Springville Library has provided books, entertainment, and safe haven to thousands of patrons of all ages and backgrounds for nine years.
Lauren Tolman, who is over children services at the library, says, “We envision ourselves as a community center. There’s not a lot in the way of entertainment in Springville, so our mission statement is to transform lives through a world of knowledge, discovery, and imagination. So everything we do from our building to our collection to our programs all ties back to that mission statement. We really want everyone in our community to have a place here. Our teen librarian is very adamant that we don’t hide books; we represent everybody in our collection. From picture books to non-fiction, we want people to see their tribe in what we offer here.
“Our community has really come out to support us from opening day. We’ve been here nine years and our numbers have just skyrocketed. We see over a thousand visitors a day, which is huge. We have 800 programs a year, attended by 45,000 patrons.
“So everything that we do we want patrons to enjoy. We take their feedback into consideration for everything; we want to make sure that they are happy. And they are showing it, by coming out and supporting what we do. We have smiling faces and we have relationships with patrons but we also have the numbers and it’s a big deal for our city.”
The librarians at Springville Library do such a great job of making the library a safe, welcoming environment for everyone.
They make genuine connections with the people who attend the library. The library wouldn’t be the same without them. (Whittle is a Serve Daily intern.)
