Jeanette and her staff are amazing! They gave and helped their community say goodbye and heal after such a difficult time. They have been through so much with flooding at one branch and the fire at another. They are truly special people who took a tragedy and were able to honor Libby in such a caring and loving manner, especially for the children. Jeanette said she “felt it was important that others could say goodbye. The kids asked tons of questions and we answered all of them. The kids were amazing and even wanted to put flowers on her grave.” ❤️ Kate Van Auken, Director White Pine Library Cooperative 429 N. State St., Suite 207 Caro, MI 48723 (989) 793-7126 www.wplc.org Serving 48 member libraries in 13 Michigan counties 8-4 M-F On Fri, Aug 22, 2025 at 8:32 AM Jim Flury via Michlib-l <michlib-l@mcls.org> wrote:

There is a more extensive Freep article on this, but it is paywalled, although I was able to read it on my iPhone. The below link covers the basics.

As I was reading the article my first thought was what a great example of how and why a public library is such an important institution. In this case the library took the loss of its building (and its reptilian ambassador) and turned it into a community experience. My second thought was it figures, because that's exactly what public libraries do under all circumstances, whether happy or otherwise.

Hats off to Colleen and Ogemaw District Library.

https://www.freep.com/picture-gallery/news/local/michigan/2025/08/21/small-t...

Jim

Jim Flury Technical Services Manager The Library Network 41365 Vincenti Court <https://www.google.com/maps/search/41365+Vincenti+Court+Novi,+MI+48375?entry=gmail&source=g> Novi, MI 48375 <https://www.google.com/maps/search/41365+Vincenti+Court+Novi,+MI+48375?entry=gmail&source=g> 248-536-3100, ext 133 Note New Fax Number: 248-716-5584 Note New Email Address:jflury@tln.org

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