by MCLS Engagement Strategist Laura Warren-Gross
When I visited Jessica Sulecki, the director of Charlotte Community Library, she shared that she keeps a wish list. The list contains both resources and programs to enhance the library. However, Jessica explained that she was not just wishing for things, but also putting a plan to fund those wishes into action.
Jessica told me that Charlotte has folks living in facilities such as retirement communities, adult foster care homes, and nursing homes who cannot come to the library. Her wish was to provide consistent outreach to these locations, so she applied for LSTA grant funding. The library was awarded grant funds, and the van has been purchased and is currently being outfitted. Just imagine all the people who will now have access to library materials and services! In addition, an Outreach Coordinator was hired who will oversee the mobile services.
As if the Mobile Unit was not enough of a dream, the library staff also received a grant from the Charlotte Area Recreation Co-op to fund a Sensory Garden. Included will be raised beds, tools, picnic blankets to sit on during story time, and gardening programs. The community will surely be excited about this new space.
In addition to grant funding, the library had a millage request on the Aug. 4, 2026 ballot and it passed. This will help fund the library and additional wish list items for ten years. Jessica said, “We are very grateful to everyone who went out and voted to support the library! We are so excited to continue to serve our community for another ten years!”
MCLS is happy to celebrate the successes of our member libraries. Has your library recently benefited from a grant? Passed a millage? Received a generous donation? Engagement, Consulting, and Training team members would love to hear about your library and share your story. Contact us at engagement@mcls.org.
by MCLS Engagement Strategist Laura Warren-Gross
Libraries are vital to their communities. Visit any library and you will see exactly why this is true. I recently visited Evie Parrish, director of Jasper County Public Library. Evie has worked at Jasper County since 2005, working her way through various positions and departments up to director. Her long history and experience with the library are assets as she looks to shape the future.
One of the ideas we discussed was about how the role of the library is changing in her community. Evie is working with her staff to consider how they can add a Library of Things to their collections. Having access to a variety of things that can be useful in the daily lives of her patrons will add value to the library. MCLS is offering a new course, Setting Up a Library of Things for Public Libraries, which Evie and her staff were able to take at a discounted rate thanks to their membership.
Evie told me that her community does not have organizations such as a YMCA or a Boys and Girls Club, so she envisions the library as a community hub for folks to gather and enjoy a public place. The library is doing a light remodel that will include additional study room space to help provide another way to come together.
Our conversation made me think about how libraries are shaped by their communities. What resources or services do you provide for your patrons that they would otherwise not be able to access? Engagement, Consulting, and Training team members would love to hear about your library and share your story. Interested? Contact us at engagement@mcls.org.
by MCLS Engagement Strategist Laura Warren-Gross
North Adams Memorial Community Library opened its new facility in 2020 during COVID-19. Now, six years later they are fully open, and the community is making use of their engaging spaces and programs. The North Adams community passed a millage in August of 2026 which will allow the staff and board to continue focusing on their strategic goals of access, being a community hub, providing opportunities for lifelong learning, and preserving local history and culture.
The library is located near the K-12 school and when I visited with director Mariel Busch we discussed some of the events they had planned for summer reading. By the end of summer, 92 students registered for summer reading—an all-time high. Through a partnership with local businesses and the village, a sidewalk was being constructed to connect the school grounds to the library parking lot so that kids can easily walk between the two facilities.
Mariel has recently earned her MLIS from Wayne State University with a concentration in Archival Administration, and she is putting that knowledge to use by creating a local history room. Back issues of the region’s newspaper have been donated to the library, and the staff is working to digitize them. They also have an extensive history of the town written by Marie Davis. With the permission of the family, the library staff is working to digitize this precious information for the enjoyment of future generations. Though they have borrowed a digitization kit previously, Mariel hopes to own equipment via grant funding to do this work.
As a place to discover local history, engage in programming, and borrow resources, North Adams Community Memorial Library is a vibrant hub for everyone who walks through the doors.
What makes your library unique? Engagement, Consulting, and Training team members would love to hear about your library and share your story! Interested? Contact us at engagement@mcls.org.
