By Erica Thomas, managing editor
TRUSSVILLE — The Trussville Public Library was honored to be a nominee for the 2019 Best of Birmingham award, by Birmingham Magazine.
Library Director Emily Tish said this was the first year the library has been nominated.
“We were very excited about it,” said Tish. “It was wonderful to be a part of that for the first time.”
In the month of July, the library circulated 38,832 items, had 39,549 visitors, gained 152 new members and hosted 1,541 programs.
Trussville Public Library staff at the 2019 Best of Birmingham event. Pictured: Library Director Emily Tish (left), Library Assistant Director Jason Baker (middle) and Children’s Librarian Karen Davis (right).
Tish said one of the things that makes the library one of the best is the staff of 21.
“It’s the staff that makes it great. We’re open seven days a week and 58 hours a week,” said Tish. “For some people, we might be the only ones that they see every day, in person.”
There are activities for children of all ages. Children’s Librarian Karen Davis has been with the library for 16 years and will retire in 2020.
For those who would rather read e-books or check out books from home, Assistant Library Director Jason Baker said the library uses technology for those who prefer checking out digital books and audiobooks.
“We use two programs, Libby and Hoopla,” said Baker. “We also recently added streaming devices, have a handful of Roku’s a member can take home and use on their home TV. There’s an app on there with instructions and an app on there with 20 movies that you can watch.”
When it comes to title availability, the Trussville Public Library has you covered. As a part of the Jefferson County Cooperative, the library is able to swap books with other libraries.
“So, if we don’t have it on the shelf, we can usually get it,” said Baker. “There are also inner-library loans, so if there is a book you know exists and we don’t have it and someone in Arizona has it, we can get it.”
Other services offered at the library include computers, wifi, notary public, resume help, printing, scannng and online navigation.
“You can come in and be very advanced and it’s all here for you, or you can come in and not know anything and we will step in and help you learn how to do it,” said Tish.
The library also has meeting rooms and study rooms with screens. Another interesting aspect of the library is the archive room. Members are able to search boxes of archived newspapers and other publications.
A new sensory program for children on the autism spectrum just launched at the library. A list of other resources, specialties and events can be found on the library’s website.
The month of September is Food for Fines. Anyone with overdue fines can bring 10, non-perishable food items and get $10 off their account balance.
To become a member of the Trussville Public Library, you have to live in Jefferson County. You can sign up for free at the library.
