Do you remember what it felt like to hop out of the car on a brisk fall day, run through the parking lot giving just a quick glance back to make sure Mom was following, and pull with all your might to open the door and rush into your local library? Quick to steady yourself so you’re not too loud, you rush over to your spot. Of course, it’s not your spot, but it’s the spot you always found your way to. The spot with the books that had fun pictures and silly stories, and we can’t forget the colorful rug.

Those may feel like simple childhood memories, but you may not have considered how those visits to the local library helped build a foundation that became a jumping-off point for so many other skills and hobbies you have now. It’s important to continue making those memories and introducing each new generation to the limitless world that comes with reading. In fact, the importance of libraries goes back to our founding fathers.

“The reason we have libraries in America is extremely serious. It’s because we need an educated populous. You have to have the freedom to, and a place where people can educate themselves,” explained Kalkaska County Public Library Director John Roberts. “This is why Ben Franklin and a small group of others in Philadelphia invented this sort of thing. For a democracy to function, you need an educated populous who can reason and think for themselves.”

Literacy is a tool you can help kids develop from a very early age. Roberts says, “Include reading with your kid. This is the number-one thing that can never be taken away from them. Everybody wins. [By doing this,] you’re churning out a little citizen who can participate and has options when they graduate.”

Countless studies highlight the importance of early literacy and the best ways to encourage it. Still, public schools have seen a shift in the last 20 years that has resulted in an inability to properly staff school libraries. While students and children still have access to those libraries, very few full-time school librarians remain.

Roberts and the Kalkaska County Public Library decided they wanted to solve that problem for their community. “I don’t want to see kids lose out on those services, so we fill in. All the buildings are branch libraries. They are hooked to our system, so all the mechanics of making it run are there,” he explained. “We’ve replaced thousands of books and have rehabilitated these school libraries. It’s the absolute best thing that I’ve ever done in my career and that I ever will do.”

But it’s more than books. Roberts says it’s about the support that can come from librarians. “They see us week in and week out. We have someone permanently stationed at the elementary schools, and we’re about to add another permanent person. It’s nice to have one special person in the school. We don’t judge you, and we don’t grade you. We give you hugs and help you find the things you love to read.”

Beyond school-aged readers, for some, the local library is the only place they can access the internet, interact with other people face to face, or feel safe exploring different ideas and perspectives. For others, libraries are a trusted resource they can look to for help. That proved to be true during the pandemic. Roberts said, “We had people dropping manilla envelopes off with all their financial information, social security stuff, and just trusting us to take care of filing some paperwork for them and just getting it in because they just didn’t have access to the internet at home.” Most importantly, he said, “Here— everybody is welcome, nobody is canceled, nobody is censored, we just don’t do it.”

You could argue local libraries are where the soul of a community lives. The unsung hero is always on call—from providing resources, to helping others fulfill their civic duties, to creating a safe space for people young and old to ask questions, learn, and socialize. It’s a huge reason the Kalkaska County Public Library has spent the past 20 years formulating a plan to build a new, larger library with more space and resources—right in the heart of downtown Kalkaska.

“This building is falling apart, and it’s way too small. We don’t have any programming or administrative space whatsoever,” Roberts pointed out as library staff worked diligently from tables stationed throughout a sea of bookshelves. The village, area townships, and the school board have long supported the idea of a new library—they just didn’t have the money.

About two years ago, a $2 million pledge came through, and finally, the project began gaining traction. Cherryland even made a $10,000 donation to help this community resource flourish in a new building with plenty of space for early literacy programming, administrative space for staff, and meeting rooms open to the public for whatever they may need. After years of strategic fundraising, Roberts says he has a shovel-ready plan, and they are just waiting on one final piece of the puzzle to come together. He’s optimistic they’ll turn the page and begin the next chapter in their new building sooner rather than later.

So, while those trips to the library on that big, colorful rug were a lot of fun, they also opened a door that encouraged lifelong skills. Skills that libraries will help us pass along to future generations of little citizens whose stories are just beginning.

Learn more about what the Kalkaska County Public Library has to offer, here.