By  Karen Hiller, Periodicals Coordinator, Orcas Island Public Library

It’s time again for the Library to plan for next year’s magazine and newspaper collection.

When you visit the library, you will notice that the magazine section, or the Sun Room as we often call it, is a very busy area of the library! We strive to have the best collection for local interests that space and funding will allow. My job is not only to maintain that collection, but also to update it each year according to public demand. Every spring, I start looking at how well our periodicals are being used, and then plan on which will be included in our collection the following year. At this time we also consider magazines that we currently do not have in our collection, especially if we feel that they might attract broad interest among our library users. At staff meetings during the summer, we discuss what the next year’s periodical collection will be.

You can be a part of this process by submitting suggestions of any magazine that you feel would be of general interest for our community. I take suggestions all year; but to be considered for the next year’s collection, I need them by the beginning of June so that I can share them with the staff before we make our decision. You can submit a suggestion directly to me in any of the following ways: by email to khiller@orcaslibrary.org; through the mail to Orcas Island Library, 500 Rose Street, Eastsound, WA 98245, Attn: Karen Hiller; or you can share your suggestions with any staff member on your next visit to the Library.

Another way you can be a part of this process is to donate the cost of a subscription, either for a magazine we currently have in our collection or for a new title, if we are able to add it. It is our goal to make this YOUR library and to provide, as much as we can, the resources that will fulfill that goal!