Ann Ferro: Loving the library

I have loved the library ever since I was 8 years old and borrowed my first book, Peony by Pear Buck from the Brooklyn Public Library on 53rd street. There I was allowed to borrow books from the children’s collection that was just to the right of the front door. We moved before I was old enough to sample more than that. Our library on Maple Street in Marcellus has made up for that. But then, how do I share the “more” that I found there?
Let’s say, for the sake of opening this exploration, …let’s say … that you are planning a trip to one of the national parks. You will be driving and taking the family. Where would you start your planning? Why, at the library. The Marcellus Free Library is a phenomenal access point for a trip. First there are the books that open the doorway to sites along the way, histories of people and places that can add a richness to your travel, periodicals that feature travel points and tips and books of all sorts that those who are not driving might bring along to enjoy on the journey, books that will entertain the little ones, teens, young adults and all the rest of us. Alternately, there are audio books that can provide a story along the way for everyone in the car or individual ones connected to mobile devices and ear buds. Nothing like a good mystery to keep you occupied and to take the “are we there yet” comments.
Of course you can pick up your free pass to the national park of your choice at the library too. If you were planning a more local visit, there are free passes to the state parks at the library. If you are the more adventurous type and are going somewhere called the “middle of nowhere”, you can borrow a hot spot from the library and stay connected with your mobile device. You can even borrow a “tech pack” for three weeks which includes a device to create a WiFi network and a computer to use the network. My response to this is … WOW! I mean, “who knew?”
Thinking of providing some entertainment around a camp fire or on a beach or your back porch? Borrow a Ukelele from the library. Or, if you are bringing your favorite computer, you can borrow a Nintendo Switch game. Staying home? How about a free pass to the Everson?
But let’s say you are staying home this time. Entertainment and education are yours from the many publications such as NY State commission on rural resources to more common and sometimes pricey if you subscribed at home, e.g. Country Living, Golf, Archaeology, newspapers, etc. You can borrow books and periodicals and take them home or, as I did last Thursday, get comfortably seated in any of the armchairs and read without distraction. A vacation in itself…
One of the wonderful things about the library is how it opens its arms to you. Walking in the door, you are greeted by a knowledgeable and friendly staff ready to help you navigate the library’s resources and programs or provide that special service that we all love … reference. You can be quickly seduced by the shelves of new books, fiction, mystery and non-fiction … all with delicious slip covers to entice you to take one or more home.
Need to use a computer for school or work?? There is a bank of them awaiting your attendance. Have a computer or other digital device at home and find yourself flummoxed about how to use, fix, etc. The library has professional technical help available for those of us who are happy to still remember how to use a rotary dial telephone.
Want to see a first run movie for free? Check the library’s monthly newsletter for the times and dates. These are so well received. Go to lunch with a friend in the village and then take in a fee movie! Bring a date.
Story time for the little ones, chair yoga (sponsored by the Town), book clubs for any genre with a few for specific interests, e.g. mystery and romance meet regularly (books for these are available for all who want to participate). Classes on topics from gardening to sign language, arts and crafts projects for all ages engender inspiration and creativity.
I will be offering two classes in May-June. A beginning class for newbie crocheters and a filet crocheting class for more experienced crafters with an opportunity to design your own creation.
The Friends of the Library operate a book store within the library, The Book Nook, selling donated books and other genre’s at ridiculously low prices, everything from the printed page to DVD’s and games. Check it out. You never know what you can find … think gifts, an afternoon read for yourself or a rare and beautiful “find”.
Mondays are Trading Card Game night in the Community Room. The Art Guild, a group of mahJong devotees, a senior exercise class , the Thumbstall Quilt Guild and others meet regularly in the library. Home schoolers can take advantage of Awesome Art, an art class designed for them. The library has a special section set aside for resources for homeschooled residents.
Genealogy buffs can use the access to Ancestry to do research with no fees attached.
Outdoors, the library has a friendly spot to eat your lunch, a bicycle repair depot and an absolutely charming amphitheater and gazebo for sharing stories, music and performance hard by the creek. What a treasure.
There is the local history section where you can find books like Clark’s Onondaga, a compilation of the location and description of both European and Native settlements . You can also find Marcellus Central School yearbooks. The latter are of special interest to someone like me who taught in the district and those who just want to see what we thought was a great hairdo at the time.
Access through interlibrary loan and on line borrowing of digital content is yours with your mobile device and a library card. Check the website: Marcelluslibrary.org.
Printing, copying, scanning and faxing services are available at reasonable prices.
Talking about price … Beyond the printing, etc. for which there is a cost, the other services are already paid for by you and me. Their value and there is so much value here is at least on two levels, the first being the ability to attend to individual interests and the second, the role of the library as a point of access for the entire community as a community to come together to share and grow. It is a prime example of “it takes a village” from its earliest founders to all who have worked and volunteered for its continuation and development with a special shout out to the Friends of the Library who work tirelessly to provide support for those extras and must have that make this institution shine.
More information is available online at the website, but even more fun is to spend some time wandering the library, talking with the staff and discovering more of who you are, who you might be and can become.