It has been a very busy summer at the library in general, and in the Children’s Room in particular. The annual Summer Reading challenge began mid-June and continued through the end of July. During this six-week period, 101 children, aged 5 to 14, signed up for the program, which entailed meeting a daily reading goal each week to earn prizes and free books.
For the first time, the library partnered with the Woodstock school district’s Summer SOAK enrichment program. A number of instructors made it a point to bring their students to the library to participate in the Summer Reading challenge, obtain library cards and check out books. Students came from many area towns – Woodstock, Barnard, Pomfret, Killington, Reading, Brownsville, Plymouth – and, thanks to the generosity of the NWPL Board of Trustees, we were able to extend loan privileges to 35 children. In addition to supporting young readers, the Children’s Room also provided books to teachers to support their instructional programs.
This year’s annual Summer Reading theme was entitled “Build a Better World” and the youth library hosted a free Raptor Nesting program on July 15 that was conducted by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science. Three hawks were brought on site and much was learned about raptor breeding, nesting and fledging. In addition to the live raptors, skulls, claws and wings were also on display.
Summer is a peak time for area visitors, both those who pass through town and those who come annually for summer vacations and to visit family. It is always a pleasure to see familiar faces and to welcome area guests to our Children’s Room. Many are enchanted with the beautiful space and resources available here, include the toys, games and story time sessions.
Story times and community outreach continued through the summer as well, with 18 programs held and 221 attendees. With all the rainy weather, the children’s room was especially busy from the minute the doors opened in the morning until closing. With so many people spending time here it comes as no surprise that circulation of library materials, books, audiobooks and DVDs, were higher than ever.
We love being our community’s go-to place for friendship, fun and learning.
– Melissa