by Holly Allen
Following the departure of library director Adam Doolittle over the summer, board members at the Delaware Township Library have decided to take the position in a different direction, dividing the job between two local community members, Jeri Clark and Sam Pence. The duo began their duties Aug. 1.
Clark has held many positions within the community over her years at Valley Falls — some paid, some volunteer — and has her finger on the pulse of the community’s needs.
Pence, who owned a Harley mechanic shop for a decade, grew up just one town over, at Meriden.
“Valley Falls was just up the road, and seemed like such a nice town with brick streets and big houses.”
He spent hours at his hometown library when it was housed in downtown Meriden, considering it a place of community and congregation. The eldest of 13, he was drawn to the library as a place of safety and comfort, but also because it was a place of learning, not working.
“Growing up in my house, reading was considered a waste of time, not as the doorway to a wider world, as it should have been,” he stated.
Pence and his wife, Kimberly, a medical coding specialist with Lincare, had their children, Morgan, 9, and Connor, 6, later in life, and were determined to raise them with a love for the written word.
“I like the idea of kids reading,” Pence said. “Everything has become so predictive, even your texts are halfway written for you, but reading teaches original thought, and that’s so important, for kids and for adults.”
Clark and her husband, LaVerne, own Clark Construction, Valley Falls, and have three grown children and seven grandchildren.
Though neither of the new directors hold a degree in library science, what they do have is something more important in a small town — they care about Valley Falls and intend to utilize their position to turn the library back into a pillar of the community.
“We’ve spoken, and I think we are on the same page with what we want to accomplish here,” said Clark. “The library is meant to be a hub for the community, and to provide services which are otherwise lacking for the locals. We want to make it that again.”
The library currently has 615 cardholders, and 10,759 items available for checkout. Among them are books of all genres, Blu-rays, DVDs, and audiobooks. Patrons have access to six computers with internet access, and the building is equipped with Wi-Fi. They even have a projector and mobile hotspots available to check out, and several Chromebooks have been donated which will also soon be available to check out.
The library participates in the Northeast Kansas Interlibrary Loan program, allowing Delaware Township patrons to request and check out materials from any library in the region. A more obscure offering is access to a microfiche machine, donated last year by Kendall State Bank.
The library plays host to a monthly book club, which reads a variety of genres chosen by its members and not a single leader, in order to broaden their horizons.
Though the current program offerings are sparse, the new directors are hoping to change that, and are full of ideas to be discussed for possible implementation.
“I don’t feel like we have been utilizing the library to its fullest potential,” stated Clark. “We want the board to set goals for us, but we have lots of ideas which are not, as yet, fully formed. And we are hoping to draw people in with some new programming.”
A couple ideas mentioned include a program on genealogy and history, utilizing local resources like Lesa Brose, current Valley Falls Historical Society president, as well as a series of educational talks directed at elderly patrons with guest lecturers on topics such as scammers.
Pence would also like to find a way to draw in more male readers, and maybe even start a mens’ book club.
“I’d like to do away with the notion that reading is a hobby or interest solely of women,” he said. “Being literate does not make a person less tough.”
The new directors are in lockstep about partnering with the local school district to draw patrons in at a younger age, and to make them aware of all the township library has to offer which may not be available within the school library system.
“I think I speak for the board in its entirety when I say we are thrilled about the energy and enthusiasm these two have shown,” library board president Jody Lockhart said of the newly chosen directors. “They have so many ideas, we may even have to rein them in, but we are so excited about the direction they are planning to take us in.”
Other current library board members are Willie Schmelzle, Mary Jo Kearns, Kelsey Bonnel, and Dee Heinen. The group meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.
Something that has been a success within the library is the weekly youth Story Time program, run for more than two years by Rae Allen, or as the kids call her, Miss Rae. Allen’s programming has been so successful that the library board recently created a new position, just for her — youth director.
“Our town doesn’t offer much at present for young children, so what we do have needs to be extra special. I took Story Time on as a challenge — I wanted it to be fun and educational — and found I really enjoyed it,” Allen said. “Most of what I incorporate at Story Time are things I’ve tried at home. If my kids love it, I take it to the library.”
Allen’s husband, Taylor, is a PSM Utilities Coordinator at Johnsonville in Holton. The couple have three children, Waylon, 7, Hank, 4, and Kaladin, 2, and are expecting a fourth any day now. The family lives just outside of Denison.
“I’m excited to take on this new challenge, and to see what else we can provide to the town’s youth,” Allen stated.
The library is open a total of 45 hours a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the noon hour closed. They offer extended hours Wednesday, when they remain opened until 8 p.m.
Next month the Delaware Township Library will participate in the Give Back to Valley match day event through the Valley Falls Community Foundation. During the event, which takes place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sept. 23 at the Kendall Bank Hall, all funds within the program are eligible to receive match monies through the Patterson Family Foundation grant to anything donated. More information about the Delaware Township Library Fund can be found on the foundation’s website at valleyfallscf.com.
“We are wanting to update the exterior of the building, and are open to expanding and reconfiguring the space,” said Lockhart. “As always, we are in need of funding for new books, new tech, and new ways to serve the community.”
