| To the Library and Beyond Prairie Community Library volunteers are eagerly anticipating moving the Library back into the basement of the Community Hall. There are still opportunities for volunteers to help; just send a message to cottonwoodlib@gmail.com to volunteer whatever time you can. As we look forward to the last week of March, many of us are busy with preparations for Easter. There may not be time to recognize the accomplishments of the American Red Cross, the innate value of Music In Our Schools, the importance of encouraging National Nutrition, the educational value of Reading Across America, the encouragement of Youth Arts, or even the vast impact of Women’s History. We can appreciate that the significance of the Easter season, beginning with Palm Sunday on March 24, obscures almost every other occasion. But if you have time on Monday, March 25, it is National Tolkien Reading Day and all the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien expressed his Christian values. As we all know we will commemorate Holy Thursday on March 28, Good Friday on March 29, and Holy Saturday on March 30 – which the literary world also considers “Pencil Day.” Keep your pencil handy; it may serve you well. In 2018 Prairie Community Library served 2,023 patrons and other visitors; in 2020, when the COVID pandemic was still keeping many people isolated, that number was 1,772. The volunteers who manage and operate Prairie Community Library are committed to continue developing the Library as a sustainable service to residents of the surrounding area, adapting to community needs as they arise. We aspire to maximize the potential of future generations by providing an attractive and solid foundation of learning and knowledge. The Library is here for you, the public who want a library to serve the community. We invite our patrons to recommend improvements to the organization’s direction, priorities and customer service when we reopen. Grateful thanks to all our donors and volunteers! |