We Don't Have Carnival Rides Or Cotton Candy, But...

That was the beginning of an advertisement on the radio I heard this morning.
I can say that about the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library also. We don't have carnival rides or cotton candy, but.... It's the "but" that interests me. "But" what?
But...we are a force to be reckoned with! And we serve our patrons with pride!
But...we strive to be a good investment to our citizens and an economic anchor by attracting not only good businesses to our area, but by attracting growing families with the services we offer.
But...our Mission is to ensure that the citizens of Colquitt County have the right and the means to free and open access to ideas and information which are fundamental to a democracy. The library protects intellectual freedom, promotes literacy, encourges lifelong learning, and provides library materials and information sources in a variety of formats.
Our Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library brings increased tourism to Moultrie every year due to the unique collections we have: the Emmett Lucas Collection, the materials concerning Scottish genealogy, and the Georgia Collection, just to mention a few. Genealogists come from around the world to search for specific information in this well-known library.
And there's more...
Just look at these facts made possible by the American Library Association's Library Champions.

• Did you know 63% of adults in the U.S. have public library cards?
• And that Americans go to school, public and academic libraries 50% more often than they go to the movies?
• Also, that reference librarians in the nation's public and academic libraries answer more than 7.2 million questions weekly? Standing single file, the line of questioners would stretch from New York City to Juneau, Alaska!
• There are more public libraries than McDonald's in the U.S. -- a total of 16,549, including branches.
• Americans spend more than twice as much on salty snacks as they do on public libraries.
• Americans check out an average of more than seven books a year. They spend $30.49 a year for the public library -- about the average cost of one hardcover book.
• Public libraries are the number one point of online access for people without Internet connections at home, school or work.
• 98.9% of public libraries provide public access to the Internet.
• Americans spend nearly ten times as much money on home video games ($9.9 billion) as they do on school library materials for their children ($1 billion).

We don't have carnival rides or cotton candy, but...we have a Summer Reading Program for children and a bright, colorful Children's Library. We have a Bookmobile that serves patrons who live in the county, as well as eight county schools. We have the Catherine M. Bryant Veterans History Project that collects information about veterans of any war or conflict, the Bert Harsh Park adjacent to the library, and the Doerun Municipal Library.

We have not only books, but audio books, videos, DVDs, current newspapers and magazines, public computers with Microsoft Word and the Internet, copying and laminating services, sound and audio visual equipment for public use, and meeting rooms. We have the best staff in the world, just waiting to help you. And they do it with smiles, friendship and concern.

With all of this, we don't need carnival rides or cotton candy! Do we? (Source: www.ala.org, American Library Association)