GRAVETTE -- Getting the Sulphur Springs Library back up and running was no mean feat.
Melinda Griffin, volunteer director of the Sulphur Springs Library, spoke to the Gravette Kiwanis Club on Jan. 6, and gave a brief history of the library. She said a library had operated sporadically since the 1980s in Sulphur Springs but had been closed for about seven years in early 2022. At that point, she was asked by Marcy Steele to serve on a committee to organize a library and then to serve as chairperson of that committee.
Griffin said she was asked to be on the committee because she had been volunteering for a few months at the Gravette Public Library. She first visited the Sulphur Springs library on Feb. 22 and discovered it needed extensive reorganization and remodeling. Removing outdated and duplicate books was also needed, so she went right to work.
"I love a good project," she said.
It took about 5½ months before the library could reopen because she kept adding new projects, Griffin said.
After pulling up the old carpet, she discovered the flooring was in very poor shape. Volunteers soon came to sand and refinish the floors.
Shirley Barber, another volunteer, headed a fundraising drive to purchase new matching bookcases Griffin wanted, and funds were quickly raised with donations from several community members.
Griffin supervised book sales and other fundraisers in the months before the library opened. A summer reading program was held, even though the library was not yet open, to highlight the library's presence and get local children involved.
A library open house was conducted Aug. 27, and the library opened Aug. 30. Open hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The library has 5,376 items available for checkout, including 300 DVDs. About 45 patrons visit the library about once a week, Griffin said.
Griffin outlined current programs, including a Wednesday story time for toddlers, participation in the national 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program and monthly events tailored for various patron age groups. These events have included a "Meet the Author" and book-signing event with local author Beverly Gibson, and "Make It and Take It" craft sessions for area teens. Also, youngsters are given reading logs, and when they have read and rated 20 books, they are eligible to receive a prize.
Griffin said she posts a shout-out each Saturday on the library's Facebook page, thanking various library supporters.
Griffin expressed great appreciation for the Bentonville-Bella Vista branch of Altrusa, which has donated many books for both children and adults. She also thanked Karen Benson, Gravette Public Library director, and her staff for providing her training for her role at the Sulphur Springs library and continuing to give her guidance and advice. She acknowledged the tremendous support she has received from the city of Sulphur Springs and the community.
Griffin has four main goals for the library, she said. She would like to organize an active Friends of the Library, fill in the missing volumes in current book series, expand existing programs and get WiFi for the library.
"Libraries are no longer just places to be quiet and select a book," Griffin said. They are now community hubs that provide a variety of information for local citizens, so WiFi is very important, she said.
Following Griffin's presentation, Dr. Nancy Jones, club president, presented her with a donation of children's books and a rug for the children's area of the library.
Melinda Griffin (right), director of the Sulphur Springs Library, watches Jan. 6 as Dr. Nancy Jones, Gravette Kiwanis Club president, displays one of the children’s books donated to the library by the club. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Susan Holland)