Volunteers are key to the success of this Lakeside institution

After seven years of saving money, the West Shore Community Library got a makeover.

The library is now bright and airy, and the collection of books has been paired down and tuned into to the West Shore’s interests.

“We actually feel like we’re in a library now,” volunteer Pat Morgan said.

The $15,000 renovation was completed in April and took 10 days.

“I took us a while, and it was well worth it,” Morgan said.

The West Shore Community Library in Lakeside is unique in the Flathead, being entirely volunteer run and supported by fundraisers and donations.

“We are literally funded by the volunteers that live in the West Shore area,” library board president Michelle Allegra said.

Though Flathead County has approached the library several times about becoming a branch of the Flathead County Libraries, the volunteers are proud of what they’ve created and feel they can serve the West Shore communities in ways that the county can not.

“We love having the community involved. We have a super loyal cadre of volunteers,” Allegra said. If the library joined with the county, those 30 volunteers would no longer get to sit behind the desk, and a paid librarian would take over. And the hours likely would be shorter.

Plus, “It’s a wonderful way to get to know the community,” Allegra said. When she first moved to Lakeside, she walked into the library and was immediately recruited as a volunteer. She’s been involved for 11 years now.

“Now I feel like it’s my library,” she said.

The library, which opened in a garage in 1996, has grown from 256 patrons, to 2,259. It’s expanded to three rooms in a building on Bierney Creek road near Lakeside Elementary School. Volunteers work three-hour shifts, keeping the library open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We try to make sure we’re not just a library, but a community center,” Allegra said. Volunteers provide information about the area and the library offers free wireless internet. Allegra said they try to be a resource for the community, and will give special deals to parents who are homeschooling their children.

A lot of the volunteers are book lovers, and want to help keep technology-saturated youth interested in reading.

“I love books,” Allegra said. “I have a long-term love affair with libraries.”

Morgan is a retired teacher, and recalls having a love for books as a child.

“When I was little I would open up books, and I would smell them and tell my mom, “This is what words smell like,’” she said.

There are no requirements to get a library card, except for children under 12 who need a parent’s signature.

Allegra said they have patrons from Kalispell and people who just come camp in there for the summer.

“We just make ourselves available to whomever we can,” she said.

Flathead County has noticed their success, and now plans to partner with the library, while remaining separate entities, offering courses and bringing down an ImagineIF bookmobile once a week.

Now that they’ve completed their renovation, the library is looking to rebuild its security fund, and cover its operating costs. It costs $45,000 a year to operate the library.

One room is full of books for sale, all $1 or less. On Saturdays, you name the price.

The West Shore Community Library will have a name-your-price book sale during the annual Lakeside Community Club Fair on July 12. They will also have a kiosk at the fair for people to ask questions and sign up for a library card.

The library’s annual fundraiser is July 30. The auction and wine tasting, titled, “Reading between the Wines” will be at Glacier Camp Spruce Lodge from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Reservations can be made ahead of time by calling the library at 844-3917. Tickets cost $50 in advance and $60 at the door.

“All of us are book lovers,” Allegra said.

On the Web: wsclibrary.org