Tuesday, August 06, 2013
The
2013 Summer Reading Program boasts a circulation increase of 21%!
Total
books read during the program…..36,702 – that’s more than one book for every
resident in Chambers County!
What an extremely successful year for Chambers County
Library System’s annual Summer Reading Program. The 6-week program ended
mid-July with a total of 1,161 kids, 151 teens, and 97 adults
participating. In the middle of the lines of people checking out books,
DVDs, etc., we were holding awesome programs for summer reading; a total of 54
to be exact. There’s a great deal of work that goes into the planning and
executing of our program, so kudos to the entire staff for a job well
done! We’re very happy to make our
Summer Reading Program fun and inviting for all ages.
During the 6-week program, we offered a
“Fresh Start” program that allowed patrons to read off their fines. For
every 15 minutes patrons read, $2 would be cleared from their existing overdues.
We had several people take advantage of this program reading over 645
minutes.
A special
thanks to our sponsors who donated their time, money, and coupons for the
Summer Reading Program. Without their contributions we would not be able
to provide the quality programs we offer each year. A big thank you to
the Friends of the Chambers County Library System for being the major
underwriters for the program, and also to NRG, LLC for being this year’s
corporate sponsor.
All in all, our
reading clubs for adults, teens, and children were incredible successes this
year. Our donations for our programs were way up, allowing us to
provide entertainment that tops off previous year’s programs. That, in
turn, enticed more adults in to enter our reading raffle drawings, and our
teens and youngsters in with the welcoming atmosphere they have come to expect
at our “community centers.” The library system in Chambers County is not
just a room full of books; the staff work extremely hard to provide a wide
spectrum of rich materials and services from our share of the tax dollar.
Usually we scale down a bit in August, but we’re keeping up the pace due to
public demand. Back to School programs are being planned at each branch
for August, and we’ll crank back up with the usual programs (and more!) in
September.
The Friends of
CCLS took advantage of the summer crowds, and staged a three-day Gently Used
Book Sale at the West Chambers Branch. It was another huge success, and funds
raised will be used to purchase additional programming supplies and equipment
for the libraries. The Friends are also working very hard on their
fundraising efforts for the new West Side library. A website is currently
in the works that will allow the public to donate towards the cause, and the
Friends are also starting to meet with representatives from local industry to
help out with the Friends share of the construction costs.
And finally,
July is the time we prepare budget packets for the upcoming budget year.
Each year we make notes on items or services we would like to add for the
citizens of the county. This year we’re asking for an increase in
part-time hours, an alarm system for the Anahuac branch, a few small items for
our supply line, and our main request is to digitize all the local newspapers
we currently have on hand. These items are things we feel are warranted
to continue the level of service our patrons have grown used to.
Until next month!
Anahuac adult winner - Zelphia Hankamer
Some Anahuac kids enjoying the End of Summer Reading party
Mont Belvieu kids enjoying the Cryogenics program with Keith Hall
Winnie teens during their scavenger hunt!
