It's the End of Another Summer, Charlie Brown
McPherson Sentinel, August 30, 2011
Although the days continue to be hot, the evenings are shorter and a bit cooler and not so oppressive. The evening shadows grow longer. The kids are back in school. Summer is waning. If this were a Peanuts cartoon, Linus and Charlie Brown would be leaning on the stone wall, with Linus saying, “Well Charlie Brown, another summer has come and gone.”
Rushing Through the Doors
All summers at the public library are busy ones, but what made the summer of 2011 exceptional was the large number of people who visited the library. Our staff noticed this early in the summer, and it continued throughout July.
The increased number of people inside the library is evidenced by the fact that a record number of children and families attended our children’s programs this summer: 3,800 – up 27% from last summer. From magic shows to puppet plays to our weekly programs, the library was a popular destination for kids.
We also noticed significant numbers of adults and teens in the library, cooling off in a comfortable chair with a book or newspaper, gathering materials to take home, or using our Internet terminals or our Wi-Fi access. Over 5,000 people logged in to Internet sessions in June and July – and that doesn’t count Wi-Fi activity.
We Couldn’t do it Without Them
In 1994 Circulation Supervisor Olga Song-Stratton and Children’s Librarian Holly Engle created a program that has become a library tradition. Participation in the children’s summer reading program was expanding rapidly and straining the ability of the library staff to keep up with the increased activity. As a way to bring in some assistance during the summer, as well as to involve teenagers in the library, they created our VolunTeen program.
Kids from ages 12 through 17 are eligible to be VolunTeens. They must fill out an application, participate in an interview, and commit to a schedule. For many of them, this is their first experience with the application and hiring process and a work environment. The program benefits the teens as much as it benefits us.
This summer marks the 18th year of the VolunTeen program. Since 1994 almost 250 teens have volunteered over 9,000 hours of service to their public library over the summers. We truly could not have done it without them.
Coming this Fall
Summer may be over, but Fall is just around the corner. Expect to see some great new fiction and non-fiction arriving on the shelves. And don’t forget all of the new audiobooks, DVDs, and music CDs! Anther season of children’s programming is underway.
We will add over 200 historic photographs of McPherson and McPherson County from the Linn Peterson Collection to our online McPherson Photo Album this fall. And we will be add other local history content to our web site this fall as well.
And if this were a Peanuts cartoon, Linus would start talking about the coming of the Great Pumpkin in October. Good Grief!