From humble start, growth to serve in a variety of ways
By DONNA THORNTON, Editor
A little more than 20 years ago, the doors opened at the newly built Boaz Public Library, located on Thomas Avenue, and people were welcomed into the elegant building, with a classical design, winding stairs to the upper floor, and room for the resources a modern library needed.
Current Library Director Lynn Burgess had been the library’s leader for a short while before the new library was constructed but she’d been a full-time staffer since 1998 and she has worked at the library since she was 15. She’s only the third director the library has had since the city established a library around 1974. Sherry Floyd was the first director, followed by Doris Singleton.
There was a celebration Thursday at the library, with an early bird breakfast hosted by the Boaz Area Chamber of Commerce, and open house at midday with light refreshments from Morgan House Delicatessen, and for kids and teens a scavenger hunt, boba bar and decorate your own book bin activities in the afternoon.
The festivities were like the library itself, in the words of Boaz Mayor Tim Walker: “There’s something for everybody.”
Walker recalled the efforts to build a library that would be a cultural center for the city. Betty Jo Mastin helped lead the library board’s fundraising. About $600,000 was raised, he said, and Rep. Robert Aderholt got additional funds. Bricks were sold, inscribed with the buyer’s name, and some generous donations were made. “There’s a reason we have a Mastin Room and a Weathers room,” the mayor said.
“I might have had a lot to do with building a box here,” Walker said, “but Lynn has been the heart of this project.” Given some money, he explained, anyone can build a building; He credited Burgess with making the library what it was at its opening, and with shepherding it’s growth for the last two decades.
Boaz’s first library, city historian Wayne Hunt said, was inside Boaz High School. In the early 1970s a library was opened in storefront in downtown Boaz and later moved to a building beside the Boaz Police Department on South Main Street. The Thomas Avenue building was constructed on what had been a vacant lot for decades, where Boaz Junior High School stood until it was destroyed by fire in 1977.
Burgess presented some numbers at the Chamber breakfast. From the last year the library was located on South Main to last year, book circulation increased by 28%. But when digital circulation is added in, overall circulation is up by 73%. The number of programs the library offers now is up 279%, and attendance in those programs has jumped by 255%.
“One of my favorite stats that shows our online catalog is how much we’ve saved patrons in the past year,” Burgess said. “Today, that number is $1,217,955.96.
“Those numbers represent thousands of people that have walked through our doors, discovering something new, finding a book they love, attending a program, meeting a friend, or simply finding a place where they feel welcome,” she said.
There’ve been changes over the years, she said. Where young adult book used to be, there’s now a STEAM area. “We’ve redesigned our Children’s Department, added a treehouse and a preschool area, created a teen space, and turned our former Sand Mountain Room into a family room where families can spend time together, relax, and socialize.”
The library has added gaming systems and Virtual Reality headsets, e-books, digital audiobooks, digital magazines, language learning, education resources, and streaming services for movies, TV, and documentaries.
The library has listened, learned and grown with the community, Burgess said.
A most recent addition: Study rooms, constructed by Wayne Hunt, to give patrons an enclosed area to focus. Burgess said they’ve been so popular, people ask if the library can add more.
Burgess credited Walker with having the vision for the library as it is today, and the library’s staff of eight with making all the program offerings and resources available. The library board – Leigh Landers, Betty Metcalf, Jeff Owen, Ruth-Ellen Thompson, and Dr. Mary Wallace – contribute a lot of behind the scenes work that makes the library a success, she said, and the Friends of Library has supported the library by raising money and purchasing equipment, funding the food giveaway and other extras.
Most of all, Burgess said, the library staff thanks the patrons.
“You’ve trusted us with your children, celebrated milestones with us, and made the library a part of your lives,” she said. “We are honored to have been a small part of so many of your stories, and we never take that for granted.
“Thank you for making the Boaz Public Library what it is today,” Burgess said. “We are proud of how far we’ve come, excited about where we’re going, and look forward to sharing whatever the next chapter brings.”
More than 12,000 items were checked out of the Boaz Public Library in July while patrons made more than 5,800 visits. The library has been in its home on Thomas Avenue for a little more than 20 years and the city had a celebration last week. Officials say the library has saved patrons $1.2 million. Photo by DONNA THORNTON l The Leader
