Dan Keyport introduced our speaker – Heidi Hoks, the Carver County Library Director. Heidi showed us “the right stuff” that Rotarians are made of when the computer presentation decided to go to sleep, and she gave us 30 minutes of information from memory! Luckily, this Waconia Rotarian knew she was among friends, and her passion for her profession and organization kept our attention. Heidi opened with a story about the residents of Ferguson, Missouri finding a “safe, warm, and welcoming” sanctuary in their library. She and her staff are working and innovating and improving the many facets of our county’s library system to replicate those attributes for us. Libraries are much more than shelves of books with oak cabinet drawers full of index cards and the Dewey Decimal System that many of us remember from our youth. (“My school report is due TOMORROW!”)
Literacy development programs help prepare preschoolers and English–as-a-2nd-language learners. Partnerships with the Historical Society, genealogy groups, and adults programs are providing a diverse set of resources and activities. On-line references, e-books, e-magazines, and computer literacy efforts are ensuring Carver County is at the front of the silicon revolution of this century. Heidi provided us with lots of statistics that indicate our taxes are producing great results. Availability and access to printed materials has also expanded. Our local library card can also be used at many libraries throughout the state, and Express Library pick-up / drop-off sites are co-located with Transit stations throughout the county. Many of the Literacy and summer reading programs and activities that aren’t tax-funded receive support from the Library Foundation of Carver County, which is supported by citizens, organizations and corporate sponsors.
To contact Heidi: phone 952-227-7601, email: [email protected] For more information about the County Library and its resources: https://www.carverlib.org
