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Rotary learns about library project

For The Inter-Mountain

ELKINS — Members of the Rotary Club of Elkins learned of a $2 million planned expansion of the Elkins/Randolph County Public Library Monday.

“We need space for digital classrooms, we need to update internet and wiring, and we need meeting space,” said Stephanie Murphy, capital campaign director for the library.

Murphy is turning to the Rotary Club and other organizations devoted to community service as she kicks off efforts to raise funds for improvement.

“We have some big donors who are ready to support this project, but they are waiting to see if our community leaders get behind the project,” Murphy noted as she addressed the assembled business owners and professionals.

“We hope to have most of the funds raised by the end of summer and to break ground by this time next year.”

Murphy noted the library currently has only eight computers available for public use. Many residents of Randolph County struggle economically and do not have personal computers and internet access at home.

Murphy stated “42 percent of library users who visit the library for internet access do so for education and training, while 40 percent do so for employment searches and applications.

“Overall, 50 percent of people who visit the library are using it for the internet,” she said, noting 76 percent of libraries don’t have enough computers to meet the needs of their communities.

Murphy began her speech with a mock eulogy for a “dear friend,” the library. She said the library was conceived in 1964, opining that this “great friend had been here for everyone” and reminding listeners that “this great friend has been visited by thousands of people” and that “an endless stream of people have supported this friend through the years.”

Murphy concluded her “eulogy” by saying, “We have not reached an emergency yet,” before launching into a series of statistics about ways in which the library is used and asking the  Rotary Club to become one of the many community groups needed to raise funds for planned expansion and improvements. S

he quoted Eleanor Roosevelt’s statement, “It’s not too much to say that attitudes toward education must change,” adding, “We want children reading at a younger age. We want to fill in the gap in public education. We want to provide more information to improve health in the community. We want to become the library that a library should be.”

Murphy asked how many Rotary Club members had library cards and teasingly chided them when she found that several did not.

“The line will form at the door for you to get your library cards,” she joked. When she showed a series of pictures of  book covers without titles or authors, however, she seemed impressed as Rotarians identified almost all of the books.

“Who will lead the way in getting this project under way?” she asked. “We need to see who will be the first to donate to this project. We need community leaders who will support this project.”

A brochure about the project states, “The Elkins-Randolph County Library is a public institution dedicated to providing equal, uncensored access to information in a variety of formats to serve the educational, recreational, cultural and informational needs of its citizens.”

Murphy noted,  “The number one thing that can solve the problems our society faces is education. We need education to learn about agriculture and how to get food, we need education to learn how to manage money, we need education to find ways to improve our infrastructure, and we need education to eliminate discrimination.” To become educated, we need information; and many people depend on libraries as places to go to for information.

“The library outranks any other one thing the community can do to benefit people,” Murphy insisted, “and we plan to double the size of the current library.”

The new addition to the library will allow for classroom areas with presentation tools; public meeting spaces; a room dedicated to children, with age-appropriate activities; more computer workstations and technology support; an area in which readers can lounge; and upgraded security, according to the brochure which touts the project.

Stressing the point that everyone’s help is necessary, the brochure notes, “Our librarians are like superheroes, leading the way to learning and growth in your community. Every superhero needs a sidekick to survive, and that is where you come in. Help our library fulfill its mission, reach its potential, and make it the heart of your community.”

No gift is too small to help the planned library expansion and improvement become a reality, Murphy said.

Gifts ranging from a dollar to $1 million will be accepted.

Individuals and groups may help by contacting Murphy at 304-516-1371 or at experienceerlibrary@gmail.com, or by contacting the library director, Audrey Taylor, at 304-637-0287 or at taylora@clark.lib.wv.us.

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