You may have heard me brag, “I have the best job in town.” It is not just a line—I mean it. I have been able to watch the library grow through the efforts of its patrons, its government and its Friends.

When I came to work at the Waldport Public Library in 1991, the volunteers were reluctantly stepping into a new technological era. My first assignment was to purchase a phone with an answering machine to let callers know the service hours. One volunteer was skeptical and placed the phone in the bottom drawer of the desk. Within a few weeks the same volunteer was requesting we purchase a mobile phone so she could take it along to the shelf to confirm whether a book was available for a caller.

This typifies our approach to “appropriate technologies.” First, scratch our heads at the new terms. Then we jump in and learn to adapt it to our best advantage. Next thing you know- the catalog is available 24/7. Then online resources like encyclopedias, magazines and even a national catalog can be searched from home as well as in the library.

By joining the Coastal Resource Sharing Network, a consortium of libraries in Lincoln and Tillamook counties, we extended our access to a collection of over 200,000 titles. By working together we are also able to purchase the new technologies that enable greater information access for our remote communities. I think this consortium exemplifies the best applications for the Internet. Living on the edge of the Pacific, no longer means being out of the information loop.

The Building Remodel Project in 2006-07 was the second expansion of the library in 15 years. By claiming all the old school building, the library expands to 4,300 square feet, over four times its area in 1991. Drop by the photo album to see some of the process. Don’t miss the “Thanks-to-You” page citing some of the contributions from grantors, local businesses and volunteers. They are aplenty and we are most grateful.

I am proud of what we have accomplished in this small library. I look forward to our continued growth with the help of such good library supporters.