Benjamin Walworth is a sophomore marketing major with minors in nonprofit studies and global studies.

Working to revitalize an institution so that it will be able to adapt and continuously meet the needs of a growing community is immensely rewarding. Pairing this with the rich history of my hometown and the strong community pride of a solely volunteer-supported library is what I encountered during my internship this summer at the Taneyhills Library in Branson, Missouri.

In a traditional view, libraries house print materials for patrons to check out and return. However, this is not an accurate representation of the services offered by libraries in current society. Books are just the beginning for modern libraries. Today, libraries serve as public community spaces where meetings, events, and programs are held. They facilitate the access to knowledge, education, and technology for all individuals. This is done all while still providing both physical and digital materials for individuals to borrow. Seeing the great diversity of individuals and the variety of library services they utilize, confirms that libraries are—and will continue to be—an integral part of society.

Taneyhills Library was created in the 1930s to promote literacy and to bring books to the Ozarks (specifically the greater Branson area). Now, this nonprofit organization provides access to information, programming, and technology to the residents of Taney County.

Taneyhills Library is not considered a “public library”, for they do not receive any tax support. Rather, they operate by means of private donations, grants, library service fees, and service revenue from their bookstore and thrift store. This is quite an anomaly, for 110 of the 114 counties in Missouri have a publicly funded library. With this, Taneyhills Library has extremely limited resources in the way of staffing, physical space, and finances. Despite these constraints, the library has seen incredible growth since its founding, and even within the last fifteen years. I am grateful that I have been able to witness a small portion of these changes, from volunteering alongside my mother and grandmother at library fundraisers when I was four years old, to assisting with the children’s summer reading program during high school, to this summer serving as an intern.

When I learned about the Honors College Domestic Internship Grant program, I recognized the great potential to make an enduring impact with a nonprofit organization. During spring break, I was able to visit with the director of the Taneyhills Library to craft a personalized internship. I was excited to further my existing involvement with the library in a meaningful way. While we had some general ideas of what my responsibilities would include, each day of my internship was full of opportunities for growth.

My focus this summer centered on strategic planning efforts, concentrating on development methods that would enable Taneyhills Library to meet the needs of our growing community.

One main component of these strategies was increasing visibility, which I accomplished through crafting four newspaper articles, creating seven email newsletters for library members, and being interviewed on the radio. Additionally, I attended an area chamber of commerce luncheon with the library director to network with prominent business and governmental leaders in the area and to share about the great resources available through the library.

To better understand and communicate the sphere in which the library was operating, I crafted several research summaries. My topics of focus included property availability and property taxes in the Branson area, laws affecting public libraries in Missouri, library operations and accompanying tax initiatives across Missouri, as well as the benefits and value of public libraries. For internal research, I developed three different surveys that enabled the library to measure and evaluate their services.

Part of planning for the library’s future included identifying and recruiting individuals who would be willing to serve on a community advisory and advocacy board. I was able to bring my knowledge as a lifetime Branson resident and work alongside the library director to meet, network, and recruit key community stakeholders for these roles. Several of these individuals work in the marketing and communication industries, which is my intended career path. I am thankful I was able to talk with these individuals about their work and to gain their insight as it related back to the library. I was also able to meet with two outside consultants that work with libraries across the United States. Gaining their knowledge and perspective was eye-opening.

In addition to my other responsibilities, I assisted with the children’s summer reading program by managing over 240 registrations and by helping film videos that highlighted our community program sponsors.

I was able to truly craft my own internship, and felt valued, listened to, and appreciated. I realize that this experience would have been very different if it had not been for my previous involvement with the library, my connections in my hometown, and the confidence the library director and the library board placed in me.

I plan to remain involved with the Taneyhills Library, although on a more limited basis due to being in Fayetteville during the academic year. I am eager to use the knowledge I gained from this experience and apply it to my campus and community involvement. Particularly, I will be able to continue to build upon my research abilities, data analysis skills, and civil society experience while serving as the Data and Operations Coordinator for the Jane B. Gearhart Full Circle Food Pantry at the University of Arkansas this year.

This internship solidified my interests in pursuing marketing and community development. I am looking forward to exploring other opportunities that will enable me to make lasting impacts and help build community.