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62 W Spearhead Division Avenue Building 400 Fort Knox, KY 40121 502-624-1232 Hours of Operation: Monday—Thursday 0900—1930 Friday and Saturday 0900—1700 Closed Sundays and Federal Holidays
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Barr Library captures top honors from Library of Congress By Catrina Francis Gold Standard Senior Staff Writer
In the past few years the Fort Knox Barr Library’s staff has embraced technology and used out-of-the-box thinking to ensure the library is meeting all of its customers’ needs. Doing so paid off when Barr was named the 2014 Federal Library/Information Center of the Year in April. FEDLINK is a program though the Library of Congress which recognizes libraries and their employees for their work in a large library information center with a staff of 11 or more federal/and or contract employees, said Michael Steinmacher, Fort Knox’s Barr Library director. “(Barr Library) was recognized as a federal library for its innovation in Deputy Librarian of Congress David Mao (left) with service provision for Barr Library Director Michael Steinmacher (center) focuses on community and and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Community Recreation Chief Mark Wicker after Fort Knox’s Barr meeting the needs of its Library was named Federal Library of the Year. customers,” explained Steinmacher. “The Library (Photo courtesy of The Library of Congress) of Congress spells it out the things that we do like the Authors at your Library program, the Puppy Tales program focusing on helping children read and the cooperation we have with the Red Cross Pet Therapy program.” He added that the Library of Congress also identified the other things Barr is doing to separate the library from others such as adding Roku digital streaming devices and the wireless library box network which serves as a community outreach tool. Being acknowledged for their hard work is nothing new to Steinmacher and his staff. Last year the library was given Department of Defense premier library status. Every year all DOD libraries have to go through a check sheet that has standards which are measured on different levels. Continued on Page 2
Barr Library honored by Library of Congress Continued from Page 1 Last year Barr became the first Army library to meet all of the conditions and standards under this program, Steinmacher said. The staff also received the Morale, Welfare and Recreation Team Excellence Award in March and was recognized as the Southeast Regional Library of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2010. Steinmacher believes that being given premier library status last year was an indirect helping hand to winning this year’s award because they were meeting and exceeding all the standards that are required for a DOD library. “It shows the lengths to which Fort Knox has gone to develop and provide library services to the community,” said Steinmacher. “I don’t necessarily think they looked at that, I think they may have looked at that and realized what that meant and factored that it into their decision. I certainly think the things we do helped us earn DOD premier status and are many of the things that the Library of Congress looks to and is recognizing us.” When compared to other installations Fort Knox isn’t a large installation and to receive this honor is confirmation on what the library is doing, said Steinmacher. Steinmacher pointed out that the Library of Congress is the pre-eminent library in the U.S. and for them to single out Fort Knox’s Army library program as its top-tier library for 2014 is a high honor. “It goes back to the staff (being) committed to providing the best customer service to our extended Army family,” he said, “and using what resources we have as effectively as we have and (being) creative and innovative. This award is wonderful, it’s nice to know people on the outside are looking in and seeing what people are telling us. Ultimately it’s about the people we are serving, it’s not about the award. The recognition is incredible and the recognition is affirmation on what we are doing on a nationwide scale. I’m surprised we are being singled out.” Steinmacher added that his staff is smart and savvy on how they use the resources that are available to them at the library. It’s also about pushing the boundaries in library service, he said. Although Steinmacher has ensured Barr has kept pace with technology, he’s always looking for innovative ways to reach the installation. In a couple of weeks he will launch a Barr Library podcast and is reaching out for more authors for the Authors at your Library program. “What we are trying to do at the library, what I think ultimately we are being recognized for, is we are trying to embrace and offer the best traditional services, plus we have added on and developed other resources and services that push the frontier leveraging technology, electronic access in a creative way to expand and engage customers. Just a couple of years ago we wouldn’t have thought to do that,” he explained. Receiving this award, said Steinmacher, is about three things: it’s about the staff, command support, and customers. “We have a huge amount of support from our command and if we didn’t have the resources to (work with), the staff wouldn’t be able to deliver,” said Steinmacher. “It’s about the customer, that’s what’s driving everything. It’s about providing the best service we can in a challenging environment to some of the greatest customers you could ever want to serve.” This article originally appeared in the May 14, 2015, of the Gold Standard.
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McGarry to present Authors at Your Library program on young adult novel Nowhere But Here Katie McGarry, author of young adult novels such as Pushing the Limits and Dare You To, discusses and signs her new book Nowhere But Here Thursday, June 11, 6 PM at Barr Memorial Library. In Nowhere But Here, 17-year-old Emily likes the life she lives, but she’s curious about her biological father, who chose life in a motorcycle club over being a parent. She finds her world turned upside down during an extended summer visit with relatives she has never known, where she learns that nothing is what it seems. When a young, wannabe member of the club, is tasked with keeping Emily safe from a rival club’s retribution, sparks start to fly.
Katie McGarry
McGarry says she was inspired to write Nowhere But Here by her own personal experiences being around motorcyclists in her youth. To give the book a more factual feel, McGarry spent time with a local motorcycle club, learning about what she notes “was a sense of brotherhood, the sense of family.” She adds, “I found loyalty and strength, tenderness and grace.” Copies of Nowhere But Here will be available for sale at the event. For further information, contact the Library at (502) 624-1232.
June 2015 Calendar of Library Events Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
Wednesday
2
Sit & Stitch 5 PM
7
8 Sit & Stitch 5 PM
9 Summer Reading Story Hour 10 AM SHIP & KPAP Program 2 PM
14
14 Sit & Stitch 5 PM
21
22
16
29
10
4
Friday
Saturday
5
TEEN SUMMER READING BEGINS Summer Reading Teen Thursday 3 PM
11
SRP Kickoff!
6
Hula Ohana of Kentucky 12 PM Puppy Tales 1 PM Russell Lunsford 2 PM
12
13
19
20
26
27
Frisch Marionettes 10 AM @ Devers
Summer Reading Teen Thursday 3 PM Authors at Your Karaoke & Krafts Library— (Ages 8-12) Katie McGarry 3 PM 6 PM
17
18
Joli’ Summer Reading Summer Reading 10 AM @ Devers Teen Thursday Story Hour Karaoke & Krafts 3 PM 10 AM (Ages 8-12) Couponing 101 3 PM 11:30 AM Couponing 101 5:30 PM
23 Summer Reading Story Hour 10 AM
28
3 Lunch Bunch Book Discussion 11 AM
Thursday
24
25
Mark Wood Fun Show! Summer Reading 10 AM @ Devers Teen Thursday 3 PM Karaoke & Krafts (Ages 8-12) 3 PM
30 Summer Reading Story Hour 10 AM
62 West Spearhead Division Avenue, Building 400 • Fort Knox, KY 40121 (502) 624-1232 • www.barrlibrary.org
Mortal Kombat X Tournament 12 PM