“A library is more than books. It’s about offering a service to the community and helping the community learn and grow any way we can,” said Cristin Chandler, Choctaw County Library System Director. And that is evident in the many services offered by the library.
Gone are the days when one went to the library only to check out a book or read a newspaper. Today, the offerings include computers, internet access, wi-fi, genealogies, videos, music, and programs for all ages, and yes, books, magazines and newspapers.
In 2018 the library closed for several months to transition from being a member of the Tombigbee Regional Library System, to being an independent entity which is fully funded by the citizens of Choctaw County.
The Board of Supervisors made the decision to transition because they felt that the county was not receiving a just return on the funds paid into the system. But since its reopening in May 2018 the library has moved ahead in a big way.
Chandler stated that one of the major accomplishments of this past year was the reopening of the Weir Branch in September 2019. Though it is only open on Mondays and Thursdays it offers many of the same opportunities and services as the Ackerman
Branch, including Silver Socials for seniors and a weekly story time and a Lego Club for children, along with computers and wi-fi access.
The Summer Reading Program in 2019 was a great success with 436 attendees in 11 different programs. Chandler stated that 1.3K books were checked out by kids during the program and they were highly motivated, as the Friends of the Library raised about $1K in donations for prizes.
Chandler said that the Friends of the Library is a growing organization and is very important to the operation of the library, as there are things that cannot and should not come out of the annual budget, and the FOTL helps to fund those.
In October 2019, the Choctaw County Library staged the first-ever Haunted Library which was a big success with more than 300 people enjoying the spooky surroundings.
Mini-camps are scheduled during Spring Break with a different focus each day. The Summer Reading Program comes along in June and July, featuring a Legos castle building contest. Chandler expects it to be a big success. Kids can look forward to an Easter Egg Hunt, also.
For the seniors, there is an upcoming AARP Defensive Driving Course, which will help to reduce a participants car insurance premium. And there are teen volunteers to help seniors with tech issues, such as smart phones.
In May the library offers ‘fine forgiveness’ and in November it is ‘Food for Fines’ in
which patrons can bring in canned goods for the food pantry rather than paying a fine.
It is easy to see that in Choctaw County the library is a living, growing, vital part of the community that is about much more than just books.
