By Kathryn Summers

HYRUM -- About 11 years ago Hyrum built an addition to its Civic Center. A new room in the basement became home to 4,000 books -- Hyrum's Library.

Today that library has grown to 40,000 books, says Library Director Ginny Tremayne, and they're still all in the same room.

Tremayne started working part time at the library 12 years ago and eventually worked up to director. She loves her job because she "gets to know everybody in the town. That's one of the best parts," she said.

"Our biggest problem is we've grown too fast, and we're running out of room." The library is well designed for the small amount of space available, says Tremayne.

Citizens of Hyrum, Wellsville, Nibley, and Millville can use the library free of charge. People who live in nearby unincorporated areas can pay $30 per year for a family library card. There are hundreds who get this family card, said Tremayne. The library sees about 30 new families every month.

For a small library it's very busy, Tremayne says. Librarians check out about 1,000 books per day. She said patrons checked out 19,000 books during July, and 18,500 books in August.

In addition to all the books, the library has invested a lot of money in books on cassette tapes. Truck drivers are the main borrowers of books on tape, says Tremayne. The library has a nice selection of videotapes, many of which were donated.

There is also a small room in the back with several computers. Patrons can use the internet, type papers, laminate things, check out typewriters, and have access to most of the things patrons of a larger library have, Tremayne says.

The librarians do activities to make reading more fun. Tremayne says they have story time at the end of every month for three nights. They also have been buying many puppets for puppet shows. A scout built the puppet show stage as his Eagle Project.

During National Library Week, usually the second week of April, the library has a Family Reading Night. This year was a carnival theme with games, costumes, a magician, a ventriloquist, popcorn, and door prizes. It's a night for families to come to the library and have a good time.

So many people showed up, Tremayne said she thought, "My gosh, if we have a fire we're going to be in big trouble."

She hopes to find a different place with more room for the Family Reading Night next year.

Since the library has grown so much, Tremayne hopes to get a bigger library built soon in the south end of the valley. The mayor and City Council are very supportive of the library and she said the mayor is in favor of a new building.

In the meantime, Tremayne said, the library will probably have to extend its hours to better serve the public. Currently the library is open from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

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