Walk in to the Douglas Public Library and you'll be greeted not only by a friendly and helpful staff but also by a wealth of new books, movies and music.

And if you want to do work on the Internet, the library has a variety of computers for patron use. Each week the library orders new books, ranging from the newest fiction and non-fiction to the latest in self-help or world events.

And each week the library's collections grow. Also available are many of the world's classics in literature and reference material. Often, students and senior citizens can be seen thumbing through the books, magazines and newspapers.

The library continues to grow each day and as a result it has had to expand. The library can now boast of having a Family Room with more than 5,000 collections of books and music for children, a large reading room, six computers donated by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and a mini performance stage for the many puppet shows and presentations offered by the Douglas Public Library.

"It's a place where a parent or grandparent can sit in a rocking chair and read to a child, check out a video on parenting a toddler, or help a preschooler create a collage in the craft area during the library's morning story time on Thursdays," said Glenda Bavier, the librarian for the Douglas Public Library.

With a $100,00 CDBG grant and $35,000 more by the mayor and council, the library added the 1,000 square foot Family Room on the northeast side of the library.

Two Library Services and Technology Act grants were awarded to the library, which provided interactive toys for the youngest of library users, some parenting books and videos, toddler's books, music and CDs and videos and an occasional parent/ toddler workshop.

Two generous donations from Wal-Mart's Literacy Fund went toward purchases of children's books.