Faulk County Library: It’s Like a Community Living Room… Not Just a Place to Find a Great Book

From the minute you walk through the doors of the Faulk County Library, you get the feeling you’ve just walked into a community living room, not just a place to grab the latest page turner.

The space is warm. Inviting. A place where you bump into the neighbors, stumble into a conversation with an old friend you didn’t plan to see, or let the kiddos giggle their way through an impromptu play date.

Where you can open your laptop and attend a Zoom meeting, find a quiet nook to finish up some paperwork, or plan out your teaching for the week.

"I want everyone to know that this place is somewhere they can go, and they're not going to be judged,” said librarian Holly Demery. “Nobody's going to make them feel like they don't belong because everybody belongs in a library.”

A Space Designed Around People, Not Just Books

Even the library’s interior is intentionally designed to make the space feel more homey.

After the county purchased the building at 127 8th Avenue South in 2019, then-librarian Judith Edinger-Dobbs tapped into her interior-design background from SDSU and manually drafted the layout of the furniture and shelving, thinking through how the community would actually use the building.

“Comfortable chairs, bean bags for kids. We've done so much to make our kids’ room feel like a fun place to be,” said Demery.

In other words: it's not just a space catering to little ones coming in for story hour.

“It’s for their older siblings, and even their older siblings. We have a section for everybody, and everyone can find a place to sit or something to do,” she added. 

No One Should Have to Miss Out On a Great Book

Demery also established a specialized program to serve residents in the nursing home and assisted living facility.

“I worked at assisted living for eight years, and the residents there are the reason I wanted this program off the ground right away,” she said. “They were always asking if I could run to the library on my days off to see what was new, and I thought, you shouldn’t have to depend on someone else; it should just be available to you.”

Using a grant from the Faulkton Area Foundation the library purchased two book carts and an initial collection of 120 books.

“My kids have grown up in this program. My son helped assemble the book carts and pick out titles based on surveys we did with nursing home residents about what topics they were most interested in. Now my 15‑year‑old daughter has become our ‘traveling librarian,’ hauling books in a big garden wagon to the nursing home and assisted living,” she said.

The books are exchanged every three months with the library conducting surveys to ensure the selections match up with what the residents want.

Beyond physical books, the library also connects patrons with audiobooks through the state's Department of Health for those with literacy challenges related to sight or hearing.

“Now, our large print collections help not only those in the nursing home and assisted living, but also older patrons still living at home,” said Demery. “If their eyesight changes, they don’t have to lose that love of reading. We carry large-print books, we can get audiobooks, and we can connect people to state resources. It’s a great program, and it’s near and dear to my heart.”

Where Generations Naturally Overlap

The Faulk County Library is one of those increasingly rare places where generations naturally overlap.

“It’s a lot of fun to see different generations come together and start talking. The kids learn things they never knew about how life used to be here, and in return, they help our older generation with newer things, especially technology,” said Demery.

On the same morning that a retiree settles in to browse the latest copy of the Faulk County Record, energized feet can be heard pattering towards the children’s section for story hour, summer reading programs or crafting.

Meanwhile, mom and dad are browsing the stacks, a teacher is planning out her lessons for the week, and job seekers scan through Indeed and LinkedIn for new career opportunities while using the library’s free WiFi.

That’s the beauty of it. At the Faulk County Library, everyone crosses paths.

“We’re kind of the hub. A place where everyone has somewhere to go and feels comfortable talking to one another,” said Demery. “I feel like this is the one place where everybody can come and feel welcomed.”

An Incubator for Ideas

The Faulk County Library is also a place where new business ideas take root. Do you have one?

If you have a business idea but no idea where to start, the Faulkton Area Economic Development Corporation can help! Contact us today to learn more about our grant programs, revolving loan funds, and other business resources.