Three candidates have filed for two full two-year terms on the Salado Public Library District Board of Directors: Susan Starnes, Nancy Mills Mackey and Theresa Howard.

Salado Village Voice asked the following questions. 

Question 1: What is the role of a library in a society in general and in a community? Does Salado Public Library District meet this role well? (200 words)

Question 2: How would you rate the Children’s Selection of books and materials at the Library? Can it be improved? If so, how? (200 words)

Question 3: How would you rate the Adult section of the Library for books and other materials? Can it be improved? If so, how? (200 words)

Question 4: What is the greatest challenge libraries face in the coming decade? What is the greatest challenge for Salado Public Library in particular in the next decade? What will you do if elected to the Board of Directors to address this? (200 words)

Susan Starnes

Question 1: The role of the library is to establish, equip and maintain the distribution of information relating to arts, sciences, and literature. Yes, our library meets that role. One can download the SimplyE app onto their phone or device. Then download eBooks through the SPL account. One also has access through TexShare Database, to borrow hardcopy books from another library anywhere across the state. Our library brings local artists work into the library for patrons to view along with inviting different artists to provide free classes of their craft.  Presentations by local and nationally known authors have been held at our library, along with professional speakers on a variety of topics that is of interest to our district. The Friends of SPL is an excellent opportunity for people in our community to get involved as I have for the past 15 years.

Question 2: My first few visits to the library when I moved to Salado was to take my young grandchildren to the summer story time and craft time. They loved this time and looked forward to the next trip to the library during their visits to my home here in Salado. Our parents and children have been blessed with a wonderful selection available for the youth of our district. The librarians have worked hard over the years to assure the SPL has the finest collections of Caldecott and Newberry Awarded books on the shelves. Our current librarian, Julie Hoy, applied and received The Family Place grant in 2019 for $6,000.00, which helps public libraries address early learning with a goal of ensuring that all children enter school ready to learn.

Keeping the 5-year plan updated yearly to assure we stay abreast of with technical advances is what the Library Director and the Trustees must do to focus on the explosive growth in Salado. The recent grant awarded to SPL for $25,000 for technology improvements is of great assistance, but we must  continue to keep up as technology is forever changing. 

Question 3: The library does a great job of keeping the DVDs, audio books and hard back books up to date with the newly published and best sellers. One can usually watch all the movies nominated for Oscars by checking them out from our library. What improvements the library needs? A tough question as I am amazed every time I walk through the doors at what everyone has access to for free and our village does not even have a stop light.  Personally, I would like bigger meeting rooms. There are a lot of adults that would love to have a place to play dominoes, bridge, and other adult card games, but right now adults share all this with the youth. Which means adults must be finished once school is out. If we had another activity room, adults could schedule talks or activities anytime of the day without interruptions. I hope the people who have not been to our library take the time to visit and see what is available. We have a list of every grave site in Salado, a very large collection of Texas history books and did you know we have a Notary?  

Question 4:  The Urban League of Librarians list the #1 challenge is a change in the behavior of patrons’ hesitancy to visit due to Covid-19. They have gotten use to not going to the library and are not returning. Fortunately, here at SPL, we are back to Pre-Pandemic attendance. The challenge we face is keeping up with this explosive growth that Salado is experiencing. We need the space for “all” members of the family.  Summer months are when problems arise, as usually adults can use meeting room while children are in school during the day.  Studies need to be completed to determine the age of the youth expected to come into the district over the next ten years.  My two top priorities are to work with the other trustees to review and update the 5- year plan continuously and ensure we stay up to date on technology.  In addition, surveys mailed to the community to find out their needs and wants should be completed as soon as possible so they can be addressed in the 5-year plan. 

Nancy Mills Mackey

Question 1: When moving to a new area, many individuals and businesses don’t just look for areas that have good schools and health care, they also look for a vibrant public library. In my opinion, the public library is one of the most important places in town. Public libraries play a key role in society. They provide a lively gathering place that helps shape new perspectives or a quiet place to sit and read magazines or newspapers many can’t afford. They are our friends that share a book and recommend a movie or a musical artist. They help us find resources and services, search for a job, research a school paper, learn about area history and offer free Wi-Fi. Public libraries symbolize the value a community places on literacy, life-long learning, imagination, culture, exploration/research, and a safe place to find oneself or connect with others. They welcome all people, regardless of income, race, age, language, gender, political party or any other division. They unite people and help us find common ground. Libraries build minds, confidence and communities. Author and Harvard professor Robert Putnam says, “People may go to the library looking mainly for information, but they find each other there.” 

Question 2: As the grandmother of two young boys living in Salado and using the Salado library, I can attest to the Salado Public Library’s wonderful selection of children’s books, electronic materials and programs. The offerings are more bountiful than those found in many libraries in communities our size, and the collection meets standards set by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to retain annual accreditation. In 2018 the library board approved Library Director Jeanie Lively’s request to add Children’s and Young Adult Librarian Julie Hoy (now in charge of the adult section also) and Library Assistant April Edmiston. Working with Ms. Lively, they have created interactions with youngsters and their parents that spark a love of reading and learning. In 2019, SPL received a national Family Place grant that trains librarians to develop early childhood literacy programs. The Salado staff also has added new teen programs. Although COVID-19 interrupted programming, the staff continued serving children and teens by providing curbside service, take-and-go activity kits and by starting the outdoor story walk. Of course, there’s always room for improvement, but our dedicated staff routinely reviews programs and services and works diligently to bring new offerings to our youngest patrons.

Question 3: The adult section of the Salado Public Library is also superlative. It offers classes on arts and crafts, funded by the Friends of the Salado Public Library; informational sessions with guest speakers and authors; other fun programs held in collaboration with area groups and businesses; books; periodicals; movies and TV series on DVD; book club kits; audiobooks; free downloadable e-books; computers for research and continuing education projects; free Wi-Fi; a free notary and copier for nominal fee; and a shady front porch to watch wildflowers grow. If you don’t find what you want, you can usually get it delivered through the interlibrary loan system. The library staff is knowledgeable and can help you find information without losing yourself in the internet. Again, the collection meets standards set by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission to retain annual accreditation, which gives the library access to grants and services. To improve the adult and children’s offerings, the staff routinely receives suggestions from the public and in 2018, when I was president, the library board’s Strategic Planning Committee conducted a community survey to update the library’s strategic plan, now available on the library’s website. I encourage everyone to read the plan.

Question 4: In the coming decade, libraries face many challenges, not to mention future pandemics. Threats include changing trends in service and product delivery, rapidly changing and costly technology, population growth, and serving the most diverse customer base any business ever boasted. The Salado Public Library faces two particular challenges: growth and technology. You only have to drive around Salado to realize that our community is exploding. To serve growing numbers of patrons, we will need more materials, programs, staff and eventually space. Technology is another challenge. In a semi-rural area where internet access is spotty, the library often bridges the technology gap. We are preparing laptops for checkout now and soon will be acquiring hot spots, and the staff is preparing tutorials for those not comfortable using computers. As an elected Salado Public Library District trustee since 2015, I have been working, and if elected will continue working, to ensure that our district, which is the same size as the Salado Independent School District, is financially sound (we currently have no debt), has strategic plans that reflect community input and needs, provides relevant services and programs, and has agile staff and leadership that are able to adapt and surmount future challenges.  

Theresa Howard

Question 1: The first known library was established in 7th Century BC by Ashurbanipal in what is now Iraq. It contained an estimated 30,000 cuneiform tablets with topics that ranged from scholarly texts to works of literature. From that point on, the library was a staple in almost every great civilization. Before the advent of the Internet, libraries were viewed as hubs of knowledge with vast collections with the goal of making knowledge accessible to the public for the improvement of life. Today, the library is still a hub of knowledge, but it is so much more than that. While technology has made information readily accessible in a few clicks, not everything the library has to offer can be found on the Internet. In our library, for example, you can partake in crafting activities, access computers, take your child to story time, and even compete in chocolate and “peep” candy competitions. In other words, the library invites community participation and interaction that is as invaluable as the knowledge held within its books. While there will always be room for improvement, our library excels in providing our community with activities that are comparable to those of libraries in significantly larger cities.

Question 2 and 3: According to visitsaladotexas.com, the Salado Library boasts a collection of over 24,000 materials. Quantitatively, this is quite impressive compared to the collection found in surrounding city libraries. Jarrell, a town comparable in population, has a library containing around 10,000 items, according to their library webpage; and Friends of the Belton Library report that the Lena Armstrong Public Library contains only around 44,000 items, even though their population is approximately 10x larger than Salado. Qualitatively speaking, I would say that while we do have a good selection of both children and adult books, there is certainly room for improvement. In speaking with members of the community, there is a reoccurring theme that our library has a very limited selection of materials for both children and adults with disabilities, and that utilizing interlibrary loans to receive materials from other libraries is often fraught with issues. In a recent search I conducted, I was only able to find a small handful of books in the children’s section that offered sensory stimuli. Such books are good for all children’s brain development, but especially helpful for those with autism. That said, our library does do a good job procuring new and popular publications. Of USA Today’s bestselling books of 2021, the Salado library had 8 of the top 10 and of Time’s best young adult’s and children’s books of 2021, our library had 6 of the top 10. Director reports from the Salado Library make it clear that new material is being sought out and added regularly. Between February and March of this year, our library increased its adult book selection by almost 200 books, it’s children’s book selection by over 120 books, and its young adult book selection by 38 books. Based on this information, it is clear that Salado’s Library has a great deal to offer the community. That said, we would be doing a service to many more Saladoans by expanding on our Long Range Strategic Plan 2020-2025 by including those with disabilities in Goals 1B and 3C which highlight the need for considering diversity with regard to services and resources the library provides. 

Question 4: The greatest challenge for all libraries in the coming decade, to include our library, is staying relevant in a time when more and more media is becoming digitally available. Many people, especially the younger generations, rely heavily on obtaining goods and services via the web. Groceries are now ordered online, instead of going to malls, people are utilizing Amazon’s “Try Before You Buy” program, and platforms like Scribd offer millions of ebooks and audiobooks to customers for a nominal fee. And while renting a book from your public library is free, the mere inconvenience of being unable to obtain the book one is looking for is enough to send many would-be library customers straight into the arms of a Scribd or Audible membership. Therefore, libraries must have something more to offer patrons. As a board member, I would advocate for increasing and offering a more diverse selection of programs than we have currently by partnering with local artists, historians, and writers to teach classes, give seminars, or do demonstrations. Based on feedback I’ve received from community members, I would also push for our library to become more digitally modernized, for example, allowing patrons to take part in some programs via live streaming.