Photo submitted Cocke County's libraries were well represented last Thursday at the annual trustees workshop in Dandridge. From left, front row, are Sandra Foster, Cosby Community Library Director; Meschelyn Barrett, Stokely Memorial Library Director; Jeanne Sugg, State Librarian and Archivist; Jane Pinkston, Assistant State Librarian for Planning and Development; Jeanne Birdwell and Rev. Rick Carr, Cocke County Library Board Trustees. Back, from left, are Duay O'Neil, Cocke County Library Trustee; Don Reynolds, Nolichucky Regional Librarian; and Gene Branam and L. C. Gregg, Cocke County Library Trustees.

DANDRIDGE-Cocke County's four libraries-Cosby Community, Del Rio, Parrottsville, and Stokely Memorial-were well represented last Thursday at the annual Trustees Workshop in Dandridge.

Meeting at First Baptist Church, representatives from library boards of the Clinch-Powell, Nolichucky, and Watauga regions gathered to exchange ideas, share stories of successes, and hear guest speakers Ramay Winchester, Jane Pinkston, and Jeanne Sugg.

Winchester, who is with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, discussed numerous ways librarians can meet the growing needs of the community.

"Libraries are no longer simply places to check out books," said Winchester. "Today they are computer centers, research facilities, and places for people to check out movies, DVD's, and other technologies."

Winchester's program, "One Customer at a Time," emphasized the positive relationships librarians need to foster for successful interaction with their patrons.

In her remarks, Jane Pinkston, Assistant State Librarian for Planning and Development, addressed the need for libraries to adopt and follow standards.

"Schools have them, police and fire departments have them, hospitals have them, beauticians have them, and universities have them," said Pinkston.

According to Pinkston, libraries also need to have strict standards for public accountability, a shared vision for library service, evaluation procedures, and library growth and development.

Trustees received copies of library standards which resulted from a year-long study.

Pinkston also quoted findings published in The Tennessean this past July which stated, "Tennessee has some of the worst-funded, least-visited libraries in the nation."

According to the study, researchers also determined, "If the funding falls through, the libraries will probably find a way to make do. That's what Tennessee librarians have been doing for decades. In short, Tennessee has gotten what it paid for."