Eastern Shores Library open house Sept. 13

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the vision of citizens and librarians to extend library services to every resident, the Eastern Shores Library is hosting an open house at its offices at 4632 S. Taylor Drive, Sheboygan, from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13.

“I hope residents stop by to see how the library system supports the public libraries with EasiCat, delivery services, and other programs, as well as providing bookmobile service to non-libraried areas of the system,” said Director David Weinhold.

The library system began as the Sheboygan County Federated Library System Jan. 1, 1979. A county library planning committee recommended the library system to the Sheboygan County Board after a 1978 demonstration of countywide library service and library system services. What had been a patchwork of contracts and fees for access to some municipal libraries was now a seamless method for all the county’s residents to use any library in the county.

The county levied a county library tax on the municipalities that did not operate a public library. This tax was used to reimburse the municipal libraries that provided service to the residents of those non-libraried communities.

From the beginning, Bookmobile service was an important countywide library service. The vehicle brought library materials to villages and schools in the rural areas of the county. This service made regular stops in these communities and was used heavily by families that were not able to get a municipal public library.

The Bookmobile service is also celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The Mead Public Library board of trustees and its director, E.R. Kunert, provided the vision to the citizens and librarians that cooperation among public libraries, countywide library service, and library system services were essential to the delivery of library services in a region. More resources could be provided to the citizens of the area by undertaking cooperative activities.

The board and Kunert knew that its library alone could not meet the needs of the people who used Mead Public Library. Becoming members of a library system and receiving state funds to undertake cooperative projects would improve all the member libraries’ ability to serve their users.

During this 30 years, the library system has evolved to meet the needs of its member libraries and has adapted its services to the changes in society and the changes in library services. Early on, the library system helped libraries redeploy their local resources by providing a centralized cataloging service. In the early years, the system provided catalog cards for the card catalog; now it provides electronic records in EasiCat.

Ozaukee County joined the library system in 1987. It also demonstrated countywide library service and library system services prior to creating the multi-county library system – Eastern Shores Library System. This continued the vision of the member libraries in Sheboygan County who already were benefitting from the library system and countywide library service. Bookmobile service was extended to the non-libraried areas of Ozaukee County. The public libraries participated in the cooperative services and activities of the library system.

In 1990, just prior to the retirement of E.R. Kunert from the Mead Public Library, the Eastern Shores Library System Board decided to establish itself as a separate organization with a separate director. The level of services had grown to the point that it was possible for library system staff to provide those services to all member libraries. Also as libraries began to automate their operations, the library system was in a better position to create the cooperative structure that would eventually lead to EasiCat.

One of those services that developed along the way as residents of the counties used the many libraries available to them, was the delivery service. Countywide library service allowed people to borrow books from any library; however, when it came time to return the book, the person had to drive to that library. Building on the idea that, if one can borrow from any library, why not return the book to any library, the library system began a delivery service that stopped at the libraries three days a week. This service is celebrating its 25th year. The delivery service has become more useful now with the high use of EasiCat to request books.

“I am pleased with the support the library system has received from member libraries – their staff and boards, from member counties – the administrators, chairpersons, and supervisors, from the state – local legislators, and the citizens of Eastern Shores Library System,” Weinhold said.

“Libraries remain relevant to our residents as they have responded to the needs of their users. I am proud to be able to help them.”