Summertime Visits

The first part of July I headed off for my annual vacation up near Frankfort, Michigan. We enjoyed ourselves as usual, and I was glad to be able to accept Cathy Carter's invitation to visit the Benzie Shores District Library while I was there. One of these pictures shows Cathy in the library, and in the other you can see the library from the other side of Betsie Bay, off to the right a little bit with its reddish roof. Cathy pointed out that the public access computers and the wireless Internet access are highly utilized by their local and visiting patrons. Apparently, the first few boat slips nearest to the library can access the wireless from the water! The place was bustling with activity.

This past week, I had the chance to visit the Bullard Sanford Memorial Library in Vassar. Director Jim Rancilio gave me the grand tour of the library, where he and I are shown here. I also got an inside look at their bookmobile, constructed from a refurbished ambulance. From the bookmobile and also at the library in town, the BSML provides access to library materials and meals for those in need, throughout the summer and during the year. We enjoyed lunch in the spacious new community room, where there is currently a photograph exhibition and where the community enjoys concerts, meetings, and activities such as the New Years Eve overnight for teens. The library is treasured by its community, a community whose pride in its town is evident in the thousands of blooming petunias they have planted all up and down the main street. It's a sight to behold!