June 29 – July 29
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM – 12 PM

Note: If it rains, this event will be cancelled for that day.

Come to the library lawn either day for animal interactive explorations! These activities will be spaced out on the library property to provide for social distancing. The activities will only last 15-30 minutes, so drop in anytime during the designated time for the following fun activities:

June 29 and July 1
Safari Scavenger Hunt and Yoga

July 6 and July 8
Reptile and Desert Animal Sidewalk Chalk

July 13 and July 15
Arctic Bubbles

July 20 and July 22
Forest Animal Balloons

July 27 and July 29
Jungle Animal Paintings

Fridays at 4 PM (Note: If it rains, this event will be cancelled for that day)

Hang out with your friends outside the library for weekly activities and snacks. These activities will be spaced out on the library property to provide for social distancing.

Book Club
July 2
Chat about what you are currently reading or your favorite book.

Giant Game Day
July 9
Play oversized yard games

Animal Yoga Day
July 16
Learn fun yoga poses while we enjoy the sunshine.

Sidewalk Chalk Design
July 23
Create an amazing design with chalk

Wild Trivia
July 30
Test your knowledge of books, animals, and fun library related shenanigans.

The Otsego District Library currently has ONE open position.

Library Clerk – Job Posting and Description

Employment Application

** Employment applications and resumes are only accepted when the library has an open position posted. 

The Otsego District Library serves 14,230 residents with a budget of $518,000 and a staff of fifteen. In 2009, a beautiful new 18,000 square foot, LEED-Silver Level building opened for service to the community. A dedicated library millage voted in perpetuity provides 75% of the library’s operating revenue. The library has a staff known for its commitment to outstanding customer service and a supportive board that is responsive to the community. Otsego is located in beautiful southwest Michigan, fifteen miles north of Kalamazoo, thirty miles south of Grand Rapids, and only forty minutes from Lake Michigan. The Otsego area offers affordable living, excellent schools, convenient shopping, and an outstanding quality of life.

Applying for a position as a high school student? Questions on how to write a first time resume when you are still in high school? Click HERE for a helpful link.

The library will be closed Saturday, May 29 – Monday, May 31 for Memorial Weekend.

Have a safe and happy holiday with your family and friends!

We are VERY excited to announce a new collection at ODL: Rising Reader Activity Kits!

These are packs families will be able to check out that have phonics sets of books, games, flashcards, puzzles, and reading activities in them to help kids learn to read/improve their reading skills!

The kits are based on the areas of vocabulary, phonics, comprehension, fluency, and phonemic awareness and are full of fun activities for families to do together. There will be multiple kits for preschool through third grade!

Rising Reader Kits require parental supervision and are not for children under 3 due to choking hazards in some of the game pieces.

These kits were brought to us by the generous memorial donation of Albert Hoekstra.

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The library roof was damaged in an April hailstorm, with over 1,000 holes! Since April, insurance has covered some very extensive repairs and complete replacement of the roof: the entire roof has been replaced by Division 7, some HVAC units have been replaced, while others were repaired, interior HVAC ventilation insulation has been repaired, the doorway in the teen room had been ruined and was repaired, the carpets were cleaned, interior ceiling tiles have been inspected and replaced.

In the end, 21 water damaged books were requested to be reimbursed for replacement. (It was very fortunate that the library’s interior contents were quickly wrapped in plastic following the damage to prevent any further damage to the library collection.) Between the library director and library’s maintenance man, over 80 staff hours have gone into facilitating and implementing repairs, which also were billed to insurance.

The work that remains is still daunting: the skylights are all damaged and need to be replaced. These skylights are structural and the quotes came in high. . All the skylights need to be custom cut and the work on these will cause a library service interruption. Other work to be done is replacement of the carpeting that did not come clean – in the back work space and Early Literacy Center, where water heavily came into the building, and cleaning of the leak from the skylight onto the roof of the Early Literacy Center.

We have been fortunate to work with a great roofing company (Division 7) and insurance company (Burnham and Flower) through this process and are thankful that the library roof is now solid and will protect our facility and collection for years to come.

UPDATES:
Updates will be posted below and on our Facebook page as they become available. Different sections of the library will be closed off as to accommodate repair access and safety. If materials wished to be checkout are not accessible we will reserve these items to be made available as soon as access returns.

December 3, 2020
The skylight repairs are beginning Monday, December 7! With the replacement of all of the skylight sections, they will have sections of our building closed and remove just one panel at a time. It is yet to be determined how much this will impact the temperature of our building on the days they are working, but it will definitely bring in lots of healthy fresh air during the install! Please dress accordingly and be aware of the not so silent library next week.

December 7, 2020
Today marks the beginning of our skylight install! Just a reminder that although the library will be open, some sections may be closed throughout the week and please dress warmly! We also ask that you do not walk into roped off areas. We will try to post daily what areas of the library are closed. Today they begin with the small skylight in the kid’s area.
Closed Sections:
•  TV shows T-Z
•  Teen Fiction S-Z
•  Junior Graphic Novels S-Z
•  Please enter the Juvenile and Teen sections from the back of the stacks.

December 8, 2020
Skylights on the install list are the two large southern panels. These are large and it will be chilly.Please enter these stacks from the back by walking around by the fireplace.
Closed Sections:
•  Some of the Audiobooks
•  History Room
•  Adult Non-Fiction, Large Prints and Inspirational

December 9, 2020
Today’s skylight install are the two main center ones. Dress warmly and please do not enter roped-off areas. Please enter the Juvenile section from the back.
Closed Sections
• A few TV shows
• Teen Fiction R-S
• Junior Graphic Novels R – Z

December 10, 2020
The history room is closed today for replacement of the side wall skylights.