By Tatum Hearn
As you walk through the doors of the Patrick Heath Public Library, the immediate cool you feel of the AC is quickly coupled with just how busy the space is this summer.
The 30,000-square-foot facility and its jam-packed summer programming have been a huge success with more than 4,200 visitors stopping by in the first full week of June. That is nearly 1,000 more visitors from the same period in 2023 – a 27.6 percent increase.
The theme of the program this year is “Begin Your Adventure @ The Library,” and includes an entire calendar filled with activities for all ages to enjoy and can be done in the comfort, and A/C, of our very own library.
Click here to view the library calendar.
Assistant Director Natalie Morgan, in her 26th year of planning summer programming, says this summer’s achievement is a testament to the hard work and planning of the entire library staff, their collaborative approach, and putting the community first.
“We have taken the more collaborative route this time around and I think it has made all the difference in the world,” Morgan said. “This library’s mission and goal is to provide a welcoming space for people of all ages to engage and connect, and I think by collaborating as a team we have been able to deliver that.”
From sensory studio and adventure tail trails for younger kids to book discussions and movies for teens and adults, the library is providing programs to get everyone involved with all the fun. Sticking to their learning roots, books are incorporated, and a component of the summer programming is a reading challenge where you receive and fill your own reading passport.
“I am creating 20 new passports a week and sometimes that isn’t enough,” Young Adult Services/Outreach Coordinator Leah Mayo said. “This specific challenge is geared towards teens and adults to help them get out of their comfort zone with reading, and it has been fun seeing the same faces come in to complete new challenges.”
For Youth Services Librarian Constance Keremes, she says it is rewarding to see how a child’s time at the library can shape their future and impact the next generation.
“We want to empower and welcome everybody that walks through our doors and make them feel included,” Keremes said. “I’ve had children that I taught in our summer programs start to bring in their kids to us, and it is so comforting to see they are continuing to include us in their life throughout generations.”
With such early success and broad appeal to all age ranges, no one expects to see attendance slowing down anytime soon.
“It’s been really rewarding to see how much the community appreciates the work we have put into this program and how engaged they are with it,” Youth Library Assistant Cassidy Kennell said. “We have been told we are the ‘hub’ of the community, and the responses to the program this year have been reassuring of that.”
The Adventure program at the library runs until the last week of July, so come cool off and make sure to check out the calendar of upcoming events you don’t want to miss.
