Bedford County Library’s public service extends beyond books
By George Berkheimer
It didn’t take Matthew Godissart long to feel at home when he became the director of the Bedford County Library in 2013 and the Hyndman-Londonderry Public Library which joined as a branch in 2018. “One of my formative memories was coming here with my mother and brother on the weekends when I was six or seven to check out stacks of books,” he said. The Bedford County Library was officially established in 1944 after a survey conducted by local school officials determined that 10% of the county’s student population didn’t have access to any kind of library, although unofficial libraries existed earlier in the town’s history. Over the years, the library was housed in a building near the courthouse for several decades before moving temporarily to the historic Anderson House prior to occupying its present location on South Wood Street. Many of the county’s older residents can remember calling the library as children to hear a recorded story that changed every month. “Becky Claar, our children’s librarian, recorded those stories and is still working at the library,” Godissart said. “That service no longer exists, but we now have a Story Time program at the library and it’s also very popular, with up to 25 families attending each session.”
More than books
In modern times, libraries provide much more than books. Additional services at the Bedford County Library include fingerprinting, free internet access with seven computer stations, fax and copy service, and extensive newspaper archives. “We have an art gallery that allows local artists to display here, and that has been pretty popular,” Godissart said. The library’s programming includes an unstructured Lego Club that meets one night per week, as well as a monthly STEM program on Saturdays. “I teach different STEM subjects, and the students who attend work with robots and other technology-related materials,” he explained. STEM kits available for checkout contain themed educational materials such as models of the human heart, the human brain, and the human skeletal and muscular systems. “One of our more unusual lending items are ukuleles that come with a tuner and a book on learning how to play,” Godissart added. A partnership with the Master Gardeners of Bedford County enables programming that addresses native plants and pollinators. “We’re trying to make as many of our programs as possible free or low cost,” he said.
Improving access
Not everybody can easily access the library, but there are some options to overcome that challenge. “Our pop-up library delivery vehicle travels through the county to deliver books to various rest home, day care centers and schools,” Godissart said. E-books, which can be downloaded onto an electronic device for a specific lending period, are also popular. “We’re approaching 15,000 annual online e-book circulations, and the marketing people from the Hoopla streaming service that provides these downloads are constantly calling to ask how we manage that at our size,” he said. “They don’t see that level of circulation in other rural libraries anywhere else in the country.” It’s also not lost on Godissart that the Bedford County Library registers about 50,000 visitors per year, roughly equivalent to the county’s population, and also registers 75,000 physical book circulations per year. “We’re one of the state’s rural libraries that is seeing increases in overall circulation year to year,” he said.
Sharing
Godissart spent time away from Bedford County attending Slippery Rock University and serving as the Juniata County librarian for three years. “I intended to spend three years here and move on, but I’m still here and don’t plan on leaving,” he said. “I like living in a place where I can have interpersonal relationships all over the county and know people everywhere I go. Everybody here is so open to community and being together and working together on a variety of different projects.” One new project that the Library is exploring is installing Story Walks throughout the county, where children and other hikers can read stories posted on laminated panels along walking trails throughout the county. “We began installing permanent signs on the Heritage Trail in September and we’re working on grants for Shawnee State Park and Blue Knob State Park to encourage engagement and help get people outdoors and reading,” Godissart said. Serving as the county’s librarian in a library he knows well has been rewarding, he said. “I never experienced a major economic disadvantage, but I grew up with people who did and saw how much they struggled,” he said. “To be able to bring resources to people who need them and appreciate them means a lot to me. I’ve been a reader all my life, and that came from this library. To be able to give that back to others is one of the most important things shared by everybody who works and volunteers here.”