Thank you, Tonja

Approximately 10 ½ years ago the Kanabec County Commissioners put a notice in the paper asking for someone interested in representing the county on the East Central Regional Library Board. Tonja Brown saw the notice and jumped at the chance to send a letter to the commissioners expressing her interest in the position. Needless to say, she was chosen to represent Kanabec County and 10 ½ years later, attended her last ECRL Board meeting on Monday, December 15. Tonja has served the maximum time allowed by Minnesota statute for library trustees.

The written word has always been important to Tonja. She majored in English in college, worked in bookstores and always used the library, so sitting on the library board as a representative for Kanabec County was a perfect fit. “I grew up in the library” says Tonja. She believes there will always be a need for that “physical space.” Especially in these economic times, Tonja believes “libraries are important because not everyone can afford to buy books.”

The biggest challenge over the past 10 ½ years according to Tonja has been funding local libraries. When I began the library system was “doing well,” she says, “but now funding libraries is a challenge economically.” Tonja doesn’t see libraries changing all that much in the next 20 years. According to Tonja we will have many more digital and electronic resources to offer our customers, but there will “still be books on the shelves and we will still need staff” to serve them.

The East Central Regional Library Board would like to thank Tonja for her commitment to serving not only the people of Kanabec County, but to all those people in the ECRL region that believe libraries need a voice in our communities. We appreciate your dedication and hard work.

Vickie Sorn, Youth and Community Services Librarian

Visiting County Boards

This past Monday was the three-month anniversary of my first day at East Central Regional Library. The last three months have been good ones and how quickly they have flown by!

One of my initial goals was to go to a meeting of the the County Board of Commissioners in each of our six counties. Of course, at the outset, this was a pretty daunting undertaking, but I've enjoyed it, and it's gone well. As of today, I've got five down and one to go. I'll be traveling to Aitkin County on January 8th for the sixth county board visit.

This morning I visited Isanti County and this afternoon I was in Pine County. Two questions have come up (in various forms) repeatedly. Both of them are excellent questions, and I've pondered both of them for a long time. I wish I had a crystal ball. The questions as they were asked today are: (1)How do I see library services changing? and (2)Do I see library funding requests continuing with percentages of increase in double digits?

My initial response is that in my experience, our customers want all the services they traditionally have received and more. They especially want information access anywhere at any time delivered through technology. And they expect library staff members to be expert information guides for any and all formats.

As we review the ECRL strategic plan, I will be seeking help in answering these questions. The answer to #1 will drive #2. What do our customers expect of us? What needs in our communities do libraries answer?

Thanks to ECRL Board Members for accompanying me to meetings today -- Ron Drude this morning in Isanti County and Bayliss and wife Margery Swanson this afternoon in Pine County.

The Swansons took the opportunity to visit the Sandstone Library while they were in town for the Board meeting. Left to right: Margery, Sandstone Librarian Jeanne Coffey, and Bayliss.


Barbara Misselt, ECRL Director