THE IMPACT OF BROADBAND: EDUCATION EDITION
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MORE THAN BOOKS AT ARDMORE PUBLIC LIBRARY BY LISA SAVAGE
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erlin Collins helped organize and label books at New Sharon School when she was in the eighth grade and later continued her library work at Hazel Green High School. Now, many years later, she works to organize books on a different level as the director at Ardmore Public Library in Tennessee. “I have always loved books,” she says. “I was so thrilled when I went for the interview. This is a dream job for me.” She began part time in 2007 and transitioned to full time as the library grew. “Our library has come a long way since it started 42 years ago,” she says.
Verlin Collins is the director of the Ardmore Public Library.
HUB OF THE COMMUNITY Ardmore Public Library serves residents from both sides of the state line and is a hub of activity for the communities, hosting events like dominoes tournaments for senior citizens, summer babysitter training for teens and CPR classes through the American Red Cross. The facility hosts the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program income tax service, which provides free preparation for seniors and middle- to lowincome families. There are also regularly scheduled book clubs. “We have programs and activities for just about any age,” Collins says. About half the patrons come from Ardmore, Tennessee, while the rest come from Ardmore, Alabama, as well as parts of Limestone and Madison counties in Alabama and Giles and Lincoln counties in Tennessee. The library boasts a circulation of well over 40,000 books, and patrons also can access thousands of e-books through the Tennessee Regional eBook & Audiobook Download System. 12 | September/October 2019
THE LIBRARY’S HISTORY Ardmore first had access to library books through the Blue Grass Regional Library bookmobile from Columbia, Tennessee. “They began leaving books at the Lewter’s Hardware store,” she says. “The first few books were circulated through the honor system and were later checked out by signing the borrower’s name.” As circulation continued to increase throughout the early 1970s, a group of local women decided Ardmore needed a library of its own. In 1977, Ardmore Community Library opened in Tennessee inside Ardmore City Hall with joint funding from both border towns and 1,000 books from the Regional Library Service of the Tennessee State Library. Patrons paid 25 cents for a library card, and the volunteer-run library only opened a few hours a week. Before the end of that year, the first librarian was hired. By 2004, the library had become fully automated, and a grant provided for four public computers with internet access. With steady growth, it soon qualified to become a public library, and in 2008 it was moved to a new, 4,000-square-foot building on Main Street. By then, the library had over 5,000 patrons and a circulation of 27,870 books. “When I first came here, we were still using the card in the back of the book to check books out,” Collins says. “It took us a year and a half to get the system fully automated.” Including Collins, the library has two full-time employees, two part-time employees and 12 regular volunteers. The facility expanded through the years to 6,600 square feet and now includes a children’s area, historical room, meeting spaces and a kitchen.
UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY The library has 12 public computers connected to Ardmore Telephone Company’s broadband internet. The robust connection provides access to create resumes, check websites for jobs and attend online classes and training. Patrons can use their own devices to access the free Wi-Fi, which is available 24 hours a day. Ardmore Telephone Company
