Riverside Regional Library

To provide information, education, recreation and inspiration

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It is the purpose of Riverside Regional library to make available to all individuals, groups, governments and business within the library district an organized collection of materials which will meet the needs of patrons of all conditions and interests, subject to necessary physical and financial limitations.  Library service makes accessible the recorded knowledge and experience of our civilization.  It is the aim of Riverside Regional Library to motivate persons of all ages to use the available materials and facilities; to point out reliable, authoritative material; and to draw attention to the new, the critical, and even the unorthodox.  Riverside Regional Library intends to be an active, dynamic force for enlightenment and enrichment of the lives of the citizens within its sphere of service.

To achieve these aims requires the library board to work with the librarian and staff to determine the broad roles of the library.  The following roles have been chosen for Riverside to assist us in organizing services to meet local needs in accordance with our mission statement:

1.         Community Activities Center

Riverside intends to be a central focus point for community activities, meetings and services.  It will work closely with other community agencies to provide a coordinated program of social, cultural, and recreational services.  The library provides meeting room space and equipment for community or library sponsored programs.

2.         Community Information Center

In cooperation with local community information networks, the library is a clearinghouse for current information on community organizations, issues, and services.  The library expects to maintain a high profile as a source of information about community services.

3.         Formal Education Support Center

The library assists students of all ages in meeting educational objectives established during their formal courses of study.  This may include students in all schools, community colleges, colleges and universities, technical and vocational schools, as well as continuing education, literacy or adult basic education.  The library offers tours for classes and instructs students on using library tools.  In cooperation with local schools and teachers, the library will reserve special materials to meet classroom assignments.  To assist faculty, the library may supply supplementary materials for classroom use.

4.         Independent Learning Center

The library supports individuals of all ages pursuing programs of learning independent of any educational provider.  These individuals set their own learning objectives to meet such concerns as citizen education, self-improvement, job-related development, hobbies, cultural interest, and lifelong learning.

5.         Popular Materials Center

One of the most important services a public library provides is making available recreational materials in all formats.  The library features current high demand, high interest materials in a variety of formats for persons of all ages and actively promotes and encourages use of its collections.

6.         Preschoolers' Door to Learning

The library encourages young children to develop an interest in reading and learning through services for children, and for parents and children together.  Parents and other adult caregivers can locate and use library materials.  Cooperation with other childcare agencies in the community is ongoing.  The library promotes reading readiness from infancy and provides services for self-enrichment and for discovering the pleasures of reading and learning.

7.         Reference Library

The library actively provides timely, accurate, and useful information for community resident in their pursuit of job-related and personal interest.  The library promotes on-site and telephone reference/information services to aid users in locating needed information.  The library participates in interlibrary loan, cooperative reference services, and access to local and remote databases to meet patrons' need for information.

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