The building was destroyed by fire in 2011, and, when it reopened in January 2015, the caretakers of the institution sought guidance on its operation.
“The library believes the community should determine its future direction,” said librarian Liz Potter. “We did a town-wide survey and held three focus groups of library users and non-users. People strongly indicated they love the programming and want more of it. In particular, people felt very proud of all the local talent in these mountains and wanted to see more programs celebrating our community, so we’ve added programs that feature our local musicians, our writers, our anglers, our local police, our seed experts and our crafts people.”
Across the country, libraries roles are changing and expanding, increasingly offering a diverse programs for all ages and moving into a more central role as community gathering place.
