NikoleBabb
nbabb@cherryroad.com
New hours and fun ahead
A new year turns over a new page for the Towanda Public Library who welcomed a new director last month.
The rural town of Towanda grappled with drama over the winter as residents filed complaints against the Towanda Public Library with claims of rude staff and minimal operating hours. During a heated City Council meeting, it was agreed upon by the residents’ demands that change needed to be made to ensure the library is inclusive, welcoming and open during times that residents are able to access it.
In addition to the resignation and reappointing of the board’s president and a board member, a new director was hired. Since then, the library has taken on new hours and expanded their activity offering with aspirations to host even more. These steps were taken to secure the library’s future and to work towards bringing the community together.
Alecia Darrow was welcomed as the new Library Director in February. She brings a history of public service and love for the community with her as she works for the library part-time.
Growing up in Towanda, Darrow had an affinity for public service and fire fighting as she witnessed her father, Tom Pyle, Fire Chief of Towanda Fire, fight fires growing up. Her desire to fight fires alongside was met as she worked as a volunteer for the Towanda Fire Department and continues today, 18 years later.
After graduating from Circle High School in 2008, Darrow went on to attend Butler Community College for Vocal Music/Fine Arts on an academic scholarship then attended Kansas State University where she majored in Agriculture and Pre-Veterianarian.
“Back then I wanted to be everything,” laughed Darrow. “I wanted to be a vet, I wanted to be a firefighter and a mom since the time I was very young.”
After realizing her love for agriculture wasn’t what is chalked up to be, she realized she loved safety and public service more. From that point she worked for Butler County EMS as an EMT/AEMT for five years full-time then El Dorado Fire Department, (EDFD), for 6.5 years before resigning due to family schedule needs. The 24-hour shifts made it hard to coordinate childcare overnight even though she was losing her love for the fire department when she left.
During her time with the EDFD, Darrow explained that she acted as their community outreach personnel and would attend public events and help coordinate such events for the department. She most loved visiting schools to talk about fire safety.
When the position for the Towanda Public Library Director was listed, she thought it would be a perfect way to continue public service through outreach as well as have balanced time with her four-month-old daughter and wife.
“I love books, I love reading, so I thought what better way to get back into public service that will suit our family schedule,” said Darrow.
While many events are provided by the Friends of the Towanda Library, Darrow hopes to continue those and expand on recurrent library events. New events include author reading and signings, puzzle competitions and more. Future activities include toddler reading time once a week, a summer reading program, and rental library full of games and STEM kits.
“I want to build the community up together with other entities like the Towanda Area Historical Museum, Fire Department, Lions Club and Towanda Hometown Action Commission,” said Darrow.
Aside from new activities and hours, the Towanda Public Library is looking forward to building improvements in the future as well. The air conditioning system is being browsed for replacement as well as the gutters which took a hit from the winter and ice storms. Early talks of expansion on the west side of the building are starting to be mentioned.
In addition, the library is looking to hire a part-time paid head librarian and to recruit volunteers to man the building so it can be full staffed during all hours. The library is part of an interconnected library system known as the South Central Kansas Library System, which provides grants, consulting, continuing education and cost-effective support services to its member libraries as well as a book borrowing system for library members.
The Towanda Public Library is located at 620 Highland and is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am-6pm and Saturday 10am-12pm. Becoming a member is completely free and replacement library cards are $2. They can be contacted by calling 316-536-2464 or by email towandalibrary@gmail.com. They have a Facebook page that keeps updated on events as well as a website, https://towanda.scklslibrary.info.
