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Dear Community, As you may have heard, the Library is in the process of upgrading to a new computer system. This system will roll out on June 20 — less than a month away! This means that you’ll see some changes in the library’s online catalog and start to hear about new and useful services we will offer. We have spent a lot of time working on getting the system to as close as perfect as we can before releasing it and we think you’ll be very pleased with what you see and experience! However, we all know that there is always a learning curve with new systems and we realize we may need to make some adjustments after we launch the new system. Your feedback is always welcomed. There are a few changes coming that I know will be hard for folks but please know that these changes make your accounts more safe and secure. Additionally, our new system also comes with many perks we know you will enjoy. We appreciate your flexibility, patience and adaptability. We have had the same computer system for over 20 years so this is a big change for all of us! Lastly, I just want to say thank you to everyone who supported the Friends of the Library by shopping at the Big Book Sale last month. Thanks to your purchases at the sale, you continue to help fund our summer programs, maker space supplies, staff trainings and much more. We really appreciate you. I hope everyone has a wonderful summer — we hope to see you at the Library! Best, Ashlee Return to CBCPL June 2023 Newsletter Return to all Library Director's Letters [Read more]

Happy Spring and Happy National Library Week! National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. This year, National Library Week takes place from April 23 to 29 and is being celebrated with the theme “There’s More to the Story.” This year’s theme is a reminder that libraries are about more than books! Libraries are welcoming spaces that bring communities together for entertainment, education, and connection through book clubs, storytimes, movie nights, crafting classes, lectures, and more. Libraries also play a critical role in the economic vitality of communities by providing internet and technology access, literacy skills, and support for job seekers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. That isn't to say libraries are not facing some difficult times. Just this week, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom released new data documenting 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling this data more than 20 years ago. This nearly doubles the 729 challenges reported in 2021. 58% of these challenges targeted books and materials in school libraries, classroom libraries or school curricula and 41% of the book challenges targeted materials in public libraries. I also want to focus on the many victories we can celebrate here in Corvallis and Benton County. Here are just a few: The Corvallis Library finished a construction project that expanded the square footage of the building, adding four new study rooms, a reading lounge, and a small classroom space. In partnership with the Alsea Community Effort, we began new fundraising efforts to support the Alsea Community Library and received several large [Read more]

After observing National Banned Book Week in September, and with recent headlines about the rise in book challenges across the country, it seems appropriate to talk a little more about the topic. The American Library Association (ALA) reports that between January 1 and August 31 of this year, there were 681 attempts to ban or restrict library resources in the United States, targeting 1,651 unique titles. This is an unprecedented number. In 2021, there were 729 reported attempts to censor library resources, which is the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began documenting these numbers over 20 years ago. We are well on our way to outpacing that number in 2022. Here at CBCPL, we always offer patrons the opportunity to file a formal “reconsideration request" in addition to providing feedback. In these cases, patrons fill out a form that documents their concerns and our response to their request. We have received 4 requests so far in 2022, and we received 11 in 2021. Both of these are high numbers for the state of Oregon, though not the highest in our state, either. These numbers do not include “informal” requests, where a patron may suggest the removal of an item or provide feedback for our consideration on a particular item in the collection. During the review process, our library’s management team and the selector for that particular collection analyze the item in question to determine if it violates the principles found in our guiding documents. Our two main guiding documents for the selection of library materials are the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights and a City of Corvallis Administrative Policy that covers the Selection of Library Materials. The ALA Freedom to [Read more]

Dear Community, Welcome to our 31st season of Random Review! This month’s newsletter shines a spotlight on this long-standing and popular event series. I recall, with great clarity, one of the first events I took part in as the new CBCPL Library Director. It was the 25th Anniversary Random Review Celebration event, a Reader’s Theater, where I had the honor of reading from Kathleen Dean Moore’s Riverwalking, an apt and inspiring choice for someone new to the Pacific Northwest like myself. After that, I was hooked. I attended Random Review whenever I could, often standing in the back of a packed room with no open seats. A couple of years later, I was invited to present my own Random Review, on Susan Orlean’s The Library Book. While the book is about the 1986 catastrophic fire at the Los Angeles Public Library, it is also an homage to libraries in general. Presenting that Random Review program is one of my fondest memories so far as Library Director. I know that most of you have similarly fond memories associated with Random Review, and none of that would have been possible without our Random Review Coordinators! Before we start our newest season, I’d like to take a moment to thank our most recent long-standing Random Review Coordinators, Debra Goldenberg and Connie Georgiou. Debra became the Chair of Random Review 15 years ago, and Connie joined in as Co-chair 13 years ago. Together, they have led us through some amazing seasons, including several seasons during the pandemic. Debra and Connie are ready to hand the reins over to someone new, except for the first time in Random Review’s history, the folks taking over are library staff! Yes, that’s right. [Read more]

At the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, we don’t like to make a big deal about what we do. We love providing library services to the community and that’s what makes us happy. However, since we celebrated National Library Worker’s Day a few weeks ago, I want to take a moment to shine the spotlight on the incredible work performed by our library staff members. Our library system is something to be truly proud of. Our usage statistics are leaps and bounds ahead of our comparators, both locally and nationally. They always have been, and even with our current constraints and challenges around the pandemic, our numbers continue to be some of the highest.  I’ll give you a few numbers to help paint a picture. Since January 1, 2022: we have circulated 319,796 items; 94,925 patrons have visited our locations; and we have provided over 100,000 wireless internet sessions. These numbers used to be astronomically higher, but due to the pandemic and our innovation over these past couple years, library usage has shifted. As you all know, in April 2020, we launched a home delivery service and have continued to offer this service to all residents in our service district, even after reopening our buildings. Yes, that means we are driving all over Benton County to deliver items! What you might not know is that this service is incredibly unique. We are one of very few libraries in the entire nation providing a service of this nature. During the height of the pandemic, when our doors were closed, we were making upwards of 2,000 deliveries a week. Right now, our weekly delivery average is 800-1,100. Grand total, we’ve made over 136,000 deliveries so far. Every [Read more]

Dear Community, February always brings a very special library memory to the forefront of my mind. It feels like yesterday to me, but unbelievably, it was four years ago that we launched our “I Love Our Library” campaign on Valentine’s Day. You probably still see the yard signs around the County that proudly proclaim this or maybe still even have one in front of your house yourself! One of the initial activities we had on launch day, involved asking patrons to write us the equivalent of a Valentine’s Day card. The card was a simple white square that had the words: “I love…” and invited patrons to fill in the blank with something they loved about the library. We received over 700 responses to that ask. Over 75% of the responses we received mentioned the collection or library staff as something that they loved, but there were a few comments that really spoke to me and have never left my mind. The past couple of years have been difficult for us all and recalling these sentiments kept me encouraged. I am sharing a few with you in the hopes that you can see the myriad of ways library service is meaningful to people throughout the community. ♥   I love feeling welcome. ♥   I love that you don't have to pay anything. It’s all free. ♥   Thank you for giving me so many resources. You've made college so much easier. ♥   It is my break from the street. I can spend the day knowing I will not get attacked. Everyone is polite. I am welcomed here. ♥   I love to see my kids being hungry for more books. ♥   My husband died yesterday and I’m [Read more]

Dear Community, Happy New Year! The start of a new year is always a time for reflection, both on what we have accomplished in the past year and what lies ahead in our work. Like other organizations, the Library experienced no shortage of change and challenges in 2021. I hope you feel that we exceled in being flexible and adaptable throughout the year while always keeping community needs as our top priority. It has certainly been a learning experience for all of us at the Library and we have spent the entire year grateful for your continued support. We closed out 2021 with some exciting news: we have reached our fundraising goal of $500,000 for enclosure of the Corvallis Library’s second floor patio! I have mentioned this project in previous newsletters and you have probably noticed the construction barriers during your visits to the library, but you can visit our Enclose Our Library’s Patio webpage to learn about the details of the project. Due to supply delays, the opening of the space is now slated for March 2022. We will provide details about the grand opening in the future. I am still stunned at how quickly we raised the funds needed for this project, and I would like to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who has supported this project in one way or another. We look forward to making this space a reality in 2022. It is difficult to predict what might come our way in the year ahead of us. Rest assured we will continue to provide delivery service as long as it is needed and desired by the community. You may use this service as much or as little as you [Read more]