Staff representing local libraries within Pacific County were in attendance for a Sept. 27 presentation to the county commissioners by Timberland Regional Library Director Cheryl Heywood.
Heywood told the commissioners that among the programs currently on offer to patrons is Timberland Reads Together, now in its twelfth year. This year the program focuses on New York Times bestseller "The Boys in the Boat." The book is the tale of nine American Olympic rowers at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The book's author, Daniel James Brown, was scheduled to make a free appearance on Oct. 4 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia.
The Timberland Regional Library system is also currently holding a library card contest for children and teenagers, Heywood noted. The contest runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31.
"We are encouraging children and teenagers to design a library card. There will be winners from each library and winners at the district level as well," she stated.
Looking toward the immediate future, Heywood reported that a partnership Timberland has entered into with the Olympia School District may provide a model for agreements with other districts.
As part of the agreement, 9,500 K-12 students in the Olympia School District have received an e-card to access online resources and databases, with a view towards helping with homework and future employment.
"We've received a lot of buzz around that," Heywood said of the program. "There are other school districts that are interested in that, and as we move forward in time we will be working out similar agreements with other school districts."
There are 46 school districts in the five-county area served by Timberland Regional Library, she further noted.
More locally, Timberland libraries within Pacific County have seen a 23 percent increase in the number of library cards issued compared to the last six months of 2015, Heywood said.
Heywood went on to share several library success stories that have recently occurred within the county.
In Naselle, a non-resident library card was issued to a person who then traveled to Armenia and used the card to access a library database for help in learning the Armenian language. The person then renewed their library card while still abroad.
In Raymond, an elderly man was helped by library staff to find an elusive English-language booklet on how to use a particular handheld scanner.
South Bend staff helped another man in his 80s find internet-based information to assist him in taking his Master Gardner exam. In turn, the man may now be involved with providing a Master Gardner program for the South Bend library.
Staff within the county have also made outreach efforts as part of Project Homeless Connect, Heywood stated.
"The staff at Pacific County are doing phenomenal work," she concluded.
On a related note, Commissioner Steve Rogers is scheduled to speak on Oct. 22 at the South Bend library on the topic of the life of a local Olympic athlete.