Let's take a quick trip to downtown West Fork, about a 20-minute drive from our studio. The heart of the Washington County town of about 3,000 people is between Highway 71 and I-49. And the heart of the heart of West Fork may very well be the public library.
"The library is not just dusty old books anymore."
This is West Fork Mayor Heath Caudle.
"So yeah, it's truly amazing. The programs we run out of here from escape rooms to children's craft programs that they're doing it. It's a wonderful space."
It's one of those other than book services that got us to the West Fork Library this week.
"So all you've got to do is stick it on your arm and hit the on button."
This is Marie Parks, library director. She's at the front of the library explaining how new blood pressure cuffs available to any patron work.
"And you can hear that it's doing its little tightening movement, and then it'll read your blood pressure and just tell you what's going on. There's instructions on how to take it because obviously you don't want to be doing jumping jacks while you're doing this. So sitting down and having both feet on the floor, but all the instructions are in there just to make it a very easy process."
The blood pressure cuff accessibility is part of a partnership with the American Heart Association called Libraries with Heart. West Fork Library is the first in Northwest Arkansas to participate. High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and a large portion of Arkansas' population suffers from hypertension. The American Heart Association is seeking cooperating libraries to help rural Arkansas residents with limited access to consistent monitoring of blood pressure.
"We're really excited to work with the AHA. And someone came out and talked to us about it, and we got it all set up. They brought us three cuffs for checkout and one that people can use here."
Parks says no appointments are needed to use the blood pressure cuff that stays permanently in the library, and the cuffs that are available to take home come with instructions and more information.
"The checkout cuffs are all set with booklets with information, a way to understand what your reading is, and then contact information for our two local clinics, the access clinic and the community clinic. Because of course, you know, we can only answer so many questions, but we can provide the service so that people have access to gathering their own information, especially if their doctor has advised them to do so."
Libraries across the country have been broadening their services and their materials that can be checked out. The West Fork Library has embraced this library of things concept, making fishing poles, hammocks and more ready for cardholders.
"Our biggest one is probably actually our telescope, though that was a donation made in 2019 to honor the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. That was the theme for the summer reading program. So someone donated that and that's been a hot item. People have checked it out. It's not quite as hot as it was when it first got here. But, you know, on a clear night, some people are still really excited to go out and take a look at the moon and the stars."
Marie Parks, library director, says she's watched this library grow into a vibrant part of the town during her seven years there. She credits an active Friends of the Library support organization and groups like the Master Gardeners and the Good Earth Garden Club for helping foster that growth.
"We have the Master Gardeners who just make this place absolutely beautiful, year round. And we have the Good Earth Garden Club that really was instrumental in getting our pollination gardens going over in the story garden. And without these people, our library wouldn't be the same. We've got teen volunteers, adult volunteers that come in every week on the same day, just to make sure everything is shelved. Everything is straightened up and it really makes a huge difference."
West Fork Mayor Heath Caudle says having the library serve so many roles makes it a core part of the community, and that extends beyond the city limits.
"I don't have words to describe that. Our library system is. It really is the hub of the city of West Fork. It's our communication hub. It is a judgment free zone. So everybody is safe and welcome at the library. It's not like the police department or the city water department. Right.
"So we just had a library board meeting and we were discussing how important the library has been to this community. And even more so, how important it has become as the central communication place within the city. So yes, our parks probably bring the most tourism into the city, if you will, tourism as in outside visitors. But I would say our library is second to that in that it serves a very wide population outside the city limits. So South Washington County is really served out of the West Fork Library, and we do a very good job of it."
The West Fork Library is open six days a week until 6 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And the blood pressure cuffs can be found on a table just as you enter the front door, along with a selection of books recommended for heart-racing reading experiences. This is Ozarks at Large.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
