BAY MILLS - For three days, beginning April 27, the Bay Mills Library, overlooking Lake Superior on the Bay Mills campus, is opening its doors wider than usual. The library is hosting a public open house, for the first time, and is hoping to introduce even more people to all it has to offer.
Rick Elder, librarian, and Patti Teeple, assistant librarian, decided that the library has been growing too quietly, and with the latest three changes decided to barbecue some hotdogs and offer a series of raffles to entice both new visitors and regular visitors to tour the changes and understand more about what the library and its staff can do.
Elder explained that over the winter the Bay Mills library brought in all new IBM Thinkcentre computers as part of its information resources, and free Internet project. The library also created a "We the People" bookshelf as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. And the library also created a "quiet" study area in the first floor of the building, beneath the main floor.
But mostly Elder said they wanted to renew the spirit of reaching into the community. "We're the Bay Mills library and we serve everybody and we're here for everybody", he explained. "The collection has doubled in the past few years, and we're bringing in new books constantly."
He also explained that the library is a doorway to as many as six million titles that can be easily brought in, for free, upon request.
The open house will include three door prize contests, one for the general public, one for Bay Mills students, and one for staff. And there will be a general grand prize drawing. The only requirement is either a library card, or making an application for a new card, which is quickly done, and free.
All the resources of the library will be available, including latest books, books on cd and tape, movies and special collections. The staff will also be available to show strengths and assets of the Bay Mills Library home page
The Open House runs from 9 to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday April 27 and 28, and will include a barbecue, weather permitting. On Saturday the Open House continues from 1 to 4 p.m.
