Rebecca Payne takes over as Stone County Library Director
February 1, 2018
Isaac Estes-Jones
Rebecca Payne took over as Library Director at the Stone County Library on December 4, 2017. Payne, of Wichita, Kansas, is settling into her new position and making plans to keep the library relevant and growing.
“Programming is going to be my main focus over the next year or so. I want to increase the number and variety of programs that hold patron’s interests,” said Payne. She said that patron at Crane will see a new book club starting, a Monday Funday for kids and a continued focus on adult programs. Increasing adult programing will also be a theme at Blue Eye. “They do a really good job of keeping things up down there. They do a Tea Party every month that we might try to bring to the other branches.” Marketing and awareness are two related problems Payne sees the library’s programs facing. “We need to make sure people know ahead of time what is happening at the library. I think our Facebook page will be very important. You can pull that up and see what we have going on. Facebook is where we can make announcements, like when the library was closed for the snow,” Payne said. The Stone County Library can be found at www.facebook.com/StoneCountyLibrary.
“I want to make sure people know how many great resources they have at this library,” Payne said. “We have access to a lot of great databases and things here, especially online. Through the library, everyone has access to legal forms from Gale Legal Forms. For anyone wanting to learn, whether about computers or for text prep, there is LearningExpress. It’s even better than a book because it is constantly updated. You can even check out music on your phone from Freegal!” Payne also emphasized the ways the library’s digital collection can help expand and improve the experience of library patrons. “Ebooks are really great. For example, some patrons need large print books. But, unfortunately, we can’t always get every new book in that format. But, if that patron downloads the ebook to their phone or whatever, any book can be made large print at the touch of a button. One of my goals is to let everyone know that we have all of these great resources to use through the library,” Payne said.
She also discussed the ways the library helps save money. “There is a calculator somewhere online, maybe through the Library Association, where you can put in how many books and movies you checked out and it will show you how much you saved. It’s amazing how much you can save. Just looking at books, a new hard back book can cost over $25. If you read a lot, that really adds up,” she said. “Stone County is really lucky to have this library. We have a really good tax base that gives the library a lot of opportunities to provide new things.”
One of those new opportunities is the expansion of the Crane branch into the building next door. “We got the keys in late December,” she said. Payne, along with the Library Board of Directors, are in the process of figuring out the next steps to take with that project. At the board meeting in January, the board discussed the importance of making everything accessible. Currently at Crane, the program room is up a flight of stairs and there is no elevator. The Library wants to make all of its programs available to everyone in Stone County. “I would like to have an architect that has experience with libraries look at it and give us some ideas,” Payne said. Seeking out the right person to look at the space is the next step for the property. “We will be involving community members from Crane as we get further into the process,” she said. “This is everyone’s library, so we want to make sure we meet everyone’s needs.”
Payne earned her Bachelor’s in History from Grand Canyon University, and a Master’s in Library Information Science from Kent State University. Along with this education, Payne has worked in several public libraries, including as a children’s librarian. “Interestingly,” she says, “It was my non-library jobs that have helped most for new parts of this job.This is my first position as a head librarian. I didn’t expect it, but numbers are a big part of this job. When I was an assistant at the university registrar’s office, I was responsible for running reports and that’s one of the things I’m responsible for now. It’s neat to be able to see how different aspects change from year to year.”
Payne lives with her husband Matthew, a retired Army paratrooper and her 5 year old daughter, Arianna, who attends kindergarten at Ozark schools.
Isaac Estes-Jones
Rebecca Payne took over as Library Director at the Stone County Library on December 4, 2017. Payne, of Wichita, Kansas, is settling into her new position and making plans to keep the library relevant and growing.
“Programming is going to be my main focus over the next year or so. I want to increase the number and variety of programs that hold patron’s interests,” said Payne. She said that patron at Crane will see a new book club starting, a Monday Funday for kids and a continued focus on adult programs. Increasing adult programing will also be a theme at Blue Eye. “They do a really good job of keeping things up down there. They do a Tea Party every month that we might try to bring to the other branches.” Marketing and awareness are two related problems Payne sees the library’s programs facing. “We need to make sure people know ahead of time what is happening at the library. I think our Facebook page will be very important. You can pull that up and see what we have going on. Facebook is where we can make announcements, like when the library was closed for the snow,” Payne said. The Stone County Library can be found at www.facebook.com/StoneCountyLibrary.
“I want to make sure people know how many great resources they have at this library,” Payne said. “We have access to a lot of great databases and things here, especially online. Through the library, everyone has access to legal forms from Gale Legal Forms. For anyone wanting to learn, whether about computers or for text prep, there is LearningExpress. It’s even better than a book because it is constantly updated. You can even check out music on your phone from Freegal!” Payne also emphasized the ways the library’s digital collection can help expand and improve the experience of library patrons. “Ebooks are really great. For example, some patrons need large print books. But, unfortunately, we can’t always get every new book in that format. But, if that patron downloads the ebook to their phone or whatever, any book can be made large print at the touch of a button. One of my goals is to let everyone know that we have all of these great resources to use through the library,” Payne said.
She also discussed the ways the library helps save money. “There is a calculator somewhere online, maybe through the Library Association, where you can put in how many books and movies you checked out and it will show you how much you saved. It’s amazing how much you can save. Just looking at books, a new hard back book can cost over $25. If you read a lot, that really adds up,” she said. “Stone County is really lucky to have this library. We have a really good tax base that gives the library a lot of opportunities to provide new things.”
One of those new opportunities is the expansion of the Crane branch into the building next door. “We got the keys in late December,” she said. Payne, along with the Library Board of Directors, are in the process of figuring out the next steps to take with that project. At the board meeting in January, the board discussed the importance of making everything accessible. Currently at Crane, the program room is up a flight of stairs and there is no elevator. The Library wants to make all of its programs available to everyone in Stone County. “I would like to have an architect that has experience with libraries look at it and give us some ideas,” Payne said. Seeking out the right person to look at the space is the next step for the property. “We will be involving community members from Crane as we get further into the process,” she said. “This is everyone’s library, so we want to make sure we meet everyone’s needs.”
Payne earned her Bachelor’s in History from Grand Canyon University, and a Master’s in Library Information Science from Kent State University. Along with this education, Payne has worked in several public libraries, including as a children’s librarian. “Interestingly,” she says, “It was my non-library jobs that have helped most for new parts of this job.This is my first position as a head librarian. I didn’t expect it, but numbers are a big part of this job. When I was an assistant at the university registrar’s office, I was responsible for running reports and that’s one of the things I’m responsible for now. It’s neat to be able to see how different aspects change from year to year.”
Payne lives with her husband Matthew, a retired Army paratrooper and her 5 year old daughter, Arianna, who attends kindergarten at Ozark schools.