The Pocahontas Libraries board will be reviewing and updating policies during the next year. The best thing to do before reviewing policies is to ask ourselves, "What is the purpose of Pocahontas Libraries?" In other words, "What are we about?"

Thus our board has worked on PCFL's mission. Adopted at our October 19 meeting, PCFL's mission is as follows:

"The mission of the Pocahontas County Free Libraries is to serve as the principal resource for the informational needs of all the citizens of Pocahontas County and its visitors."

"Our goals are intellectual stimulation, lifelong learning, cultural enrichment, and recreational reading, by providing inviting environments in our libraries and then reaching into the communities to expand the library beyond its physical boundaries."

There is, of course, a vast distance between words and implementation. One can quibble about wording, but the bottom line is that PCFL is about implementing high quality resources in our community. Information comes in various formats, including books, periodicals, recordings, videos, maps, internet and group meetings. Purposes for information vary as well, and include recreation as well as skill development and knowledge attainment.

Specialists might need their own extensive personal libraries to serve their specific personal informational needs. Such esoteric information is beyond a small public library's scope. However, public libraries do offer the distinct advantage of a community pooling its resources for the availability of all.

In a sense, libraries are service oriented. Libraries do not extract raw materials or manufacture widgets. We serve people. We are customer driven. Therefore, friendly, adaptable, skillful librarians are essential. Finally, PCFL reaches out to its community beyond its institutional walls in community partnerships.

Several of our policies need further development. One of these involves our materials collections-books, magazines, videos. We need more specific criteria on how these materials are selected, who is responsible for selection, handling of controversial materials, and weeding and discarding of materials. We also need clear policy on gifts such as books.

Other policy considerations include unattended young children in the library, petitions and solicitations in a library, closing for inclement weather, what constitutes patron behavior problems and how addressed, and a patron's right to privacy.

The PCFL board welcomes input from the community as policy is developed or revised. Interested people can contact me, a branch librarian or a board member or attend our regularly scheduled meetings held at 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of every month, rotating between our five branches.

Of utmost importance is PCFL's need to be responsive to its community.