Crockett Library Receives Grant For Privacy Pods
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – As The Messenger has reported, the COVID pandemic changed the country in many ways, not always for the better. The Crockett Public Library (CPL) was able to take some of those enforced changes and turn them into opportunities to improve how they serve the public.
CPL Director Judy Scott was able to keep the library alive during that pandemic, even though patrons were not allowed to enter for many months, by providing tele services and allowing residents to check out books, curbside.
One of the biggest needs was for residents who came to use tele-health, or contact their doctors through video conference, but who did not have the internet connection or know-how to connect. CPL was able to help these residents by letting them use their computers and help them communicate with their doctors, right from the library.
Scott said she received a visit from the T.L.L. Temple Foundation in the spring of last year, who told her of some of the grant money available to rural libraries and encouraged her to apply.
“A group of different organizations started meeting here in Houston County to talk about some of the ways to help the county. One of the things we realized is that some older people who need to talk with doctors but had no transportation to get to the doctor, couldn’t do virtual visits because they did not have internet,” Scott explained.
The idea for sound-proof, privacy office pods was decided on as the best way to proceed, so even without a pandemic and a library full of readers, residents could visit with their doctor in privacy, without having to set aside a special room or make other arrangements.
Scott contacted the grant manager with the idea and asked how CPL could apply for help with the project. When the manager said she couldn’t guarantee anything, but the idea sounded promising, Scott began the process of completing the application for the grant.
With help from others on the staff with experience applying for such grants, CPL secured a letter from the City of Crockett, supporting the initiative, and once all the boxes were checked and all the paperwork done, Scott sent the application for approval.
The staff waited, excited for the possibility to expand the project but anxious about the outcome. Finally, during the first part of December, they got word they would receive a little over $16,000 to get the program off the ground.
The pods are easy to set up, but like most things these days, are not cheap. The money will help create two of the pods which will be installed in the library’s main foyer, near the periodicals.
CPL wanted a total of three pods, and the library board and endowment committee are looking for another $8,000-9,000 to be able to eventually install the third module in the system. Scott was thrilled with the grant, saying it’s much better than having no pods and said she was grateful for the help from the foundation.
The T.L.L. Temple Foundation was founded in 1962 to honor Thomas Lewis Latané Temple and works with rural communities to alleviate poverty and create access and opportunities for East Texas.
Scott has until March to use the grant money, which is not long, since some of the vendors will need a couple of months to get the pods ready and get them shipped to Crockett.
The project is an innovative way to keep the library modern and useful, not just for kids and students, but for seniors and others needing a private space to speak with medical personnel, with trained library staff nearby, who can make that connection happen.
Scott is ready for the pods to get here and get used, but warned, as most librarians do, the pods are not for coming in and having fun, but for those who have a need for a quiet, private space.
“They’re for anyone who needs to do virtual events connected with tele-health,” Scott explained. “Or for instance, if you have someone who’s a college student and needs to come in and zoom into classes, we can use that for those visits as well.”
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
