Pop-up libraries on the books
♦ The Sara Hightower library board hears updates on plans for the Floyd and Polk communities it serves.
The Rome-based Sara Hightower Regional Library System is poised to add another way to reach out to the community: Pop-up libraries.
Director Delana Sissel said several counties, including Forsyth and Fulton, already have programs in place. A demonstration was part of a recent conference she attended.
“The concept is like a bookmobile, but not as expensive,” she told members of the library board on Aug. 16. “You can take it to a fair, a food pantry, a senior center.”
It’s essentially a standing canopy with a folding table, some chairs and boxes of books. There would be an internet hotspot so the staffer — and possibly some Friends of the Library volunteers — could issue library cards and check out the materials. Sissel said they’d likely have a regular schedule of places, in addition to special events.
“It’s very portable,” she said. “The idea is to go out to the public wherever they are.”
Pop-up libraries are fairly new in Georgia, and Sissel’s still working out a plan for Floyd and Polk counties. She said she wants to try to have the first one in September, which is designated Library Card SignUp Month by the American Library Association.
Also in the works is a regular library podcast, another conference recommendation. Episodes could be posted on the SHRLS websites, YouTube and other social media.
Sissel reported that there have been over 20,000 check-outs since the system started offering digital services four years ago. Patrons can access a wide selection of e-books, audiobooks, magazines, movies and reference materials online.
“It’s being used a lot,” she said about the service jumpstarted by Friends of the Library donations.
The library system partners with the local school systems on digital resources, since most of the students are using Chromebooks. Only about 20 percent of the materials budget goes toward digital purchases, but Sissel said that could change in the future.
“It will be interesting to see, as time goes by, what format the kids coming up choose to read in,” she said.
The Rome-Floyd County Library is the headquarters of the SHRLS, and there are branches in Cave Spring, Rockmart and Cedartown.
Diana Mills, branch services librarian, said the Aug. 2 flood in Cave Spring forced the library to close for a day but left the building unscathed. But she said she plans to talk with the City Council about the need for new lights and a replacement air conditioner.
“One of the units is out and it’s not repairable, so we’re limping along with one,” Mills said.
The state offers annual Georgia Public Library Major Repair and Renovation grants that pay up to 90 percent of eligible costs.
Sissel said a MRR grant funding a new roof for the Cedartown branch was approved on July 1. The project is under $25,000, so they’ll use the state’s certified construction group instead of taking bids.
“That should happen in the next couple of months,” she said.
However, Polk County officials are also in for a funding plea as the 1970sera facility “is in desperate need” of a major renovation, Sissel said.
The library system is mainly funded through allocations from the Floyd and Polk county commissions; the Floyd, Polk and Rome City school systems; the cities of Cave Spring, Rockmart and Cedartown; and the state.
More than half the current $2.1 million budget — $1,259,270 — comes from the Floyd County Commission. The state puts in just under $340,000 and the Polk County Commission’s share is $117,919. The school systems chip in $8,000 each and the balance comes from the branch cities, library-generated income and donations.