Library programming meant to draw new patrons

There are plenty of new brightly colored fliers at the library circulation desks.

Jill Pickett

Charity Brown, from left, Isaiah Willett, Kayden Bell and Daniel Nall listen as Marsha Harris, a children's technician, reads a book to them during a program called Book Buzz aimed at 5-year-olds at the Hardin County Public Library in Elizabethtown. Harris said the goal of the program is to read 50 books from a list of suggested books for children to read before first grade.

Buy this photo

Jill Pickett

Kayden Bell, left, and Isaiah Willett add plates to the back of their dinosaurs during the craft portion of Book Buzz program at the Hardin County Public Library in Elizabethtown. The children were read two dinosaur-themed books before the craft.

Buy this photo

Jill Pickett

Noor-Ul-Ain, left, and Daniel Nall decorate their dinosaurs during the Book Buzz program at the Hardin County Public Library in Elizabethtown.

Buy this photo

They promote one-time activities, such as lessons about operating e-readers.

They also focus on new weekly activities. Tuesday nights are game nights at the library, aimed at entertaining and bringing together area families and bringing them into the library system. Saturday mornings mean story time, which can attract patrons such as busy working parents who don’t often get a chance to visit the library.

Drawing in new users is a major reason the library has instituted new and unusual programming recently in addition to trying to find ways to better serve patrons.

Library Director Rene Hutcheson said library employees also are coming up with programming ideas to celebrate National Library Week from April 10-16. Plans still are in the works.

“It’s so easy to get a library card and they can check out materials that same day,” she said. “Also, we have long-time county residents that haven’t used their cards in years and we want them to reconnect with us to see what is new and what we can do to meet their needs. Programming is one way to attract people to the library.”

That’s especially important now because Hardin County has had many families move to the area during the past year and a half to two years, Hutcheson said.

“Many of them are military and they are used to visiting their new library as part of the settling in process,” she said. “But others are arriving to Hardin County and have not yet been to see what we have to offer.”

Library system employees aren’t nearly finished looking for new ways to attract patrons and reconnect with existing users. Hutcheson said she and library employees are discussing possible games, clubs and activities to make the library system more exciting than ever.

Besides the new features, years-old programs still attract new patrons all the time.

Jennifer Duke of Elizabethtown said she has started bringing her children, 4-year-old Cheynna Grissom and 2-year-old Jaxon Jones, to Toddler Time each Thursday. It involves storytelling for 2-and 3-year-olds and lets them sing, listen to books and make crafts.

They started attending story time after their cousin, 2-year-old Ryley Hancock, Elizabethtown began going.

After story time, the parents and children sometimes browse titles at the library, an activity they haven’t often taken part in.

Cheynna selected the book “Cinder Edna” by Ellen Jackson two times in a row after story time. Jaxon likes books about Thomas the Tank Engine. Ryley likes books about the alphabet.
 

Amber Coulter can be reached at (270) 505-1746 or acoulter@thenewsenterprise.com.