic program video read along site) and many more. I found it frustrating that the links on their website don’t open in a new window, so you have to navigate back to the main webpage by using the back button or opening a new tab. Also there is no HOME button, although if you click on their logo it will take you back to the home page, just had to figure that out along the way.  The website can be viewed in English and Spanish.

Under the contact us page, you can email the Director Assitant Director, IT Administrator, Communications Manager, and the Branch Manager.  When I was visiting, I talked with one of the employees, she was a retired teacher, she said there were 20 employees and countless number of volunteers. She was not sure how many of the employees had their Librarianship degree. 

The library itself has multiple comfortable chairs, tables and chairs, two reservable study rooms, 24 public computers plus about 4 that only connect to the online catalog. There is one self check out, 2 main check out staff, and a childrens’ check out desk. The building was renovated around nine years ago, and still feels new, beautiful and inviting.  They have a large print book section (102,460 books), a separate reference section with tables and chairs, children’s wing, teen section, a large conference room for programming and meetings, and it also holds the annual book sale. When you first walk in there is a shelf that holds new releases and new to the library books as well as the One Maryland One Book. The One Maryland One Book program was thought up by the Maryland Humanities educational non profit organization, they created One Maryland One Book (OMOB) to bring together diverse people in communities across the state through the shared experience of reading the same book (Maryland Humanities. 2022. One Maryland one book. para. 3)  TCFL also has around 7,800 bilingual and Spanish language books throughout the library. TCFL also houses the Maryland Room, a Local History and Genealogy Special Collections.  To visit this collection, you need to make an appointment with the Maryland Room Librarian.

We have a large retired community in our town, therefore you see an older clientele, but our library is utilized by so many community members.  It is not unheard of to see the study rooms full of homeschool students, a story time being held in the children’s section, seed trading in the conference room and all the computers being used!  You can request passes to both the local Maritime Museum and Baltimore Science museum, participate in summer reading challenges (for adults and children), participate in the libraries book club or come to learn and play chess at the chess club.  Our public library doesn’t just have books, it is definitely a hub of opportunities and community.  

I was amazed at the online resources available and the programming that the library holds, many times partnering with other local organizations. This visit has got me jazzed to create a better working partnership with our high school library and public library.

Resources:

Maryland Humanities. (2022) One Maryland one book. https://www.mdhumanities.org/programs/one-maryland-one-book/
Rubin R. E., Rubin R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science. (5th ed.) Neal-Schuman