By Carson Ralston
Camp Verde News – National Library Lover’s Month each February is dedicated to people who love libraries because of the people and stories they encounter inside their walls. Camp Verde Community Library is especially grateful for the library lovers who volunteer their time, energy, and expertise to welcome and serve our community. Nancy Raistrick was one of those extraordinary volunteers. She started volunteering at the library over 12 years ago and would still be coming in 6 days a week if she hadn’t been taken down by Covid 19.
Nancy showed up faithfully to the staff entrance Monday through Saturday around 8:30a. She didn’t have a key so she would pound on the door and wait patiently until someone let her in. She brought the books in from the book drop, set up the computers at the front desk, and got ready to greet every library patron that walked through the front door. During her tenure as a Library Volunteer, Nancy could have easily checked in over 500,000 books with her own two hands. In addition to checking in the books, she helped clean, sort, and shelf them. She knew, that at the front desk, she was the face of the library, so she was unfailingly cheerful and friendly to everyone she encountered.
With an eye for detail and a curious mind always seeking to know the why behind any instruction, Nancy became adept at spotting items that were out of place, didn’t belong, or had a mistake that needed correcting. Her affinity and love for crafting made her invaluable as well. Nancy used her technical and creative skills to mend library materials. During the 10 years that she mended broken or damaged library materials, she repaired over 11,500 items saving the library from discarding the items and incurring replacements costs.
As a Library Lover, Nancy was a natural advocate for library services and enjoyed teaching others how to use library resources. She knew the details about the children’s programs, such as Storytime, STEAM Hour, and Movie Matinees; the teen programs, such as Game Night and Book Clubs; and the adult programs, such as Music in the Stacks, computer classes, and Health & Wellness programs. If someone had a question or needed help finding something, Nancy did not point the way. She walked with them to the computer or to the shelves and taught them how to find what they were looking for.
Nancy’s family can tell you about the many other ways that Nancy influenced and delighted them, how she volunteered for the American Legion, and how much she meant to everyone who knew and loved her. We, at Camp Verde Community Library, can only say that Nancy is incredibly missed by all of us. Not just for what she did for us, but because her example inspired us and her presence blessed us. It is with profound respect that we dedicate National Library Lovers’ Month, February 2022, to Nancy Raistrick, Volunteer Extraordinaire!
Camp Verde Community Library is located just off of Montezuma Castle Highway at 130 Black Bridge Road, Camp Verde AZ. For more information library programs and hours visit the library’s website at www.cvlibrary.org or call 554-8380.