Tuesday, July 19, 2016

 
Chambers County Library System – June, 2016

Summer Reading is in full force at the Chambers County Library System!   Our first week is considered “Kickoff Week” where the focus is aimed at registering kids and teens for Summer Reading.  Without a doubt, it was a success with over 1,000 kids joining during week one – a 10% increase from 2015.  Kickoff Week featured several elected officials and special guests who joined the fun passing out sno-cones, popcorn, and balloons, and had the chance to mingle with kids and their parents.  Other activities during kickoff week included hot dogs with the Sheriff, Deputy Dan and the K9 unit, Spirit day with the local school mascots and football players, Zoofari, and even helicopters!  

The weeks that followed included programs with Toro, the mascot for the Houston Texans, followed by a magic show with Ronald McDonald. 




Teen enrollment was also up with right at 200 teens participating.  And we can’t forget our adults who have really been hitting the books this year!  Each week the branches hold a weekly drawing for teens and adults who turn in their completed raffle bookmarks with a chance to win some prizes donated by local businesses.  Fun and unique programs for the adults included making your own hula hoop, cardio class, walking programs, and nutrition classes. 
To kick off summer reading for teens, a county-wide event was held on the 10th at White’s Park.  This collaborative effort of the library system’s young adult programmers consisted of dodgeball, water wars, relay races, and other fun games.  Over 30 teens turned out for the event.  It was great to see teens from across the county come together for some good competition! 




In 2015, we decided to change the direction of our program to focus on getting the community more involved in their library.  One of the ways we did that was by offering a bigger variety of programs for the teens and adults.   We also brought back the game boards for the kids.  This let them have some extra responsibility by coloring in spaces each day they read for 20 minutes, and offering incentives along the way.  This trend has continued to prove successful and popular with our public. 

On the 10th, the Friends of the Chambers County Library System held a special meeting to discuss ongoing fundraising ideas.  An upcoming event they have planned is at the Panera Bread  in Baytown.  On Thursday, August 4th between 4pm and 8pm, a percentage of the proceeds will go towards the Friends.  Our Friends are the major underwriters for programs like Summer Reading.  You must present a flyer when you go, so pick one up at any of the libraries or print one from our website www.chambers.lib.tx.us

Local author Tammy Hale held a book signing on the 18th.  She was on hand to autograph and sell her debut book, The Burning Kiss.  Tammy is an Anahuac native and currently offers her book through Amazon.
We rounded out June with 285 new patron cards and 23,358 people walking through our doors.  It’s a busy time at the library and we wouldn’t have it any other way. 
 
Until next month!





This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?