What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1247637
LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette T here is little doubt that the Fayetteville Public Library is an integral part of the community it serves. According to the organization's 2019 final budget document, the library recorded nearly 90,000 program participants and checked out over 1 million books to the public as of the third quarter of 2019. That's why, says Library Director David Johnson, the March decision to close the doors in the face of the impending pandemic was such a difficult one. "But when all of the data points started lining up, and we began seeing other governmental institutions begin to shut down — we do value our patrons and our staff, and we knew it was the right thing to do," says Johnson. "And at the same time, closing a building that's designed for the public, with a staff who live and breathe to serve — it's a very, very tough decision to make. But you do it for your staff, and you do it for your patrons, and, at the same time you instantly flip to a whole new set of thinking: 'How can we best continue to serve, given the new guidelines we have in place?" Johnson says that his entire staff has worked hard to determine the answers to that question. What they came up with is a host of services delivered virtually and via phone — as well as an innovative, safe, in-person way for people to continue to check out books. Johnson says they've pivoted so quickly, and so successfully, because of a culture of "yes" that permeates the staff. "We begin all of our negotiations and ideas at 'yes,'" says Johnson. "We may work our way to 'no', but we always embrace new ideas. So if staff would come up with creative ways to do story times from home or lead book clubs from home [the library would figure out a way to do it]. "It's just been an evolving process." Paramount among their goals was figuring Downtown Fayetteville 104 N Block St • 479-442-4031 east Fayetteville 2000 N Crossover Rd • 479-442-4042 fourseasonscleanersnwa.com Dry Cleaning & Laundry Specialty Items Alterations Wedding Gown Preservation Pick-up & Delivery Same Day Service Northwest Arkansas' Premier Dry Cleaning & Laundry Experts 125 E. Locust St • Rogers, AR • 479-636-4151 www.garnerbuildingsupply.com BARGAINS of the MONTH ® While supplies last. SALE Reg 89.99 Sale Ends 05/31/2020 MAY 17-23, 2020 WHAT'S UP! 7 FAQ Fayetteville Public Library 401 W. Mountain St. 856-5000 Library Director David Johnson says that an unintended consequence of the library closing is that construc- tion on the new part of the facility has been slightly accelerated; last week, the hole in the floor that will eventually be the hallway that joins the new library to the existing build- ing was created. Johnson says that, while the global health crisis has slowed production on some materials for the building, right now, he antic- ipates that the new building will be ready on schedule, in the fall of 2020. See Library Page 40 FAYETTEVILLE Beyond The Books Fayetteville Public Library continues to serve patrons Erin Farrah with the Fayetteville Public Library brings out library materials for curbside pickup at the facility in downtown Fayetteville. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)