Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library is more than just books
The library has been hosting free tech workshops since January, adding to the already expansive services the library hosts.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – When Dalton Winans-Pruitt isn’t working with nonprofits Working Together Mississippi or Starkville Strong.
You can find him at the Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library every Wednesday, providing free tech assistance to the community with Copper Key Software Connection.
“We in the tech industry take for granted a lot of the simple things such as googling something,” Winans-Pruitt said. “And there’s a lot of people that are not as tech literate and could use someone to guide them through certain processes.”
Phillip Carter, the Starkville-Oktibbeha County Public Library director, said Winans-Pruitt is providing an essential service.
“Having someone who is a professional in that space come answer questions is, honestly, it’s invaluable,” Carter said. “Especially someone willing to volunteer their time to do it.”
Winans-Pruitt said feeling like you’ve helped someone is its own reward.
“I feel pretty good,” Winans-Pruitt said. “I feel like there’s one fewer problem in the world that someone has, which is really nice.”
This novel service is far from the only one the library provides.
It hosts everything from niche book clubs, to notary services, a slew of children and family programs, and so much more.
Carter said the library is even beginning to expand some of these services to its sister libraries in Maben and Sturgis.
“We are doing our best to provide services that are a little outside the norm,” Carter said. “And those programs have started to migrate out that way a little bit. So we’re spreading all these wonderful opportunities for people to engage and build community, and just get to know each other in their own communities.”
Carter said public libraries are the perfect place to build communities.
“For me, the library is far more than just books,” Carter said. “We’re a place everyone knows about. We’re a place that is provided free. And in a lot of ways I like to tell people that we’re the last bastion of true American democracy. Because we’re the last space in modern society where you can just go and exist without the expectation of spending money. And so I feel like we’re the most natural place for building that kind of community.”
The Starkville-Oktibbeha Public Library now has their Hoopla E-book and Audiobook available again after an interruption in services.
