[cp_dropcaps]A[/cp_dropcaps]fter twenty-six years of loving service to the community as Director of the Millington Arbela District Library, Margaret (Peggy) Olsen has announced her resignation effective July 31, 2016. Frequently arriving for work an hour early, Peggy has always strived to make the library a safe haven for the freedom of thought and civil discourse.
Many things have changed during the decades that Peggy has held the helm of the library. Some of those changes are: the different role library services play in the community, the evolution from printed research materia–to its easy availability via the Internet, e-books, the ease of access to interloaned material from anywhere in the state, and the rise of social media.
During Peggy’s tenure the library:
Was assured stable funding by the formation of a library district
In 1991, built an addition which increased the size of the library by approximately twenty-five percent
Used grant money and donated services to install the library’s first networked, computerized, catalog and circulation system
Remodeled the restrooms bringing them up to code
Installed a more energy-efficient lighting system
Replaced the uneven south side sidewalk after improving drainage
Replaced broken ornamental concrete with columns
Purchased the vacant house and lot next door to the library
Demolished house to remove blight and to provide for future needs of the library
Enlarged and paved the parking lot after improving drainage
Created more handicapped parking spaces
Created gardens on three sides of the library building
Purchased leather furniture for the public reading area
Replaced solid doors to the conference room with glass
More than doubled the book and DVD budget
Insulated the ceiling
Replaced gutters and installed gutter guards
Replaced the worn Formica(r) covered circulation desktop with granite
Replaced the library’s roof with extremely long-life steel roofing material
[cp_dropcaps]A[/cp_dropcaps]fter twenty-six years of loving service to the community as Director of the Millington Arbela District Library, Margaret (Peggy) Olsen has announced her resignation effective July 31, 2016. Frequently arriving for work an hour early, Peggy has always strived to make the library a safe haven for the freedom of thought and civil discourse.