A Letter From Your Library Director: February 2025
Dear Community, As I sit down to write this letter to you, the sun is shining through my window. It is a rare and lovely sight in January. However, clear winter weather often brings below-freezing temperatures as well. During these times, all our library locations serve as warming centers during open hours. Unfortunately, the library cannot always be open. This might be because of dangerous and challenging travel conditions for staff or because we are closed in observation of a holiday. In anticipation of these types of closures, last fall we worked on a solution with our partners at Benton County. On January 20, we put this plan into action. While the rest of the Corvallis Library was closed to observe a holiday during freezing temperatures, Benton County staff were able to open the Library’s Main Meeting Room so that community members could visit the library and stay warm. We had about 40 visitors during the open hours of 9am-4pm. Well-behaved and housebroken pets were also allowed, as pets are a common reason people do not seek refuge during extreme weather events. A group of four high school students also used the space to work on their school projects together. Visitors enjoyed snacks and hot cocoa, learned more about the resources available to them, and spent a quiet day together in a nice, warm space. We are very thankful for this partnership with Benton County. Best, Ashlee Return to all Library Director's Letters