Bookin” it to the library – The Moscow Public Library adds resources, character to the Moscow community

The Moscow Public Library is a place where Moscow community members read and learn in an inviting and unique space.

Chris Sokol, the director of the Latah County Library District, has worked at Moscow Public Library since 1998.

As the headquarters for the Latah Library District, Sokol said the Moscow Public Library has a wide variety of services available to anyone in the community.

Austin Maas | Argonaut
Moscow resident Betty Lindsay reads the newspaper at the Moscow Public Library.

“(There is) equal access for everybody – nobody is turned away,” Sokol said.

She said the library carries an extensive collection of popular books and DVD”s, offers free Wi-Fi and even hosts online language-learning resources that can be accessed anywhere using a library card.

Sokol said the library is open to anybody in the community, including university students, and provides a different perspective than the University of Idaho Library.

“Sometimes it”s nice to get off campus but still know that you”re getting the same high-quality resources,” Sokol said.

Aside from traditional library resources, Sokol said the Moscow Public Library also offers downloadable audiobook and music services, as well as weekly story time events for children.

Sokol said her favorite part of the job is having the ability to offer new, helpful materials to community members. She said one recent addition has been the implementation of “Maker Kits” that support Idaho”s STEM initiative.

In addition to a continually growing collection of materials, the Moscow Public Library also has a unique social media presence.

What was once an abandoned stuffed-animal hamster has become a tool for delivering the latest library news via social media. Sokol said “the library hamster” is a creative way for library staff to present information online through fictional narratives written from the perspective of a stuffed hamster. Narrative blog posts with library event information are posted at thelibraryhamster.tumblr.com.

Sokol said after the hamster sat at the front desk for a while she had the idea to use the library staff”s shared passion for knitting to have a little fun.

“I started knitting him mittens and a hat just to be goofy,” Sokol said.

She said many staff members began to contribute by knitting the hamster outfits and crafting miniature books for its collection. The hamster”s first of many reads was “The Metamorphosis” by Franz Kafka.

The library hamster”s most recent outfit is an Ernest Hemingway themed outfit made by Jackie Carter, who is also a library employee.

“I”m a creative person and knitting is a creative outlet that I wouldn”t normally have elsewhere,” Carter said.

One Moscow resident who frequently visits the Moscow Public Library is 89-year-old Betty Lindsay. Lindsay, who grew up in Moscow and studied at UI during World War II, said she has been visiting the library ever since she returned to Moscow 15 years ago.

“I come to the library for books every two or three weeks,” Lindsay said. “When I run out, I come back.”

Lindsay said she loves Moscow and thinks it has been interesting to see how the community changed over the years.

Sally Perrine, a circulation desk employee, began working at the library in 1999 and said the best part of her job is having conversation about books across the desk with people of all ages.

She said she believes the library is an escape for a lot of people.

“Before I worked here, I was on the other side of the desk, and soon, when I retire, that will be my place again,” Perrine said. “I love this place.”

Austin Maas can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @austindmaas

Leave a Reply

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.