The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON - When you descend the stairs from the main level of the Dayton Memorial Library, you will enter what Jill Rourke, the new director of the Columbia County Rural Library District calls the "garden level." It was formerly known as the basement.

The lower level in the library is envisioned as the gathering place for children and teens. Book collections for those groups would be housed there, the "teen room" would move there and reading programs for kids and young adults would be held there. Resources for adults could then be expanded on the main level.

When Rourke was asked by a confused reporter what would be grown in the "garden level" (he was envisioning mushrooms), she said, "children, into responsible adults."

Rourke says she is in discussions with the CCRLD board of directors about making changes to the library building to allow safe access in and out of the "garden level." They are hoping to obtain grant funds to do the necessary work.

Making better use of the space in the library is just one of the goals Rourke is working on as the district's new library director. She is also working with library staff to introduce a new web site for the library and to expand its digital offerings. She started her job in February, replacing Janet Lyon, who retired at the end of 2013.

"Janet and the board have done a great job making the library an important asset in the community," Rourke said. "My job is just to carry on their good work."

Rourke and her husband moved to Dayton from Vancouver, Wash., where she worked for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. She is a native of Wyoming and has worked for libraries there and in central Florida and South Carolina.

"I started as a library clerk in a little town in Florida, about the size of Dayton," Roarke said. She got a degree in Library Science while living in Florida.

Rourke said she is much more comfortable working in a small town like Dayton, rather than in a larger library system like that in Vancouver. "Dayton is a wonderful community, and I'm very happy to be here," she said.

CCRLD Board Chair Tanya Patton said that the board is excited about all of the plans they are working on with Rourke. "We are so fortunate to have her here, with her wide experience in small-town libraries," Patton said.

Rourke oversees a staff of four, including branch manager Amy Roseneberg, and assistants Heather Stearns, Sandy Dare and Allison Lyons-Much. Rosenberg has been in her position since mid-2013. She was previously branch manager at the Prescott library.

Rourke said that she is very impressed with how the Dayton Memorial Library is utilized by the community. "Certainly not everyone in the community uses it," she said, "but it's a busy place."

According to a report issued by the CCRLD board last year, more than 29,000 items were checked out of the library in 2012, including 9,000 by kids, 2,400 by teens and 17,600 by adults (those are approximate numbers).

The library's website was visited nearly 12,000 times during 2012, and more than 2,500 eBook and eAudiobook sessions were held.

The Dayton library is preparing for this year's summer reading program. More information is shown on this page.