By Pamela Brett
Branch Manager

JACKSON – As we start a new year there are certain things that we want to hold on to, but there are also some things that we need to change and improve upon.

We here at the Northampton Memorial Library are constantly trying to change and improve the opportunities that we make available to our patrons. Not only that, but reaching out to the schools, we try to offer resources that will be helpful to the students who are anxious to expand their horizons by using sources not previously available to them.

We as a public library want to do what we can to minister to the needs of our community by keeping abreast of what the schools are offering our children, what is being offered by different mediums, and making the public aware that they don’t have to look any farther than right here in Jackson.

As part of the Albemarle Regional Library system, not only do we have a variety of resources to offer but if we don’t have exactly what is needed right here we can check with the other branches and have what you need sent over here for your pick-up. The Albemarle Regional Library website can tell you more accurately what the entire library system has to offer giving links to a variety of other websites covering a multitude of topics that are of interest to people of all ages.

We offer special programs all through the calendar year; some with special entertainers, some from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences specializing in a range of different topics and holiday programs too. We even take programs out into the community for those who are unable to make the trip to town.

Let me introduce you to our staff. I, Pam Brett have been an Assistant Librarian here for going on twenty years. Working closely with Barbara Davis, who worked here for 46 years, I have learned a lot about the library and the community in which we are situated. I couldn’t have had a better teacher.

Velma Stephenson has been a substitute here at the Northampton Memorial Library even before I started working here.

Jeanette Daniel joined our team March 15, 2016. She retired from Kennametal after 33 years on the job. But staying at home after being used to working became boring, so she decided to come be a part of the Northampton team. Two things that drew her here were the closeness to home and it seemed like a new adventure. Meeting new people and helping others was also involved. Jeanette says that she has enjoyed it more that she expected she would. One thing that she says that she likes about her job is, “The library makes a HUGE difference in the community through outreach and in-reach.”

Lillie Pernell is the most recent addition to the staff. Lillie worked with the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services for 30 years finishing up on September 1, 2016. After a year of retirement, she decided that she enjoyed working too much to stop at such a young age. She needed something to keep her mind active. Applying at the library was a way to be involved in the community and continue to provide a service to the community but in a different way. What she likes best about her job is that she learns something new every day about the library and the people that frequent the library. Lillie wants to tell everybody to, “Come on down to the library, not just to check out books but to find out more about your community and to explore what is available to you right here in your hometown.”

Now it is my responsibility to pass on that knowledge to those who have joined the team here at Northampton Memorial Library. And that is exactly how we work here – as a team. We like to share ideas about the programs that we offer and how we might let the public know what we have to offer now that things at the library are changing daily. I can remember when the library was just the place you would go to find a good book to read. Now that is just a very small part of what the library has to offer its patrons. We also have 18 internet computers for public use, printer, copier, DVD’s, audiobooks and a scanner to scan pictures or documents that you can print or E-mail to friends and family.

Once you register and get your new library card, you can also sign up to receive our monthly newsletter which not only tells about the goings on here but at all of the seven branches of the Albemarle Regional Library system. So don’t miss out any longer. Come and be a part of hub of the community. We look forward to seeing you soon.