Volunteer Carol Johnson holds up one of the many cake pans that the Livermore Public Library is now lending out to the community Thursday, June 30. The cake-pan loan program is a part of the Livermore Public Library’s greater efforts to expand the kinds of services it offers. Kay Neufeld/Franklin Journal
LIVERMORE — The Livermore Public Library is expanding its services amid a changing media landscape.
The library has begun with a cake-pan loan program. Thanks to volunteer Carol Johnson, the library has amassed a collection of over 65 cake pans and counting of all different shapes and sizes.
Locals can borrow everything from wedding cake pans to Elmo and Ariel the Mermaid forms.
Johnson said she got the idea for cake pans from another library and went on eBay.
“It snowballed to the point of buying [65] cake pans,” Johnson joked.
“The intention was to open up the library to more than just books,” she added. “I liked the idea that people don’t have to go out and buy cake pans.”
Librarian Amanda Barton said that the cake-pan program is a part of a larger effort to expand the library’s resources and try to cater to the community’s needs.
With so much accessible online these days, the library is trying to think out of the box, Barton said.
“The libraries of today are having to branch out for what the community is wanting or needing,” she added.
Alongside the cake pans, the Livermore Public Library is hosting storytimes with guest readers every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. until Aug. 13, a book club (with the next discussion on Room to be held July 12) and a cloud library where library members can access e-books and audio books.
And, perhaps next year, the library is looking into purchasing a community state park pass that can be loaned out to library members.
Barton said she and volunteers will also do whatever they can to help community members, whether that be setting up an online library account, helping with technology or more.
“We’re just a resource of all things,” she said. “A library is important because it’s all about resources and knowledge, trying to help the community in anything they need.”
“We’re also trying to encourage the little ones to read,” Johnson added.
A library membership is free for all Livermore residents, as well as residents from surrounding towns.
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