Page 52 - Middleborough 2024 Town Report

M I D D L E B O R O U G H
PUBLIC LIBRARY
celebration of his 80th birthday, and members of the
Plymouth County DCR brought a brushfire vehicle for kids
to see up close. Summer StoryWalks were provided with
the following collaborators: Soule Homestead,
Middleborough Conservation Commission, and
Middleborough Parks Department.
The Children’s Department provided a variety of cultural
programs throughout the year, including a Haitian
Storyteller, which was made possible with the Jordan
Miller Storytelling grant. The Middleborough Cultural
Council provided funds for Motoko’s Japanese storytelling
and origami and Kitty Hendricks Miller’s Wampanoag
Culture through Stories and Songs.
Preschool outreach returned with Ms. Amanda visiting the
Memorial Early Childhood Center, Carousel of Learning,
and Middleborough’s Head Start schools. Ms. Marilyn
brought her popular Reading with Ms. Marilyn’s Spaniels
program back to the Library. Kids signed up for 15-minute
timeslots to read to one of her credentialed therapy dogs.
Patrons helped make Thanksgiving décor for the
Middleborough Council on Aging’s Meals on Wheels
program, donating about 170 turkey crats.
The new shelving for series was a significant change to the
physical space of the Children’s Library. By eliminating the
multiple round spinners and putting in one unit where
books are forward-facing by series title, patrons can more
easily find and browse what they seek. In addition to the
shelving unit, ten new series were purchased. More
decodable books were added to the collection to boost
early literacy learning. The Wilfred M. Sylvia Library Trust
generously provided funds for a replacement AWE kids
computer along with the expansion of the popular
Wonderbook collection.
Community Partners
The Children’s Department would like to thank our
community partners for their support in 2024:
• Plymouth County DCR
• Friends of the Middleborough Public Library
• Middleborough Conservation Commission
• Middleborough Council on Aging
• Middleborough Parks Department
• Middleborough Public Schools
• Old Colony YMCA
• Self Help Inc. Coordinated Family and Community
Engagement program
• Soule Homestead
• Sustainable Middleborough
• Wilfred M. Silvia Library Trust
YOUNG ADULT SERVICES
Young Adult Services significantly increased programming
due to added hours to the position and to extensive
collaboration with local homeschool groups with a growing
adolescent demographic and a strong, established
relationship with Children’s Services. The Young Adult (YA)
Librarian ofered low-cost or free programming for
homeschool families of tweens and teens regularly in
addition to providing a variety of STEAM and crating
programs. The YA Librarian continued to expand the digital
materials collections and provide year-round self-directed
activities in the Teen Area.
Programming highlights:
• Attendance increased from 2023, with 368 youth aged
10-18 participating in 25 tween/teen programs that ranged
in topic from board and video gaming, a Greek
role-playing event, and endangered animals and election
process presentations to sketching, henna, and crating
workshops involving needle felting, jewelry, and
candle-making.
• Eighty-two teens in grades 6-12 read a total of 2,793 hours
in the Library’s Teen Summer Reading Challenge, themed
“Read, Renew, Repeat,” a 9-week online teen reading
program that featured a challenge sponsor—The Rotary
Club of Middleboro—for the first time. Teens raised
money through reading to have 16 Gits of Honeybees
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