Library gains two staff members in efforts to expand services

The Portage Regional Library has two new staff to help facilitate its services, but they're more of a result of expanding their efforts. 

There is a newly entitled role of Community Program Coordinator and Assistant Community Program Coordinator. Leah O'Leary serves in the former role and outlines her position and some changes.

"The previous position wasn't called a Community Program Coordinator," explains O'Leary. "My role is a bit more broad than what it was before from the last person that was running programming. I have a lot more to do with sponsorship and reaching out to the community, to get people here, and do collaborations, marketing, and all that kind of stuff. There was always a Program Assistant. It was just that we do it in a different way that works better for us. We're both more heavily involved in the planning process of it all than the one person making that decision because it's better having two ideas."

McKayla Goddard is the Program Assistant, and adds there are other staff who also help with their particular programs, seeing as they've been doing them for ages and they do a great job.

"Our job is to try and make our programs more robust because for a while, we didn't have programs that were really addressing our whole demographic. We had some very specific programs, but we didn't have things that covered all ages or all different kind of interests. So. we're trying to branch out with that. We've added the Home Schoolers group, so that they have a place to come. hang out, and meet other home schoolers. We're starting to do a Silent Book Club every month, hoping to bring more people in who maybe aren't exactly extroverted enough to join a book club. But with the sound of a book club, they can read whatever they want and they just get a chance to mingle with other people that love to read."

She notes some collaborative efforts will take place later this summer, as well, including efforts with the Family Resource Centre. Goddard says, generally speaking, O'Leary's and her jobs are to ensure that they have programs to meet everyone's needs and interests, for the most part.