Library's meeting spaces are top-notch

As published in the Red Rock News ​ ​

So who is it exactly that inhabits the Library day in and day out? Besides the staff and volunteers who help the hundreds of patrons and visitors who come through the doors to wander the stacks, pick up a book, read a magazine, or view a recent display or exhibit, it’s also a myriad of organizations and groups. So many people come in to use our meeting rooms, and who are they you ask? Let’s take a look. 

There are literally dozens of organizations, associations, clubs, societies, leagues, schools, and more that regularly hold their meetings, classes, and sessions in our Community Room, Green Room, Quiet Study, Children’s Room, or sometimes at the Fireplace, Silent Waterfall, or the Arizona Room. Some groups hold independent programs, and some partner with us for library programs. Many groups have been meeting at the Library ten years or more.  

Long timers include the Red Rock Quilters, Sedona Car Club, the Verde Valley Chapter of Arizona Archaeological Society, Sedona Gem & Mineral, the, Sirius Lookers Astronomy Club, and the Veterans History Project which hosts Coffee with a Vet on the second Friday each month. 

Jolene Pierson, who manages the program, said, “We meet at the Library because the Veterans History Project is a Sedona Public Library program, and because the library is a beautiful and convenient place to meet.”  

Additionally, it isn’t just community or professional gatherings that bring groups into our rooms. We’ve hosted weddings, magic shows, poetry readings, costume contests, fashion shows, memorial services, cooking classes, graduations, and bar mitzvahs, to name a very few. There has been an array of animals who have made themselves known in our spaces  too, including wolves, snakes, dogs, mountain lions, and even horses! 

Despite the occasional animals, our spaces are guaranteed clean, accessible, convenient, and affordable. We might actually be the best meeting room deal in town. Not only are the rooms reasonably priced, but our Si Birch Community Room has state-of-the-art technology. A group only needs a thumb drive or a laptop, then they can plug into our system, and the work is pretty much done for making presentations viewable and loud enough for all audiences.  

Linda Krumrie, president of the Archaeological Society, said this of her group meeting at the Library. “It is a great meeting place...it has all the techie equipment necessary for our presentations and talks.” 
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Molly Spangler, Director of Economic Development for the City of Sedona, also appreciates our meeting spaces. “We thought Sedona Public Library was an ideal community place to host the first Fuerza Local cohort, a training program for local Spanish-speaking entrepreneurs. The Library is inviting and welcome to all community members!” 

Sedona Public Library in the Village (SPLV) also has affordable and accommodating meeting spaces. Our new space in the Village of Oak Creek includes three small meeting rooms. Each are quiet, private spaces that can fit up to four people comfortably. 

Beginning later this summer, we will have the Javelina Room available for meetings and events at SPLV. This large room is currently under renovation--stay tuned for updates on capacity and amenities. We’re excited to show regular movies and host library programs and welcome clubs and groups to hold their meetings.  

 So, who are the people in our neighborhood? Well there are certainly too many to name, but as this column makes apparent people in Sedona need great meeting spaces, and we provide them! We haven’t even talked about our outdoor spaces! Alas, that will be for another column. 

We also need to thank the direct supporters of our meeting spaces, indoors and out. Many donors have made these rooms a reality. Thanks to the many donors including the Friends of the Sedona Library, Gordon Reiter, Patricia Reski, the Si Birch family, and so many others.  

As a final note, here is praise from John Snickers, Division Manager of Arizona Water Company, Verde Valley Division, for the Community Room. He likes the “sizable room” and thinks “the big screen is awesome.”  
“The Library is a comfortable common place for people to meet. We will continue to use the facility in the future. Jan Marc and the other library staff who manage the library are always very nice and more than accommodating.” 

 Jan Marc Quisumbing, our Program and Marketing Coordinator, feels “fortunate to work with the great group of individuals who care about the community that we live in.” If you’re an organization or business that is in need of a place to meet, consider stopping by the Library and asking for Jan. He says, “I’m happy to give you a tour of our facilities, tell you about what offer, and I’ll even let you take a selfie with me and T-Rex.” 

If you’d like to support our meeting rooms, programs, events, or anything else you love about the Library, please visit sedonalibrary.org/donate. Thanks! 

Sedona Public Library  
Library News for June 10, 2022  
Written by: Anne Marie Mackler, Development Director 

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