A Publication of the Texas Association of Counties V olume 25, Number 5 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
• QR CODES FOR TAXES
• AFTER DISASTER STRIKES
• MEDIA TIPS
• KAIZEN
• OIL BOOM ADVICE
The Midland Imagibrarium
3859 Counties_.indd 1 9/6/13 4:38 AM HOW DO YOUR EMPLOYEES VOLUME 25, NUMBER 5 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 TAKE THEIR RETIREMENT?
Having your coee made-to-order is one of life’s little luxuries. Shouldn’t your employees have that same luxury with their deferred compensation account? 2013 Of cers Features That’s why Nationwide oers a wide variety of & Board of Directors 20 Read All About It 12 tips for delivering the county educational resources and quality investment options PRESIDENT Connie Hickman message to fit the unique needs of public sector employees. Navarro County Justice of the Peace PRESIDENT ELECT Don Allred 24 QR Codes for Taxes Oer your employees a deferred comp program Oldham County Judge Comal County earns County Best VICE PRESIDENT Practices Award for becoming first in that’s made-to-order. Joyce Hudman Brazoria County Clerk the country to give taxpayers direct
MEMBERS link to online tax statements via QR Luanne Caraway codes p. 24 Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector Renee Couch After Disaster Strikes: What Next? Contact us today. Comal County Treasurer 26 Edward Dion Tips and resources for building 877-677-3678 El Paso County Auditor community resilience Laurie English NRSforu.com 112th District Attorney 30 Voices of County Government Larry Gallardo County officials discuss their Hidalgo County Constable passion for public service and local Neil Fritsch Calhoun County Commissioner government Roger Harmon Johnson County Judge 32 How to Make Toast, Better Teresa Kiel Counties use kaizen events to help Guadalupe County Clerk improve public sector efficiencies Patti Jones Lubbock County Commissioner p. 36 Daniel Law 36 Making the Most of an Oil Boom Caldwell County Sheriff Officials from shale-impacted counties Tommy Owens discuss what to do to help ensure Upton County Commissioner community success before, during Jackie Miller, Jr. Ellis County Justice of the Peace and after an oil boom Wes Suiter Angelina County Judge 40 The Midland Imagibrarium Sherri Wood n Midland County visionaries create Tom Green County District Clerk new community library experience Nationwide Retirement Solutions (Nationwide) partners with the EX OFFICIO MEMBERS National Association of Counties (NACo) to provide counties Vernon Cook and their employees with a competitive deferred compensation Roberts County Judge program. As part of this partnership, Nationwide pays a fee to Immediate Past President Departments NACo in exchange for NACo’s exclusive endorsement, marketing Marc Hamlin support, and program oversight of Nationwide products made Brazos County District Clerk 4 Staff Report / 5 Website Spotlight / 6 Clipboard / 15 Historical Highlights / 18 Emergency Services / 49 Calendar / available under the program. For more information, including fees NACo Representative paid, Nationwide encourages you to visit NRSforu.com. Ron Hickman 50 Implications / 51 County Information Project / 52 One Last Look Information provided by retirement specialists is for educational Harris County Constable purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. NACo Representative Retirement Specialists are registered representatives of Nationwide Investment Services Corporation, member FINRA. County Staff In MI only: Nationwide Investment Svcs. Corporation. Gene Terry, Executive Director / Leah Magnus, Communications Manager / Maria Sprow, Editor ©2011 Nationwide Retirement Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. Contributing Writers Graphic Design One Nationwide Blvd., Columbus, OH 43215. Nationwide, On Liz Carmack and Joel Nihlean, / Ben Chomiak, Your Side and the Nationwide framemark are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. NRV-0443AO-NX (3/11) SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 • COU NTY 3
3859 Counties_.indd 3 9/6/13 4:38 AM Midland County visionaries create new community library experience By Maria Sprow here are a lot of ways to not quiet. It’s not stuffy. It’s not old. describe the Midland County It’s not familiar. It’s rambunctious. It’s Centennial Library. It’s been lively. It’s innovative. It’s an adventure. Tdescribed as a “gymnasium e Centennial Library is an for the mind,” by Midland County experience — for everyone. It’s a Public Library Foundation President meeting space, an exhibit space, a Andy Shaffer; an “imagibrarium” community space. It’s a place where by Midland County Judge Mike kids can play video games and exercise, Bradford; and a “pathway to adventure where teens can make movies and and, unencumbered, to freedom” by where adults can browse one of the Midland County Public Library Advisory Board member Ed Todd. premiere genealogy collections in the state. It’s a place where the To describe the library is to throw away the traditional descriptors. seasons change constantly, where children move through holes in the It’s not just a collection of paperbacks and encyclopedias and DVDs wall and find themselves in their own special world, a place where and computers available for public use or a facility that encourages they can look up and see their place on Earth among the stars. It’s a literacy with summer reading programs and toddler story times. It’s place to read and eat lunch under a large oak tree — something hard
TOP: The colorful Youth Services desk at the Midland County Centennial Library. BOTTOM: The Centennial Library was constructed in a 33,000-square-foot former Bed, Bath and Beyond store. (Photos courtesy of the Midland County Library System.)
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 • COUNTY 41
3859 Counties_.indd 41 9/9/13 5:49 AM TOP: Foam letters spell out the purpose of the enclosed children’s activity room. BOTTOM: Children nd a cozy spot to read at in the Midland County Centennial Library.
2003. “I congratulate the Midland County Commissioners for the foresight to see our needs as a growing population and responding with a facility that is a distinct treasure. is is not an expense but an investment that will pay great dividends.” “ anks for having the political courage to do the right thing for the majority of us who want to see our community stay ahead of its incredible growth,” wrote Trey Wetendorf in another Letter to the Editor. “And thanks for taking an active interest in and responding to the needs of our community’s future leaders — the young professionals and new families who have moved here recently.” “We are at a crossroads in Midland, and we can either move forward with planned and smart growth, or we can get run over in the middle of the crossroad. We must invest now to ensure that longtime Midlanders and new families moving here every day have a city in which the quality of life provides the best for our children’s futures,” wrote Sherry Colwell in another letter. “We must commit ourselves, as the county already has done, to providing a quality of life that will last for generations to come. e new Centennial branch library will do just that.” The Making of the Imagibrarium When visitors open the front doors to the Centennial Library, one of the first things they see is a tree “growing’” along a pathway that separates the bookworms from the tech geeks — one of several trees the county purchased for a total of $200,000. e trees are, as Bradford puts it, “all Hollywood”: the kind of trees used on movie sets, made from steel and rubber. ey hide electrical cords and provide other essential infrastructural and aesthetic functions, such as lighting, seating and sound absorption. to find in drought-stricken Midland. But the trees aren’t the only thing Hollywood. e story behind It’s a place constructed of concrete but made up of dreams, visions the Centennial Library would lend itself to a feature film — if and big ideas. Hollywood made movies about libraries. “We wanted to do something spectacular, and I feel like we In many areas, the public library is a bruised but beloved cultural did,” said Midland County Public Library Director John Trischitti, icon, a hero beaten by time and looking for its moment of redemption. speaking during a session at the National Association of Counties Five years ago, Midland County’s library system was no exception. (NACo) 2013 County Solutions and Marketplace conference in e county, with a population of about 136,000 and growing, was Tarrant County. “Every individual in your community has an idea spending about $2 million a year to keep its libraries open for the of what a public library is, and in Midland, that (traditional) idea is 1,000 or so patrons. To Bradford and the county’s commissioners, wrong.” that seemed like an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars. So they added It all sounds like hyperbole, but the Midland County Centennial an agenda item to a commissioner’s meeting to consider closing the Library is a place residents are proud of, and the hype hasn’t county’s library system, and Bradford said it was set to happen, with diminished residents’ pride and enjoyment of the new $8.1 million an expected vote of 5-0. facility. But the local newspaper got wind of the agenda and ran a story, “Our community is better than ever,” wrote Buddy Sipes in a causing a frenzy in the county’s courthouse. Residents lined up in Letter to the Editor for the Midland Reporter-Telegram after the the hallways to tell commissioners what villains they were for even library’s grand opening, which featured special guests Laura Bush thinking about closing the libraries. Commissioners held public and Gen. Tommy Franks, who oversaw the United States Armed hearings for three days about the issue, said Bradford while speaking Forces operations in the Middle East from July 2000 until July at the NACo conference.
42 COU NTY • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
3859 Counties_.indd 42 9/6/13 4:39 AM “We kept saying ‘if you don’t use it, or tell us what you want, we’re commissioners court big on five-year planning and saving. going to close it. at’s it,’” Bradford said. “And the most astonishing So commissioners changed direction. Instead of closing the library thing was a lot of people who came to the microphone were friends system, they decided to build a new library — one that residents of mine, who I’d been talking to, and who’d said nothing. Like David would actually use — and search for a new director — “somebody (a resident)… he came to the microphone and pounded. And he whose ideas, creativity and particularly their energy level matched said, ‘You just can’t close it. Every successful community needs a the court’s, or exceeded it,” Bradford said, adding that the court also library.’ And I said ‘Fine. When was the last time you’ve been in it?’ voted to keep its traditional downtown library open, though it’s And he responded, ‘I’ve never been in it, but we’ve got to have one.’” been downsized so that staffing efforts can focus on the Centennial Fortunately, Midland County hadn’t needed to close its libraries due operations. to financial constraints on the budget or in favor of more necessary e court found Trischitti from the Terrell library system. services, as is happening across the country. e county is privileged With Trischitti, the court started dreaming with three goals in to be sitting in the middle of an oil boom, with an entrepreneurial mind: it wanted to create excitement in the community; it wanted to create something that was one-of-a-kind; and it wanted something that married technology with tradition. “We heard so much from the community, and they wanted things they couldn’t see elsewhere. ey wanted an escape for when it’s 110 degrees in the shade in Midland. ey Think protecting wanted to go somewhere and kind of feel like they had a departure,” Trishchitti said. the public is e group traveled to libraries in Michigan, risky? Florida, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, California, Washington State, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas to get a better grasp of what they Try buying wanted their library to look like. ey created the wrong a task force of library employees. And they met with a host of vendors about possible public safety technological and architectural innovations. “We went to all of their home offices and communications. sat down and they showed us what they had, and we said, ‘now we want to talk about Your new Project-25 radio network something you don’t have.’ And every one of could cost hundreds of thousands those vendors created something,” Bradford more than necessary. And you might said. not even know it. Don’t let this Finally, they found the building: an former happen to you. Tusa acts as your Bed, Bath and Beyond store in a growing expert advocate, focusing decades of section of the county along Loop 250, sitting next to a Best Buy and a Barnes and Noble, real world experience and dedication just blocks away from Midland College and to get you exactly what you need, its 7,000 students. e court was able to and nothing you don’t. purchase the building in November 2011 for Read our latest white paper–and $3.2 million out-of-pocket. It spent another help save your bottom line–at $3.4 million out-of-pocket on renovating the tusaconsulting.com/white_paper.html. 33,000-square-foot facility, plus additional funds on purchasing computers, electronics and furniture. At first, some of the expenses seemed a little extraordinary, if not outrageous. “ e public was beating us to death — we weren’t going to close it, but why did we need a new one?” Bradford said. “We finally (came up with the phrase) that there is a great deal of difference Raising The Bar In Radio Communications between storing money and making money back for the community.” 75757 Highway 1082 | Covington, LA 70435 Still, commissioners knew they’d have to www.tusaconsulting.com | 985.249.6467 explain the $200,000 spent on the trees — an idea that came after a visit to a library in
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 • COU NTY 43
3859 Counties_.indd 43 9/6/13 4:39 AM California, of all places — to residents, so they developed the strategy “ e kids swim in the flowers and it’s pretty interactive,” Trischitti of talking about unusual and big-ticket purchases early on. said. “We wanted it to be engaging but we didn’t think it would be “West Texas is a desert and we are under water rationing, and as as interactive.” you can imagine, the courtroom filled up again. But we continued on e children’s section of the library includes a colorful mural and said, ‘just give us a chance,’ because the one thing we wanted to depicting animals and their native continents, fun elephant chairs, a be sure of is that it was going to be so different,” Bradford said, adding ceiling depicting Earth as seen from space, cloud-like lights, a bubble that residents have since embraced the trees. (Trischitti said the trees wall outlined by large colorful letters spelling out the word “children” actually saved the county $18,000 because they kept engineers from (the “h” serves as the entryway to the activity room), a hole children having to add a dropped ceiling.) “I’m proud to say I’ve never been can use to crawl through from one area to another and a hot air in the facility since it opened that there aren’t people dragging chairs balloon and basket donated by a fan from Michigan that children from other places over to sit under the tree and read.” can read in. e dedicated teen section includes a device charging station Something for Everyone and video game consoles complete with sound domes so that teens e originality and big ideas have created new life for the Midland playing on different consoles don’t hear the sound effects to others’ County library system. e Centennial Library sees about 1,000 games. patrons walk through its doors each day. “Gaming is something that a lot of public libraries have been “When you’re recruiting doctors and petroleum engineers and doing for a long time and it’s fairly inexpensive,” Trischitti said. “It’s teachers and those things, you need to have something that you can a hook for teens, which is a very tough demographic because as they go and point to and say this is why Midland is great, and you usually get older and can drive, they have the ability to go elsewhere … but point to your public schools, your parks and I think that the library we actually use it for adults, too. We’re going to have a Wii bowling can be one of those things,” Trischitti said. league in the fall for the adults. So it really opens you up to a lot of e Centennial Library’s uniqueness is apparent as soon a patron things.” walks through the front door. Not only are visitors greeted with ere’s also a media lab with sound and video recording equipment indoor trees and a pathway to follow along their journey through the and a green screen patrons can use to make their own music and building, but the pathway is decorated with projected images of the videos. e county uses it to record radio commercials. four seasons — a touch that allows the youngest patrons to interact “You can come in and record a video and send it to your grandkids with the building in wild and imaginative ways. because they are stationed in Germany,” Trischitti said.
UPPER LEFT: Part of the Bob Hope: An American Treasure exhibit hosted at the Centennial Library from May 1-July 25. ABOVE: Former First Lady Laura Bush checks out the Centennial Library’s computer stations during the library’s grand opening. LOWER LEFT: A toddler plays in the oor projection feature that highlights the Centennial Library’s main walkway.
44 COU NTY • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013
3859 Counties_.indd 44 9/6/13 4:39 AM really get away from the rest of the hustle and bustle of the library,” Trischitti said. e library also contains a genealogy area surrounded by silhouettes depicting aspects of Midland County history, multiple meeting spaces for different sized groups and an open museum-like space for traveling exhibits, book displays and local art contests. e exhibit hosted the Bob Hope: An American Treasure exhibit from May 1-July 25; it’s now hosting the NASA Manned Space Flight exhibit until Sept. 27. And General Franks donated a third of his personal collection of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack to the library’s permanent custodial care for future display. Other special programs have included yoga classes for kids, beginner sewing classes, magic and puppet Kids Yoga is just one of the many special programs featured at the Centennial Library. shows, banned book readings, a dinosaur activity day and a Midland County passport program (called e library also includes 60 computer stations and various touch “Around the Town in 80 Days”). screens patrons can use for finding books and other purposes. And Trischitti and Bradford both said the county’s desire for and support just off from the circulation desk, kids can play an interactive word of big ideas has lead to opportunities the county didn’t expect. game designed specifically for the Centennial Library. e Indiana “ is facility has given us the opportunity and the ability to do Jones-themed game is bilingual and keeps a leader board so that kids things we were never able to do previously, never thought we could can get competitive about their wordplay as they get closer to the do. … We are able to host events, partner with PBS (the Public treasure. Broadcasting System), partner with the Museum of the Southwest,” And for the more traditional library users, there’s a dedicated quiet Trischitti said. “We definitely dreamt big and although it looks like room, complete with a cozy fireplace and work stations. we didn’t cut anything, we cut an immense amount.” “We are not interested in alienating any of our users and so we “Change the language with which you refer to the library,” Bradford have a space where you can study, read the newspaper and kind of added. “Don’t be afraid to dream and convert it into action.” ✯
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3859 Counties_.indd 45 9/6/13 4:39 AM Does Midland County have the Tech-iest Library in Texas? Page 2 of 5
Does Midland County have the Tech-iest Library in Texas? The revamped Centennial Library provides digital signage touchscreens as interactive card catalogs, 60 virtualized computers, Wi-Fi and other new tech features.
BY SARAH RICH (HTTP://WWW.GOVTECH.COM/AUTHORS/SARAH-RICH.HTML) / APRIL 11, 2013
Midland County, Texas, Judge Mike Bradford tries out the new touchscreen digital signage screen at the Midland Centennial Library. Photo by Tim Fischer, The Midland Reporter- Telegram.
http://www.govtech.com/education/Does-Midland-County-have-the-Tech-iest-Library-in-... 1/15/2014 Does Midland County have the Tech-iest Library in Texas? Page 3 of 5
On Saturday, April 13, the Midland County, Texas, Public Libraries system is unveiling its new and improved Centennial Library -- complete with next- generation technologies unlike any other leading tech libraries from Texas to the West Coast, says John Trischitti, director of the Midland County Public Libraries.
“I would say that when this library opens, it will be the premiere public library facility in the state of Texas,” he said.
The library will re-open in a new location – now in a one-story, 33,000- square-foot building that was formerly the location of a Linens 'n Things – only this time with a series of tech upgrades and a museum-like appeal, complete with life-size trees, pictures of animals, and a room with its ceiling portraying planet Earth, according to library county officials.
Jason Bates, the library’s IT director, said the reopened library now features 46-inch digital signage touchscreens to give patrons virtual access to the facility’s database of books and media. And the interactive card catalog displays book titles in a traditional way -- it shows the original book covers sitting on what looks like a wooden book shelf.
To browse through the library’s collection, patrons can filter down results to their choosing by conducting a search for books on tape or CD, or the movie on which the book is based – not the book itself, Bates said. Through the filter, patrons can also view a summary of the book, as well as map out where the copy of the book is located within the library. On the same touchscreen, patrons may reserve books and media, or put a hold on a copy once it becomes available.
Beyond digital search through the library’s database, the library – through an existing partnership with Cisco – will house 60 virtualized public computers using Citrix virtual desktops, which is powered by Cisco servers and EMC SAN storage. Bates said that virtualized environment has allowed the library to expand the technology within the facility without having to hire on additional IT staff.
The library will provide free access to Wi-Fi, and staff will provide free training sessions on how to use tablets and other newer technologies.
http://www.govtech.com/education/Does-Midland-County-have-the-Tech-iest-Library-in-... 1/15/2014 Does Midland County have the Tech-iest Library in Texas? Page 4 of 5
To turn the Centennial Library into a haven of next-gen technology, Bates said that library staff, architects and library consultants toured “new libraries” in Texas all the way to the West Coast. By visiting new libraries with leading- edge tech features, the staff learned which might be worth incorporating at their own.
Trischitti said they discovered that each library had “one big bell and whistle,” however, no single library had an entire collection of next-gen library technologies – only standard technologies. After their research, the Centennial Library was revamped with an assortment of newer technologies, not just with one big-ticket item.
“And on top of what we did with the sampling and everything else, we added a couple dozen of our own ideas,” Bates said. “There’s something new around every corner of this place for somebody to see: technologically and physically.”
Photo: Midland County, Texas, Judge Mike Bradford tries out the new touchscreen digital signage screen at the Midland Centennial Library. By Tim Fischer, The Midland Reporter-Telegram.
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Year in Architecture 2013: A Destination Place
By Bette-Lee Fox
The new Centennial Library, Midland County Public Library, TX, was transformed from a stand-alone retail facility, the best case of “adaptive reuse.” Among the high-tech amenities in the nearly $8 million building are dedicated children’s and teen spaces featuring an interactive work wall and an interactive floor. The library also includes a media lab, movable walls and partitions, and a variety of seating options. CREDITS: Dewberry, architect; Maxwell Filmworks, photo.
The Glenvar Branch Library, Roanoke County Public Library, Salem, VA, has a high vaulted wood ceiling with clerestory windows facilitating natural light. The form respects the local history and climate, while presenting views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. CREDITS: HBM Architects, architect; Sam Dean Photography, photo.
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The Storytime Room at the Mission Viejo Library, CA, was a collaborative effort, painted by muralist Matthew Huchthausen and artist Kevin Pederson and designed by Robert R. Coffee Architects to replicate old Orange County farmland. CREDITS: Robert R. Coffee Architect + Associates, architect; Kathleen Kelton, photo.
The Mall Library Connection, Fort Vancouver Regional Library District, Vancouver, WA, is in leased space within the Westfield Vancouver Mall. It features an all-glass storefront with collection display, a raised platform for access, and an automated materials handling system. CREDITS: SHKS Architects, architect; ©Jeff Amram Photography, photo.
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/11/buildings/year-in-architecture-2013-a-destination-place/ 1/15/2014 Year in Architecture 2013: A Destination Place Page 3 of 3
Mesa County Libraries Central Library, Grand Junction, CO, gained 9,000 square feet of space and now totals 45,000 square feet. It houses a shaded outdoor patio and a 230-person-capacity community room, a much larger teen space, and six study rooms. Natural light floods the building, and the Regional History Room received a “historically flavored” renovation. CREDITS: Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, architect; Mesa County Libraries, photo.
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About Bette-Lee Fox Bette-Lee Fox ([email protected]
Celebrating her 40th year with Library Journal, Bette-Lee also edits LJ’s Video Reviews column, six times a year Romance column, and e-original Romance reviews, which post weekly as LJ Xpress Reviews.
Filed Under: Architecture and Buildings
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Designing Your Library for Interactivity Queens To Replace Library That Served As Emergency Center During Hurricane California: Berkeley Public Library's New West Branch is a 'Zero Net Energy' Building" LJ INFOdocket The Globe and Mail Reports on "The University Library of the Future" LJ INFOdocket
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Letters about the new library for April 28, 2013
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Posted: Monday, April 29, 2013 11:04 am | Updated: 11:07 am, Mon Apr 29, 2013.
Midland Reporter-Telegram |
Commissioners gave us the best
With the recent opening of the new Midland County Public Library branch, our community is better than ever. I congratulate the Midland County commissioners for the foresight to see our needs as a growing population and responding with a facility that is a distinct treasure. This is not an expense but an investment that will pay great dividends. It was a pleasure to watch young and old enjoy the many innovations and unique features.
The library opening with former first lady Laura Bush and Gen. Tommy Franks was a well-planned and exciting event.
Thank you, Midland County commissioners, for giving us the best.
Buddy Sipes
Commissioners show wise use of public funds
On behalf of so many busy Midlanders, I want to give a shout out to the Midland County commissioners and Midland County Judge Mike Bradford for an incredible week earlier this month.
Not only does our community now have a world-class “librarium” or “imaginarium” or what I just call a fabulous library, it has a new fire truck and three new ambulances for use by the Midland Fire Department.
On both counts, thank you, Midland County, for your wise stewardship of our county coffers. Thanks for having political courage to do the right thing for the majority of us who want to see our community stay ahead of its incredible growth.
And thanks for taking an active interest in and responding to the needs of our community’s future leaders — the young professionals and new families who have moved here recently.
We all want our elected officials to use public funds wisely. But part of that wisdom is knowing when an investment is both beneficial — and long overdue.
Trey Wetendorf
Vision on display with quality of life investment
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Our family is thrilled about the opening of the new Midland County Library Centennial branch. I want to thank the Midland County commissioners and Midland County Judge Mike Bradford for both the vision and political courage it took to see this project through. We are at a crossroads in Midland, and we can either move forward with planned and smart growth, or we can get run over in the middle of the crossroad. We must invest now to ensure that longtime Midlanders and new families moving here every day have a city in which the quality of life provides the best for our children’s futures.
I would like to see the county and city both invest our tax dollars more extensively in our quality of life in Midland, be it water sources, soccer parks, public pools or any infrastructure improvements that will provide all corners of our community with more healthy entertainment options for our families.
Yes, improving the infrastructure in Midland requires the expenditure of money. But I choose to see this as an investment in the city’s future viability. We must commit ourselves, as the county already has done, to providing a quality of life that will last for generations to come. The new Centennial branch library will do just that.
Sherry Colwell
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Editorial: County residents need to check out what library hype is about
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Posted: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 11:28 am
Midland Reporter-Telegram |
Congratulations to Judge Mike Bradford, the other county commissioners and Library Director John Trischitti for constructing a Centennial branch library all residents should be proud of.
After getting a first glimpse, we have seen a library that not only will live up to the hype but will provide a family-friendly facility that will change the expectations Midlanders have about what a library is. However, it’s not only about the new technology, the new design and the extras that will change attitudes. We expect the location off Loop 250 will provide more Midlanders additional opportunities to take advantage of the $8 million investment county officials put into this facility.
Libraries face a challenge in the future. How do they stay relevant when the Internet has changed how people do research and collect information? The answer, it appears, is change the library’s focus from being an information provider to a “gymnasium for the mind,” as Midland County Public Library Foundation President Andy Shaffer described it. We believe at first glance that our library officials are up to the challenge.
As with other facilities that have changed Midland for the better — the newer airport terminal, the Scharbauer Sports Complex, the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center and the Scharbauer Hospital Tower, to name a few — Midland County has a responsibility to keep that new- facility feel. Again, we believe Trischitti and county leaders are up to the challenge.
There are other questions to ask, including what does the future hold for the downtown branch? We will expect answers, but this past weekend was about new beginnings. We thank former first lady Laura Bush, the most famous librarian of them all, for returning to Midland and adding that touch of grace only she can offer.
We also thank retired Army Gen. Tommy Franks for his appearance. We are proud that the “American Soldier” also once called Midland home. His display is another valuable asset. Both Franks and Bush made Saturday’s opener that much more special and uniquely Midland.
Lastly, we hope all residents of Midland County will take the time to visit Midland’s newest treasure.
Whether you are looking for a different place to take your child, wanting to see the renown genealogy room or just wanting to see what all the hype is, go check it out.
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MCPL Centennial branch hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The MCPL downtown branch will be closed until May 1 as it is converted into a one-story library.
http://www.mrt.com/top_stories/article_f33d7002-a77b-11e2-b149-001a4bcf887a.html 1/15/2014