Librarian Hannah Greer sought good ideas to counter bad news.

“Library equals ideas, especially at times like these,” she said.

Things are tight. But rather than sit gloomily, she thought, why not tap the resources at hand?

So earlier this month Greer, a staff member at the Bainbridge Public Library, mounted a simple display near the checkout desk with a large pad of paper and colored markers inviting library patrons to weigh in.

The topic: “Ideas for riding out the recession.”

The response was immediate, and, Greer found, inspiring, with ideas ranging from practical to spiritual, some funny, some light, some thoughtful, some irreverent.

A quick sampling included: “Check out cookbooks and eat in more,” “Don’t worry, be happy,” “Explore co-housing options,” “Get to know your neighbors – help each other out,” “Plant veggies, not lawn,” “Make your own Ponzi scheme,” “Rob a bank,” and “Watch the sunrise; be still.”

Greer then pulled and displayed books that mapped to both specific comments and general concepts. She’s supplied books on “staycations” in Washington State, interview techniques and resume writing.

One patron grabbed every job-hunting book in the display, saying, “I just cleaned you guys out.”

Greer has also gathered material on cooking comfort food, raising chickens, meditation and spirituality, upholstering furniture and cutting your family members’ hair, along with copies of the “Tightwad Gazette.” For practically every topic, there’s a corresponding resource.

“It’s fun for me because every time I come in, there are books to fill, and there are comments,” she said.

At the core of Greer’s thinking was that the library offers community support through good times and bad. The library isn’t a passive institution; it can be a living forum that gives community members the opportunity to share ideas, and in turn support those ideas without judgment.

(Exception: no books on display about Ponzi schemes. Sorry.)

“The paradigm has shifted. What a good time to be creative,” Greer said.