PORT HADLOCK — In 2004, the Jefferson County Library asked community members what services they wanted.
In 2005, library staff acted on those requests.
“A lot of times, planning documents are put on the shelf,” said Ray Serebrin, library director.
“We didn’t do that.”
On Wednesday, Serebrin presented the library’s annual report to Jefferson County commissioners, detailing how the library adopted community recommendations in 2005.
Those recommendations included book drops in Brinnon and Gardiner, launch of a Web page for small business owners and community programs that brought children, teens, adults and seniors through the door.
“We’re about ideas, information and location,” Serebrin said.
Improved services
Remote book drops were a direct result of community input, Serebrin said, one way the library has improved services to its clientele, residents in unincorporated areas of east Jefferson County.
Identifying another community need — support for local students — resulted in an after-school Homework Program for Chimacum students, which started last fall.
Currently serving 12 to 20 students a day, the program brought a new demographic into the library.
“We didn’t used to have kids here,” Serebrin said. “It’s a whole new clientele. They know they can get homework support at the library.”
The library also sponsored a Summer Reading Program and made 52 visits to local classrooms to promote interest in reading.
For the older set, the library held four forums on the new Medicare drug benefit and is still offering one-on-one help to seniors, including helping people sign up for the program using a library computer.
Offering tax help is another way the library meets the information needs of residents.
“We’re very proud to be a service-oriented institution,” Serebrin said.