Turning the page of possibility

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shelby R. Orozco
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. --  In a day and age dominated by digital entertainment, it is easy to forget about libraries. But here at Whiteman, the library is still a valuable tool that has proved its ability to keep up with changing times.

"The library has a trifold mission of mission support, education and quality of life," said Dennis Wilson, 509th Force Support Squadron supervisory librarian.

Among the 25,000 titles offered at the library are subscriptions, manuals and books for office collections, as well as a multitude of test preparation materials for tests such as the CLEP or DANTES, added Wilson.

The library is also the ideal place for a person looking for information on a certain subject.

"For someone looking for help, we start with a short interview to gather what they're seeking," said Wilson. "From there we can direct them to our thousands of text journals or online resources."

Young adult books, fiction, the latest blockbusters and popular CDs are all available at the library, as well.

"We order new material continually and have new things in every week," said Wilson. "Every year we add about 4,000 new titles."

Along with books and movies, the library also offers 29 computers for research use and printing needs.

"All of our PCs have Internet access and all Microsoft Office 2010 products," said Wilson. "We have a color printer that can be used to print graphs and charts to support education. We have two scanners available --a flatbed and a form feed. We don't charge for the printer or computer, so all we ask is that you limit your printing to 10 pages a day."

The library also offers quiet study spaces and a meeting room.

"The rooms are first-come, first-serve," said Wilson. "We encourage people to drop by or give us a call ahead of time if they wish to use a room so we can reserve it and make sure it doesn't conflict with any other users."

The Chief of Staff reading list is also available for checkout at the library, along with a section for the Exceptional Family Member Program, which offers children's books and books for parents and the professionals in that area.

"We also offer 80-plus foreign language programs," said Wilson, "and we have a special collection specifically for Missouri so people who haven't been here before can research history, weekend getaways and travel."

If a certain title is not available, the library staff will look high and low for a copy of it, said Wilson.

"Be it a specific title -- print, movie, audio book or even music-- if we don't have it we'll do an interlibrary loan," said Wilson. "That is a service where we ask other libraries regionally or nationally if they own the title and are willing to loan it to us."

The amenities the library offers and their expansive collection have proved to be very helpful, said Senior Airman Matthew King, 509th Communications Squadron intrusion detection technician.

"I've always been interested in Japanese anime and culture, so I wanted to learn more about the language," said King. "Last year I came to the library looking to prepare for a history test, and the books I checked out helped me pass. When it came to deciding to learn Japanese, I knew to try the library first."

A library card is all that is needed to access this wide array of benefits.

"Individuals age 10 and above can get a library card," said Wilson. "There is a brief application form to fill out and then we use their Common Access Card or military ID to create their library card. The whole process only takes a few minutes."

Check-out times differ for the different products available at the library.

Movies check out for one week and a person can have up to seven at a time, or seven for seven days. Music CDs, audiobooks and regular books check-out for two weeks, but the same seven titles at a time limit stands.

June kick-starts the library's annual "Have Book, Will Travel" summer reading program for youth up to 18 years old, said Wilson.

"Each child sets a reading goal for the summer," said Wilson. "Each person who achieves his or her reading goal receives a certificate of completion, a restaurant coupon and may select one free paperback book to keep for their collection."

Sign-ups go through July 1 and all reading logs must be turned in before Aug. 10 to be eligible for prizes.

"I certainly encourage people who have not been to our library to come and stop by," said Wilson. "We have something for everyone."

The Whiteman Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, check out the library's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/whitemanafblibrary or call (660) 687-6217.