It’s about the books and more.

We had a staff meeting the other day to talk about revamping our website. We are long overdue. I’ll compare it to the Winchester Mystery House. All these twists and turns that don’t lead anywhere and leave you frustrated. One of the first things we need to do is reduce the number of subjects on the pages. We took a look at the websites of other library systems and one phrase that kept popping up was “books and more”. That got me to thinking about our 1000 Books before Kindergarten program launch that just happened last weekend at all branches of the Merced County Library system.

The program is about the books, but there is more. Lots more. It’s about working alongside someone you trust and with whom you share a common vision and knowing that someone’s got your back. You learn to let your guard down and not be afraid to admit that you made a mistake, because we all do, don’t we? You miss a small detail or drop the ball, and then the next time it’s the other person’s turn to mess up.

You have little victories and meet deadlines, and then you get frustrated as you wait to see how it’s all going to play out. Will our community respond? Will folks show up and know how very important this is? We made some new friends in the community while doing publicity and outreach, and we learned some things about what our community wants for its children. We met the folks that are in the trenches at schools and childcare programs and we saw how dedicated they are to the kids.

I love how patient my story time parents were as I recited each week how close we were to The Launch. The Launch turned out to be great.  Some branches reported that they have not had as many registrations as they thought they would, but this is just the beginning. This County is like one big small town, and news travels quickly, especially news of something really, really good that can only benefit children and add more to their lives! Yes, we have the books, and much, much more.