Did you know our local library has two distinguished ratings? It has a 5 Star category, the top level there is. But more importantly than that it is rated the #1 library of the United States. I had always wondered how they achieved this rating. I interviewed Deputy Director Dave Della Terza and also Executive Director Julie Rothenfluh. (The latest news is that Julie is retiring and Dave will be replacing her!) where I learned there are four categories used for judging their rating: Door count; Program attendance; Computer usage; and Circulation, which is the number of materials available.
I know firsthand one thing they have that is very valuable. I spend my winters in Naples, Florida. There we built, several years ago, a lovely “old” library. The inside of it is designed to look like a lovely, old-fashioned library. I went to it and asked to see a Value Line. I like to do some investing on my own. One year I purchased my own subscription to Value Line. It was very expensive – currently $800 per year. After that, I went to our local library. So I asked at the Naples library desk for Value Line and she said someone was using it.
I said, “Well, are ALL copies in use?” She said they only had one copy and as soon as it was available, she would let me know.
After waiting 45 minutes, I decided to roam the library and look to see who was using it. I observed the man for a while. He seemed in no hurry at all. So I approached him and said, “Just to let you know, I am waiting to use Value Line when you are finished.”
He said, “Well, I do all the investing for my company, and I will be using it yet for a while.”
I went back to the desk and asked her why they didn’t have more than one copy? I said my “up north” library has several copies. And she said they must be a very wealthy library. I couldn’t believe what I heard. Here I was in a town of zillionaires – and only one Value Line!
Later, our local library made Value Line available from your computer. What a fantastic gift. I can access my local library, and Value Line, without even going to the library – even while wintering in Naples.
Another wonderful asset of our local library is the slide scanner. It can scan a thousand photos per hour. You can upload them to Google and also put them on your own flash drive or DVD. All for free!
They have computers, too, for anyone to use at no charge. They also can convert your old VHS to DVD or put it on your flash drive. They also have computer instructors there who teach classes, and you can book them as your private tutor for a fee.
We are so blessed in Naperville in so many ways.
On a final note, the Senior Task Force is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Senior of the Year Award. Do you know a senior who gives back to Naperville? A Naperville resident with a history of community service, gives selflessly, and is 65 or older? Nomination forms are at www.naperville.il.us/seniortaskforce. The deadline to nominate is July 1, 2019.
Chuckle Time: Kids today don’t know how easy they have it. When I was young, I had to walk 9 feet through shag carpet to change the TV channel.
