Homer Online

By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 8/1/2006

Even the most tech-savvy outfit could take a lesson from the Homer Township Public Library District in Homer Glen, IL. The library has been ahead of the technology curve ever since it transformed its Web site into a blog more than two years ago. Patrons can IM their questions to librarians, all via MSN or Yahoo Messenger. A wiki is also in the works, and library director Sheree Kozel-La Ha recently launched a comment section, where customers can e-mail her directly. “Those little static forms where you ask for comments? Well, people aren’t into that anymore,” she says.

Technology, however, doesn’t come cheap. While some software is free, libraries still have to pay people to install, set up, and maintain Web sites and PCs. Lucky for Homer, Kozel-La Ha has kept it awash in money—39 grants have been funded to date, adding more than $1 million to the library’s budget—which has also helped fund the library’s beloved bookmobile, which rolled out in May, says Kozel-La Ha.

In addition, Homer’s adult services director Brian Smith is always searching for new features to keep the library’s online presence fresh and interesting. He hopes to attract younger patrons with the library’s new “Teen Events” blog, and a “Teen Book Reviews” blog that went live in July. “I’m not really a big techie,” says Smith, who also runs his own Web site and blog. “But I’m familiar enough.”