The Duchesne County Library System was awarded the Quality Library Award by the Utah State Library Division for the third time since 2019 but what sets them apart from other libraries that serve populations of less than 50,000 people? In addition to their outreach services and offsite locations, the Duchesne County Library System works to provide its patrons with resources outside the library’s own collection and also collaborates with other community entities. Director Daniel Mauchley shared the following examples: Duchesne Branch has partnered with UBAoG to provide the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. Over 40 tax returns were completed for free in 2023 through the program. Concerning shared resources, Uintah County Library and Duchesne County Library have partnered since 2014 to provide and pay for their shared online library catalog and courier service, allowing for patrons in Duchesne and Uintah Counties to borrow and reserve materials from the libraries located in Duchesne City, Roosevelt, or Vernal. This has resulted in thousands of shared circulations, increasing the efficiency of our collection dollars. The library, through the Utah State Library Division, also places requests to other libraries in the United States, to borrow hard-to-find items that our patrons request that the library doesn’t have. These and many more examples certainly support the State Library’s decision to once again bestow the Duchesne County Libraries with the Quality Library Award.
