Alva Review-Courier -

The basement area of the Alva Public Library is getting a new look. Recently the lights were changed out to LED lighting. This made the area brighter, but it also made it easier to see that wall colors had changed over time.

The basement conference room has new paint on the walls. The old tan paint changed color from tan to salmon, according to Sandra Ott Hamilton, library director. Thanks to financial help by the Friends of the Library, the paint was applied by a professional painter.

The carpet is also being replaced with carpet squares that can be changed out easily if stained or damaged. At the Monday meeting, the new carpet had not arrived, but library staff was anticipating the change.

All last summer, the city expected a couple of the oldest air conditioner units at the library would have to be replaced. They’re still working, but one of the biggest units has quit. With eight other air conditioners, the library has been able to operate without it. Because it’s near the end of summer, the library has some time to consider options before next year’s hot weather.

When the unit went out, it was discovered there was no ductwork to distribute the cool air. Ott Hamilton said there are two options. The ductwork can be put in the crawl space between the roof and the ceiling or it can be installed below the ceiling. She’s going to ask the city to have the engineer look at the options and make a recommendation. Although the library budget includes funds for replacement of the air conditioner, there isn’t enough to cover the ductwork. She hopes that money can come from transferring funds from another budget section.

Summer Programs and Future Programs

Ott Hamilton said the summer program was very successful. The library tried some small group workshops limited to four to six youths. She said they were pleased with the number participating, and they attracted some new youngsters.

The adult Let’s Talk About It program will begin Oct. 1. The theme of the discussion books this year is overcoming adversity. The first book will be “The Glass Castle.” The library will have 20 to 25 copies of the featured books to be loaned out to participants. Jennifer Page from Northwestern Oklahoma State University is in charge of the program.

After the basement conference room is finished, the library will continue to offer kids' programs on Tuesday, but they will divide them into age groups meeting every other Tuesday. Last year they sometimes had as many as 45 children at one time making it difficult for the small staff to handle. The library staff will try to get email addresses for participants so they can send out reminders.

There’s also been some interest expressed in a crocheting and knitting club for adults. Ott Hamilton said they have some staff members with these skills who could help with the meetings. The library would provide ideas for projects, but participants would need to bring their own supplies.

Library staff is also investigating joining with about five other libraries to form a book club. Each library could buy a set of a particular book for club members to read, and then they could rotate the books among the libraries.

The Friends of the Library applied for funding for a financial workshop for adults. It has been approved and will be held in the spring. Titled “Financial Fitness,” the workshop will meet once a week for six weeks with food provided. The library will be looking for a qualified local person to teach the workshop.

Other Business

The library board welcomed new member Patty Harkin. The board approved a photo policy for the library to handle the problems of cellphone photos taken without permission.

Director Ott Hamilton went over the new statistical report. The checkouts in the young adult category will be listed separately starting July 1. During July books checked out totaled 923 adult, 237 young adult and 652 juvenile.

Also instead of estimating the number of internet and wireless users, the library is now able to provide numbers of actual users. In July there were 249 instances of people using the library's computers to access the internet. The actual number of those using the wireless internet connection was 688 for the month.