The town of Lyle has a population of less than 600 people, but these dedicated folk love their library. The library was established more than 10 years ago by a group of dedicated volunteers.

"The library started in the Lyle City Hall with a few books on the shelves. We had members of Green Thumb, Gladys Olson and Dorothy Bartholomew in charge of it," said Maxine Halbach, a member of the Lyle Library Board.

The library in Lyle is and was a grassroots endeavor. The first books were donated and the library board still relies on donations to keep the bookshelves filled. The 15-member board meets monthly and the current president is Dolores Frank.

The board has several fund-raisers each year. They have operated the food stand at Cash Wise and held a supper at the Lyle Public School on a ballgame night. The former Librarian, Georgia Byrne, was instrumental in keeping the library going by writing letters to groups in town to donate money to the library.

When the shelves in the city hall were not enough to hold all the books, the library moved into its present location, which was a former beauty salon. It is a bright, airy and homey building with a computer lab, a large selection of paperback books, videos and an extensive selection of children's books.

A new librarian, Karen Robertson, was hired three weeks ago. She is a familiar face around town. Her children, David and Deanne, now grown, attended the Lyle public school. Robertson also works part-time at the Farm Bureau Agency in town.

"I didn't do library work before. I have always been a library user. I have used the Mitchell County, St. Ansgar and the Austin Public Library. I did finance and clerical work before. I worked full time at the Sterling State Bank in Austin," Robertson said.

Having retired from full-time work, Robertson is pleased with what she calls her "two little part time jobs," the one at the library and the insurance agency. She loves children and says she has an easy time relating to what they like to read. Children make up a large portion of the patrons that come to the library. With school being almost over for the year, the Lyle Library Summer Reading Program will be in full swing soon.

"We have around 25 students that sign up for the summer reading program. Each receives a packet when they sign up. The children are encouraged to read three books a week. I keep track of the books they read on a poster and a put sticker by their name for each book they read," Robertson said.

Robertson is very comfortable in her new position. She has always been active in the surrounding communities. She is the treasurer of the Legion Auxiliary in St. Ansgar, a member of the Heritage Museum of St. Ansgar and a member of Thrivent Financial Board for First Lutheran Church in St. Ansgar.

"I work very well independently. I enjoy all the kids that come in to the library. My job is so different now from when I worked in finance. It is much more relaxing. I am still learning new challenges each day," Robertson said.

The new librarian has been hired for 20 weeks. She has heard people say in passing that they didn't know that Lyle had a library.

"There are lots of active residents in this town and Lyle definitely has a great library. The board is currently ordering new children books for the summer reading program and we have a good resource center for information. Our books can be checked out for three weeks at a time compared to many libraries that will only allow two weeks," Robertson said.

When Robertson is not working she enjoys gardening and taking care of her lawn. She is married to Gary, a carpenter and construction worker.

They have seven grandchildren. The Lyle Library's hours are 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday though Friday and from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturdays.

Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at :mailto:newsroom@austindailyherald.com