With a county as big and diverse as Coconino, the ability to provide Internet and computer access service from anywhere has been a goal of the library for some time.
For those of you who have not been to the library lately because of the pandemic, you may notice both the Downtown and East Flagstaff Community Library will look a little different. As part of a drive to make the libraries compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines, the East Flagstaff Community Library location has received an interior facelift, including contemporary furniture with built-in charging ports, an updated array of computer tables to provide more legroom, and additional displays for library materials. The Downtown library is in the final stages of planning for a complete renovation of the front-entry to add gently sloping ramps to the library entrance with an art component alongside and a new patio area for community members to enjoy. This project will impact library accessibility and services during the summer months but will be a net positive for supporting all members of our community.
Rest assured that we have still been hard at work developing new and exciting services for the public during quarantine. Recently, we have rolled out novel items for circulation: a combination of a mobile hot-spot and a Chromebook. With a county as big and diverse as Coconino, the ability to provide Internet and computer access service from anywhere has been a goal of the library for some time. This combination item is some of the first items to be circulated to the Northern Arizona community as a part of our new “Library of Things” collection. This new collection will focus on non-traditional materials that the library will begin making available for checkout to our patrons. Expect more to come!
With summer just around the bend, the Summer Reading Challenge for library patrons of all ages is returning this June. This year will encompass the theme “Oceans of Possibilities,” and will be a return to form for the library as we transition out of a pandemic environment. Community members will be able to take part in communal activities and events both in-person, outdoors and virtually. In addition to events and programs, fun “missions,” reading lists, crafts and activities will be accessible to community members who sign up for the challenge. Individuals will earn points as they read books, attend library programs and activities, with a packet of prizes for children who complete the challenge over the course of the summer. Additionally, adult participants will have the opportunity to earn raffle tickets, which can be used to enter participants into drawings for prizes generously provided by local businesses and other community partners.
Want to take on the challenge? The Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library Summer Reading Challenge goes live with a kick-off part on June 6 and runs through the end of July, wrapping up July 22. We hope to see you soon!
Are you interested in learning more about all the services and upcoming events the library is providing? Feel free to visit our library website at flagstaffpubliclibrary.org and see the wide variety of material and programs we have to offer. Also, please be sure to give us a “like” or “follow” on social media to stay up to date as we move into summer; the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library can be found on Instagram (instagram.com/flagstafflibrary/), Facebook (facebook.com/flaglib), Pinterest (pinterest.com/flaglib/) and twitter (twitter.com/flaglib). Feel free to chat with us and engage with other members of our community! FBN
By Richard Tutwiler
Richard Tutwiler is the deputy director of Public Service with the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library.