Washington State’s newest public library branch can be found inside the Lind-Ritzville Middle School located in Lind (Adams County). Guy Strot, Lind-Ritzville Middle School Principal, reached out to Ritzville Public Library Director Kylie Fullmer. He wanted the community to have access to the 25 computers and faster internet in the middle school library and for students and community members to have access to more library materials. He proposed a trade. The Ritzville Public Library could operate free of charge in the middle school library if the Ritzville Public Library would provide materials for adults and students. For the last few months the middle school library has been open to the public one evening a week. On the day library development consultants, Carolyn Petersen and Shirley Lewis visited, Mr. Strot proudly shared that the last week’s program had seen every one of the town’s 50 elementary aged children as well as many adults using the library’s computers and resources brought there from Ritzville Public Library.
Ms. Fullmer also reports that a part of their success is owed to an 8-week afterschool Crazy 8’s Math Club for kids in grades K-5. All supplies for this club are donated by the non-profit: Bedtime Math. Lego Club, craft-ernoons, and family story time are all popular too. The library provides one-on-one computer help, device and eBook tech nights, and signs people up for the IT Academy. Three hours a week for all this, this new library branch must be humming!
This is the kind of library/community partnership success story we all love hearing. Three cheers and a BIG welcome to the Lind-Ritzville Middle School branch.
