On Superior Street, in the heart of downtown Albion, sits the Albion District Library – a place where the community and Albion College students alike can attend events and access services.
The library offers an array of programs, such as Dungeons and Dragons club and yarn club, designed to be what the library’s head of public service Andy Myers called “educational, entertaining and empowering.”
For Myers, working at the library is about helping the community in every way possible.
“It’s not strictly what we can do for you,” Myers said. “It’s the feelings you have when you engage with us.”
A Variety of Events; ‘Community Opportunities’
Myers works with a team that handles the ins and outs of event planning; making flyers, scheduling, gathering materials and anything that comes with organizing a specific event. One of the goals their team works toward is seeking out “community opportunities.”
The library holds a variety of events, some of which are informational; on Thursday, there will be a Medicare 101 informational meeting for community members to learn more about how Medicare works. A newer event, Passport Story Time, takes kids outside the library to enjoy experiences like apple picking.
“The parents and the kids are loving it that we’re lining up these opportunities for them to get behind-the-scenes views,” Myers said.
Katie Jeffer, a circulation assistant, helps with the library’s weekly storytime, where the library staff curates a themed collection of stories, songs and crafts for the kids to engage with, they said.
“It’s nice to be able to promote reading to kids and their parents; this is helpful because we have to read every day,” Jeffer said. “It’s not just books – we have to read street names and signs and everything. Everything is reading, and it’s really important to instill it in children while it’s early.”
A recent event in collaboration with the Albion Historical Society brought a Mark Twain impersonator to engage the crowd with stories of the American West. Myers said he enjoys these types of events because they’re fun, but patrons are “also learning a little bit about history.”
Annual programs include Tech Savvy Seniors, where Albion College students and local tutors assist seniors with technology concerns. The library is also currently collecting handmade and purchased hats, mittens and scarves for their Winter Gear Drive to help keep community members warm.
None of these events require a library card, which makes them more accessible to anyone who might want to attend. Additionally, Albion College students can get a free library card with their student ID, according to Myers.
Future plans for the district library include participation at Librarypalooza, an event at the Stockwell Memorial Library on Albion College’s campus. The event is for first-year students to become familiar with the resources available to them.
“I will not abide another year without us,” Myers said.
Myers added he’d like the library to partner with Albion College student clubs like Tabletop Games Club to bring events like Magic the Gathering – a collectible strategic trading card game – game nights to the campus library.
“We’re also looking forward to promoting awareness of the library, more than just promoting services and what we offer,” Myers said.
Patron-Focused, ‘Not Just About Books’
Myers said for him and the staff, “libraries are not just about books.”
Hunter Craite, another circulation assistant, does more than shelving books; he helps patrons with technology concerns, such as having access to printers to make copies of resumes, and points library-goers in the right direction to find anything they need.
“I like helping people out with different stuff, and every day is different,” Craite said.
Albion resident Stephanie Tomblin and her son Rory come to the library every Tuesday. She added that the staff are “very friendly” and “love to interact” with Rory.
Tomblin added her favorite part about coming to the library is “being able to get out and pick out new books that we get to read over and over.”
Teresa Burkwalt, who’s lived in Albion for 52 years, said she comes to the library to use the computer and browse magazines; when she has computer troubles, staff members like Craite assist her.
“I’m very blessed that they help me,” Burkwalt said.
Myers has found that many people come to the library for professional assistance, and said he is always happy to help and celebrate with them when they succeed.
“I’ve sat with people and helped people of all ages build résumés and cover letters, and I’ve watched them get jobs,” Myers said. “Most of us could say that here, we’ve helped people get jobs.”
Myers added the interactions he has with patrons are a two-way street.
“I like to think that I’m helping everyone have just a little bit better of a day when I’m up there, but they’re doing it for me, too,” Myers said.
In regard to patrons, Jeffer said when a young attendee and his family moved away, he asked the library staff to move with him so he could keep the friends he made.
“We took pictures during storytime, and made a little book about their adventures here at the library and sent them off with that,” Jeffer said. “He said when he’s older, he’s going to move back here so he can come back to the library.”
Through all the programming and assistance the library provides, Myers said their main goal is to have a positive impact on the community.
“I think that if you can make people feel seen, heard, respected and welcome in the space, I think we’re doing okay,” Myers said. “It makes people want to come back, and people do.”
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