Shepherdstown Public Library Director Christy Hagerty accepts the Community Service Award from Shepherdstown Area Independent Living board member Mary Bell at the organization's annual meeting.

SHEPHERDSTOWN — A local community organization recently acknowledged the far-reaching impact of Shepherdstown Public Library Director Christy Hagerty’s work, at its annual meeting.

The meeting, held in the fellowship hall of Trinity Episcopal Church on Nov. 21, served as the ideal venue for Shepherdstown Area Independent Living to present its eighth Jack and Martha Young Community Service Award to Hagerty. Since 2018, the award has been given to a number of community figures whose work has improved the lives of SAIL’s members in a significant way. Hagerty, after stepping into her role in July 2023, has turned the library into a major community meeting and event space, alongside still supporting its original purpose of being a force for literacy, through its free loaning system of books, audiobooks and more.

“SAIL members and its board of directors recognized Christy Hagerty’s outstanding service to the community as a whole and, particularly, to older adults,” said SAIL member Carolee Youngblood, mentioning the organization’s membership is currently 96 persons strong. “As director of the Shepherdstown Public Library, Christy makes the library facilities available not only to SAIL, but also to many other activities for older adults — the Social Seniors Leisure Lounge, the Sip & Stitch activity group, the mindfulness and meditation time — to name a few.”

Youngblood noted that the library’s impact, under Hagerty’s leadership, has provided support to SAIL’s members in an essential way.

“Christy and her staff, with kindness and patience, assist seniors with using technology, including accessibility functions, e-books, audio books and free WIFI,” Youngblood said.

The library accomplishes this through offering regular assistance to seniors, as well as yearly digital literacy workshops every spring. Two years ago, that level of support was significantly increased, thanks to a grant Hagerty won from the American Libraries Association (ALA).

“Christy Hagerty was awarded the Libraries Transforming Communities a grant for $10,000 from the ALA. The grant was awarded to small and rural libraries to increase the accessibility of facilities, services and programs to better serve people with disabilities. Christy wrote the grant with the intention to provide technology and technology training for patrons with hearing and sight impairment.”

For SAIL, Hagerty’s clear desire to meet the needs of all members in the greater Shepherdstown area could be most clearly seen in her willingness to accept input into how that funding would be spent.

“Before the library made purchases of any technology, she wanted to hear from community members who would like to help decide what would be used most,” Youngblood said, mentioning this included discussions with SAIL and Aging Friendly Shepherdstown about much-needed technology like an audio system that could amplify the speakers in the library Commons Room and provide Bluetooth connection for hearing aids, low vision screen monitors and text-to-speech laptops. “Christy wants to know what community members think will best help the senior population who have hearing and sight impairment. She solicits comments and suggestions from older adults and incorporates their concerns into programs at the library.”

Hagerty said the award was unexpected and deeply appreciated.

“It was such a nice surprise,” Hagerty said. “It was very sweet of them to think of us — I say ‘us,’ because I’m just one part of this library system. None of this would be possible to achieve without an amazing team working with me.”

To learn more about SAIL, a member-supported nonprofit organization which enables its members to remain active, connected, independent and in their homes as long as possible, visit https://sail.clubexpress.com/ or call 304-870-7245.