Library volunteers lauded

GENTRY — Library volunteers were honored Dec. 21 at a special Library Volunteer luncheon, which was sponsored by the city of Gentry and the Gentry Library Board of Directors.

The luncheon was catered by the Wooden Spoon. Merchant baskets for door prizes were put together with items donated by The Chicken Coop, Parks Lumber, Bever’s Ace Hardware, Southern Delite and The Corner in Smith Drug Store.

“The volunteers collectively spend over 5,000 hours in service to the library,” said Gentry librarian Darla Threet. “They are an invaluable asset.

“The library currently has 14 volunteers who work a fourhour shift at least once a week. One such volunteer is Lenora McClary, and in January 2010 she will have been a volunteer for nine years. She has seldom missed a Monday morning in all of those years. Several others have been volunteering 4 to 5 years.”

The many hours of volunteer service to the library has made it possible for the library to be open and serve the needs of its patrons - something it couldn’t do without them.

James Furgason and WesHogue both spoke at the luncheon.

“The city and the library board join in showing our appreciation for the great service the library volunteers provide to our community,” Furgason said.

“When I went to Chicago and the Gentry Library was presented with the ALA-AIA (American Library Association-American Institute of Architects) award, the keynote speaker emphasized the theme: ‘A Small Town Does Good’ in regard to the Gentry Library. The library is greatly improved because of the library project and the volunteers are a big part of the ‘Small Town Does Good,’” Hogue said.