a word from trish burns

The Bay Community Writing Center would not be able to exist without the support of community members. One member in particular has been extremely helpful in the implementation of and creation of our Center in the Wirt Library. Trish Burns serves as The Bay County Library System Director, and we are very grateful for all the work she has put in to help the BCWC! Here, she shares some thoughts on the Bay Community Writing Center and how it has impacted the library and its patrons. 

"Our Bay County libraries are cultural hubs that transform the community by providing vital opportunities connecting people, ideas, and information.  To stay aligned with that mission statement, we always look for chances to collaborate with different organizations to offer new and innovative programs for our patrons.  A conversation with Helen Raica-Klotz, Director of the Writing Center at SVSU, was the impetus to provide free tutoring sessions for our patrons – regardless of age, skill level, or type of writing.

"The Bay Community Writing Center opened to great use in September of 2017 and has been successfully pulling patrons in for one on one sessions and special writing seminars. The low hum of conversation in the library between tutors and patrons is great to hear, and our patrons love the service. Nowhere else in the community can you find this sort of assistance – the Center is providing a much needed and well used service for our county.

"Patrons have shared their stories with staff members here.  Each patron comes to the Center for tutoring for a different reason.  A few examples - a grandmother came to get advice on the book she is writing for her grandchildren, a teen wanted some reaction to her poetry, and another student brought their idea for a term paper and received direction on how to grow the topic into a viable product. The work that the SVSU tutors do at our Center is professional yet personal and makes a difference in the lives of the people they help."