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| Image by Andy Thompson |
Location
Port Austin is located in northern Huron County which is technically a peninsula of a peninsula. From my home library (Sandusky District Library), Port Austin Township Library is about 50 miles, or an hour, northeast. State highway M-53, otherwise known as Van Dyke Road, ends in downtown Port Austin.
For those not familiar with the area, Port Austin Township Library is about 130 miles, or 2.75 hours, almost directly due north of the Purdy-Kresge Library, which houses the School of Library and Information Science, on Wayne State University's downtown Detroit campus.
Service Area, Size, and Operating Budget Port Austin Township Library serves four complete townships, in addition to the Village of Port Austin: Gore, Huron, Hume, and Lake as well as portions of Lincoln. Currently, there is a population of 5,303 in the library's service area which gives the library a Class 2 designation.
According to the Library of Michigan, a Class 2 library- serves a population of 4,000 to 6,999 and needs to:
- Be open a minimum of 20 hours per week.
- Employ (at least 20 hours per week) a director with at least a Level 4 certificate.
- Port Austin Township Library is open 35 hours a week during the summer and 32 hours a week during the winter months.
- The library employs 4 part-time staff and operates with a budget of $72,000.
- Items in collection: 14,000.
- Annual circulation: 22,000.
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| Mary Jaworski busy at work! |
Mary first joined the LIS field 23 years ago due to her love of reading. She has been in her current position for 19 years.
Favorite part of the job: "Talking to the people. [The library] is like a bar, but without any booze." Least favorite part of the job: "State aid report."
Advice to those entering the profession: "You have to like the people and very diverse. Not be censoring..."
Intellectual Freedom
Last year, when I was required to visit several libraries for LIS 6010 with Dr. Maria Gonzalez, I began asking librarians how the Harry Potter series was received in the community. The series has experienced controversy over the years and has landed itself on the frequently challenged materials list compiled by the American Library Association.
According to Jaworski, the Potter series was challenged with two - three patron issues. Of note, in the past, other books and materials have been challenged by library patrons.
Notes and Observations:
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| Showing off a literary find in the library's WWII collection! |
- My best friend, The Most, photographed this library.
- Next year, the library hopes to begin building an addition which will nearly double the building's size.
- Special collections: local history, large print, and local artwork on display. The local history collection is housed in its own room with a computer available for projects.
- The library participates in the Accelerated Reader program.
- No spine labels adorn the adult fiction collection -- even noting the author's last name.
- Port Austin Library has a very large DVD and audiobook collection.
- When asked about the most popular part of the library's collection, Jaworski said, "the DVDs."
- Out-of-area patrons may subscribe to library services by way of an annual $40 fee.
- The library offers book delivery for patrons who are home-bound.
- Like many libraries toured for this project, Port Austin Township Library is a member of the White Pine Library Cooperative.
- Port Austin Township Library is not automated (still makes use of the card catalog system).
- The library's interior is painted a lovely sage green color -- one of my favorite colors!
- One of the bonuses of touring all of these libraries: I usually find a book or two that I want to read. In this case, it was The War that Never Ended by Gregor Dallas.
- The library has a baby hat project with yarn available for patrons to take home.
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