The future of the Apalachicola Municipal Library

Year after year, I have always come back to Apalachicola, my family’s home. I feel the call of this small, still-beautiful community, a place where my own identity was, to a great extent, formed. I want to see this town prosper as it did in the early “palmy days” of its long life.

I am thus writing in support of the effort to expand and improve the Apalachicola Municipal Library, whose resources I avidly consumed as a child. Later, at Florida State University, I learned about the function of a public library - how it can positively impact the enrichment of an entire community, how it can nurture the development of a truly democratic and educated society, and how it can be a center for preservation of the community’s history and culture. This last function is especially important for Apalachicola, whose unique and rich history must be preserved and made accessible to a growing interested public.

Although there are writers, scientists, photographers, artists, historians and others who wish to donate their papers, books and other resources to the archives of Apalachicola’s library, there is currently no space to house these collections, nor is there a way to index and disseminate information from such collections.

The library has benefitted greatly from the leadership of a dedicated and hard-working library team. This team, including the library staff and board members (Carrie Kienzle, Caty Greene, Susan Buzzett Clementson, other board members and PALS -the friends of the library group), have already developed a creative and vital public library literacy program, and they are now planning and advocating for major improvements to the library’s facilities. To fully serve the community, the library needs expanded space and more modern organization methods, such as automated circulation, cataloging and reference services.

To realize these improvements, the team has made a unique proposal to the State of Florida - for a $500,000 grant, for expansion and renovation of the library. The Apalachicola Municipal Library’s proposal is ranked #17 among 21 applicants statewide. During the upcoming 2010 legislative session, the Florida State Legislature will select the libraries that will receive this funding.

I ask you, the citizens of Apalachicola, to take action in support of this project that will greatly benefit the community. Contact your state legislators, the mayor and the city council and other community leaders. Send them your thoughts by mail, phone, fax or email. Let them know you care about this vital opportunity.

Sincerely,

Kathryn (Kitty) Sherlock, Ph.D.

M.S. Library Science (School and Public Libraries), Florida State University

Ph.D. Educational Systems, Florida State University