Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 64 Life jackets at Boulder Library THESE LIBRARIES AREN'T BOOK VAULTS; THEY SERVE MONTANANS, OFTEN IN UNUSUAL WAYS Print books come to mind when thinking about a library, and yes, the small libraries have wonderful print book collections. Of the five representative libraries the average number of print books is 19,000 in comparison to large Montana libraries housing around 150,000. What makes rural libraries unique is that they offer eclectic services according to their particular community. It's winter, and in Valier residents are wondering if certain rural roads have been plowed and are passable. To find out, they call the Valier Library in northern Pondera County. e library has become the center for providing rural road reports during the time of year when road conditions are important information. e Boulder library checks out rods and reels as well as life jackets. If you want to go fishing but need gear and have a library card with the Boulder Community Library, you're in luck. Do you want to learn to tie flies? Go to the Darby library. ere you will find a fly-tying desk stocked by generous citizens and the organization, Trout Unlimited. To make things handy, the library carries a large collection of fly-tying books—perhaps the largest in the state. Montana farmers operate farm equipment hour upon hour. ey want audio books for enrichment or entertainment. For its size, the Liberty County Library (will be referred to as Chester hereafter) has a huge audio collection—something like 1,200 offerings. A Billings insurance agent who travels the state stops at Chester, which is over 300 miles from Billings, to check out audio books because the collection is so inclusive. Harlowton has a pa- tron who is a musician. Mary Pearl Lode and her husband did gigs all over the state for years. Now she is a widow and over 80-years-old, but she still plays the piano for others' pleasure by going to eight regional senior cen- ters and nursing homes within a 40-mile radius. She isn't Internet savvy, so when someone requests an unfamiliar song, she asks the librarian to find the music for her. ese libraries support their genealogy societies. Harlowton Li- brary holds a Pioneer Tea where pioneers tell their stories to guests. "We have a lot of 80- and 90-year-olds in our region, and they love writing and telling their stories," said Kathleen Schreiber, librarian. e library and local newspaper supported the writing and printing of the community history book titled, Yesteryears and Pioneers. Gene- alogy buffs frequently stop at all of the libraries to get information on their ancestors who settled in the area. RURAL LIBRARIES MONTANA STYLE ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY SUZANNE WARING B O U L D E R M ONTANA'S RURAL LIBRARIES OFFER OUTSTANDING SERVICES THAT YOU ARE NOT LIKELY TO FIND ELSEWHERE AMONG MONTANA'S 81 LIBRARIES. Five Montana libraries in Boulder, Chester, Darby, Harlowton, and Valier are representative of the approximately 60 small libraries serving the needs of sparse populations who live throughout vast areas. e number of people who are borrowers is astounding. Forty-one to over fifty percent of the population borrow from the libraries in these communities. CHESTER VALIER BOULDER HARLOWTON DARBY

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