On the Road with MLC: Waynesboro

You've heard of the term "a force of nature." I've met a few of these dynamic folks in my time, and one of them is Patsy Brewer, the Director of the Waynesboro/Wayne County Library System. Patsy made an impression on me the first time we met. She has dynamic ideas and is constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to promote and celebrate her library and community.

Nestled on the southeastern border of the state, Waynesboro has a population of about 5,000 citizens.  The county seat of Wayne County, Waynesboro is a picturesque little Mississippi community. The library's story began in 1934, and since that time it has lived in several locations throughout the community. In 2003, the library opened its doors in its current location... a former Walmart building weighing in at a whopping 17,000 square feet.

With that much space, the library could potentially feel cold and cavernous, but instead, it is extremely warm and welcoming. The very active Friends of the Library group even manages a small gift shop and bookstore on the premises, boasting an array of really cute items to tempt even the most penny-pinching of shoppers. What an outstanding way to raise funds for the library!

  

My travel companion, Library Consultant Shellie Zeigler, and I didn't realize we were going to visit on the day of the library's annual holiday fund-raiser, but it turned out to be perfect timing! Most of the community was in attendance and it was easy to see the support they bestow on their hometown library. The Friends served delicious food and local music students performed, putting everyone in the holiday spirit.

After we toured the library, Shellie and I checked out a new program the library has implemented to promote literacy in the community. "Laundry & Literacy" is funded by the Margaret Murray Literacy Grant and the Waynesboro-Wayne County Friends of the Library. Spanish materials were also purchased with funds from First Book. The library's partnership with local laundromats makes reading materials available to the users of all ages of these facilities. What a new and fresh idea to make free reading materials readily available to more residents!

I would like to give special thanks to Patsy Brewer and her staff for inviting us to this wonderful holiday event. They're doing outstanding work for the citizens of this special corner of the state of Mississippi and I'll definitely be going back for another visit soon.