Video Transcript:
Hi I am Sonja Ferrell the director of the Ottumwa
Public Library and I am standing here today in a sadly TOO quiet library. We received word from the Governor today that
the schools in Iowa will be closed for the school year and that the other
orders in place are still in effect.
While we are whole heartedly in agreement to follow
such measures in order to keep our community as safe and healthy as can be, it
doesn’t lessen the feelings of sadness we have over not being able to keep
these doors open.
Next week is National Libraries Week and wow is it
the most unique one we have ever celebrated!
But we do want to celebrate all libraries. We have a theme of “Finding
the Library at your Place.” To me that
kinda goes with how I have always thought of the library. If you are religious you may have heard your
minister say before that the church isn’t the building it’s the people. I think that applies to our library as well. It’s not this building (which is a beautiful
Carnegie library building) but it is what makes up this library, the people and
the materials. The stories in these
books behind me (and in the e books online) can take us away from these present
real life doldrums into another time or even another world. Learning and expanding our horizons are
normally done in this building, but they can be done in your own home as well.
I know most of the resources we refer to outside of
the physical library are online and that not all of you can access those. That is a community problem we must address,
but in the meantime please feel free to pull up to Central park or into our
parking lot and take advantage of our wifi availability.
If you do have access to the internet please do
follow us on FB and go to our website for a wealth of resources and opportunities
to entertain and educate yourself online.
If you don’t have a library card please contact me through our FB direct
message, email me at sferrell@ottumwapubliclibrary.
Thank you for all of your support and I hope we see
you real soon.