Friends of Camp Verde Library President Jeannette Teets is a passionate advocate for the new library facility due for completion by year’s end, but occasionally she finds herself facing an uphill battle for the public’s support.
“When I tell people what our Friends of Camp Verde Library is about, I’m crushed when some say, ‘Well, we really don’t need libraries anymore, because you can read anything on the Internet or on a tablet. Pretty soon they won’t even be making actual books anymore.’”
According to Teets, the perception that libraries are unnecessary is the biggest challenge for the Friends of Camp Verde Library board.
“To me, it’s the center of the community where anything is possible if you just ask,” Teets said. “The question I always ask myself is, ‘What more can I do for my library both with my time and money?’ That’s why I started volunteering at the library shortly after we moved here, and why I’ve served on the Camp Verde Library Endowment board and now the Friends board.
“The library needs my support and the community’s support so it will always be there to serve the needs of the community no matter who you are. The library is there for everyone and has something to offer every person.”
Of course, as Teets noted, many people realized a new library was needed. The initiative to create a new library began in 2000 with the founding of the aforementioned Camp Verde Library Endowment; to date, it has raised nearly $400,000. The ultimate goal is to raise another $100,000.
“Another group, Concerned Citizens for Camp Verde Library, started about seven years ago to raise money for the actual brick and mortar library,” Teets said, adding that the group will disband soon as its mission has been accomplished.
The Concerned Citizens for Camp Verde Library was a successful fundraising operation by anyone’s standards: Recently, the group’s president, Linda Harkness, announced that it had raised $1.2 million.
“Because of Linda’s presentation, and presentations by Camp Verde Community Library Director Kathy Hellman to the Town Council, they voted unanimously to fund the remaining cost of building the library,” Teets said.
According to Hellman, this season’s unexpectedly cold days have impacted the completion date of the new library. As a result, the original completion estimate of July may be pushed into August or early September, but the project is still within the time frame specified.
In a room full of Friends of Camp Verde Library board members, the energy and excitement is palpable: Teets and her peers are ready to see the facility up and running.
“Some people have said that the library building that’s going up is way too big,” Teets said. “And yet, every single room and shelf that will be in the new library has been planned for its specific use. I’m hoping that once people walk into the new library during the grand opening they will see how thoughtfully the spaces have been designed to accommodate many kinds of activities beyond ‘just books.’”
