Basics

216 N Marshall Ave

Litchfield MN 55355

(320)693-2483

All Pioneerland

While all Pioneerland Library System buildings remain closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Curbside Pick-up of library items is available. You may place items on hold using the online catalog. Library staff will call you to schedule a pickup time once your hold is ready. Pickup days/times vary by location. Please contact your library if you have questions or need assistance in using this service.

Friday, April 25, 2014

Read, Learn, Meet, and Discover

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

How has the library made your life better?  I saw a news story the other day about a study done in the U.K. that found that visiting the library made people as happy as getting a raise.  I wonder if it’s because browsing at the library is like shopping without having to pay for it!  For many people, the library is their happy place.

St. Paul Public Library has just started a neat public awareness campaign called “Because of the Library”.  It’s being run by their very active Friends of the Library group, the same people who organize the Minnesota Book Awards.  A big part of the effort is gathering people’s stories about the benefits they have gotten from using the library.  They are using the hashtag #BecauseOfTheLibrary on Twitter and Facebook to make it easy for people to share these stories.

We’d love to hear about it if our library or other local libraries have made a difference for you or your family, as well.  Feel free to tag us on Facebook or Twitter to share something good that has happened for you here.  On Facebook, we’re Litchfield Public Library (MN).  On Twitter, you’d add @litchlibrary to your tweet. 

What kinds of things could you share?  It depends on what matters to you.  Our library system’s new strategic plan uses the phrase “read, learn, meet, and discover.”  Those things all happen daily in our building. 

Have you found a great book?  Did a staff member help you find a new author that you’ve enjoyed?  Maybe you’ve checked out a book that helped you learn something and accomplish a goal.  If a librarian helped you find the information you really needed, we’d especially love to know about that.

Do you bring your child to story hour, book club, or Brickhead Club? Have you seen them learning new skills because of it?  Adults learn, too, whether in book clubs or at cultural events.  Sometimes the learning happens one-on-one when a staff person helps a patron with an e-reader or an internet search.

Have you used our study rooms to work on a group project for school or our meeting room to attend a support group or seminar?  Many meetings happen here, and it’s also an informal gathering spot for the community.

Do you use our public computers or wi-fi?  For many people in our rural area, this is the one place where they have access to the internet at reasonably high speed.  (You are going to love it this summer when it will get much, much faster.)  If you’ve used our computers or wi-fi to find a job, do your taxes, or make travel plans, that would be great to know.  If you use the resources on our library websites without coming in to the library, a shout-out on Twitter would be so fun to see. 

Your feedback helps us evaluate whether we’re meeting the goals of our strategic plan, and the point of the plan is to provide you with excellent library service.  Let us know if something good has happened for you because of the library.