The post of Parchment Community Library Director will be open upon my retirement in September. This message comes in advance of the official posting in April, so that those who might be interested in applying can begin prepping their resumes. Parchment<https://www.parchment.org/>, Michigan, is located a mile north of Kalamazoo. Like so many river towns in Kalamazoo County, it began with the construction of a paper mill. The founder of the Kalamazoo Vegetable Parchment Company designed a model community around his mill in the early decades of the 20th century, with many amenities for workers and their families. Though the mill closed in 2001, a strong sense of community endures. The beautiful 40-acre Kindleberger Park<https://www.parchment.org/kindleberger-park/> is the site of the annual festival of the performing arts<https://kindlebergerarts.org/> including a 5-day festival and a series of free concerts all summer long. Watch the Parchment Update about this year's fundraiser<https://www.parchmentlibrary.org/parchment_update/bingo-for-designer-bags-preview/> to get a sense of the community spirit here. The Parchment Community Library<https://www.parchmentlibrary.org/> is located in the heart of town, just in front of the park and across the street from the ice cream parlor. The current building was constructed in 1989. PCL is a Class III library serving a district of 10,000 residents. The library enjoys strong support with 2 mils voted in perpetuity in 2002, an active Friends group, and many volunteers who help with everything from programming to landscape maintenance. The library facility has been well maintained and boasts an excellent Community Room on the lower level that can seat 100. The library began as an all-volunteer organization in 1963. An excellent documentary of the library's history can be viewed here<https://www.parchmentlibrary.org/local-history/films/the-library-story/>. We currently have a skilled and energetic staff of twelve including a Children's Librarian who does our juvenile and tween programming and a Library Ambassador who does our adult, teen, and general programming and library outreach. Ongoing events include "2nd Sundays Live!" monthly concerts, the Parchment School District Art Show in April and May, and the Holiday Chocolate<https://www.parchmentlibrary.org/parchment_update/holiday-chocolate-2023/> (over 800 attended last year). Our Library Ambassador also produces the weekly Parchment Update<https://www.parchmentlibrary.org/parchment-update/> interview series. If you know of anyone who will find this an exciting career opportunity, kindly forward this message to them. If that person is you, keep an eye out for the official job posting in April. Best wishes to all, Teresa Teresa L. Stannard, Library Director [pcl logo] 401 S Riverview Dr., Parchment, MI 49004 269 343-7747 ext. 203 Parchmentlibrary.org CURRENT HOURS: 9-7 Mo, Tu, We; 9-5 Th, Fri; 9-1 Sa -- This message has been scanned by E.F.A. Project and is believed to be clean.
