Hastings Library
Library Administrator – Peggy Hemerling
The Hastings Public Library serves the community as a major cultural and informational resource.
Our Vision statement: “We envision a literate society where people use information and knowledge to enrich their lives.”
Our mission statement: “Hastings Public Library is a gathering place connecting people with resources and opportunities to explore imagine and grow.”
Opportunities for infants through school aged children include Explore 1000 Books before kindergarten and Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) where books are given three times per school year to children at risk. Weekly reading programs Baby time, Toddler time and Preschool story time. Children 5 and up can get their own library cards. Summer Reading (a 100 year old nationwide program) seeks to maintain a child’s interest in reading throughout the summer with book logs, prizes, programs and hands-on activities. Teens have a room of their own housing graphic novels, fiction, nonfiction and audio-books. Wi-Fi and public computers support inquiry, gaming and other interests. Pizza and Pages, is a club for teens in which the book and movie are discussed over pizza. Monthly Dungeons and Dragons game play, annual video games tournament and a 12 hour gaming blitz have drawn interest as well.
Patrons will find many services to support reading, research, job searching, and public computing. You can fax, copy, check email, or gather reading material to take home. Movies, Memories and Milestones sponsors a movie each Thursday evening. A monthly book discussion club for adults chooses from a wide range of genres to share.
Interlibrary loan, e-books, and databases expand the reach of our collections, 24/7, to resources outside the library. Our web site helps to organize standard resources from government sites along with local links to our community’s rich resources. The library’s Community Room is used for numerous events open to the public. Some include Barry County Chamber of Commerce sponsors monthly computer software training sessions.
Friends of the Library are volunteers who enhance the library through their individual service and fund raising activities, clocking 200+ hours per month. They support the library’s collections, programs and staff development. Our youngest patrons receive a baby bag and book at Pennock Hospital courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Volunteers also work tirelessly shelving books, getting materials ready for circulation, assisting in programs, and dusting shelves. Volunteers participate in Reach out and Read (ROAR) at the local schools reading to young fives in a weekly program to help children become comfortable with reading.
A nine member Library Board is appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by City Council (5 members), and by the Boards of Hastings (2 members) and Rutland (2 members) Charter Townships. Meeting monthly, the Board is responsible for managing funds for operations and for determining policy.
Current Library Information can be found on the library’s website, Facebook pages, and in the email newsletter. Like us on Facebook or request our email newsletter by signing up at hastingspubliclibrary.org.
