Page 53 - Middleborough 2024 Town Report

M I D D L E B O R O U G H
PUBLIC LIBRARY
purchased by The Rotary Club through Heifer International’s
Donation program. As a result of the interest in the “Read to
Bee the Change” challenge, participation increased 15% from
2023, and teen readers logged more significant reading
amounts than in the past two years, with the total hours read
by teens rising 36% from the previous year. Fity teen
participants completed 1,301 creative, mental, and physical
activities related to reading, summer, and self-expression.
Community Partners:
Young Adult Services would like to thank the following
community partners for their support in 2024:
• Friends of the Middleborough Public Library
• Middleborough Public Schools
• Wilfred M. Silvia Library Trust
• Patricia Cassady, Middleborough Conservation Agent
• Rotary Club of Middleboro
• Partnered with the Middleborough Schools in producing a
multi-lingual summer reading document that details the
Library’s reading program and ofers up-to-date booklists
for students in grades K-8 to encourage students to read for
enjoyment throughout the summer to prepare them for
the next school year better. Other school collaborations
include representing the Library at the 5th Grade Career
Fair and working with the Middleborough High School
Librarian and English Department Head to discuss and
gather resources for a potential author speakers series for
high school students.
• Welcomed tweens and teens to relax and express
themselves with seasonal coloring pages in addition to
nine unique monthly drop-in activities ranging from Why I
Love My Library Post-It gallery, fortune tellers, yarn turtles,
animal origami, button-making, and button tree
ornaments.
ADULT SERVICES
Over 500 adult patrons enjoyed our large variety of
programs this past year, from Furoshiki (the art of Japanese
git wrapping) to the Conlict in the Middle East. Food
seemed to be a favorite topic in 2024, as we ofered
programs on everything from Festive Soups, Johnnycakes,
and Desserts of New England to Bar Pizza and Sourdough
Bread Starter.
Patrons of all ages gathered together for programs
celebrating Black History Month with the Bright Star
Touring Theatre. At the same time, adults and teens were
treated to a visit from Pied Potter Rick Hamelin, who
brought his pottery wheel and entertained us with stories
of teapots from around the world and mythical creatures.
The young adult collection was weeded as needed, focusing
on fiction, audiobooks, and science fiction. The Wilfred M.
Silvia Library Trust donated additional funds to expand the
manga collection, update and broaden the teen nonfiction
collection, and purchase teen print books, video games, and
OverDrive digital titles.
Our annual paranormal program featured Discovery
Television star Ronny LeBlanc. At the same time, perennial
favorites Boston-based antiquarian book expert Ken Gloss
and Celtic musician and storyteller Jef Snow returned for
repeat performances.
In October, Young Adult Services implemented shelf-talkers
to promote and showcase notable, overlooked, and older
acclaimed book titles to increase circulation. The YA Librarian
continued to add and update booklists by genre, grade, and
topic. New materials and upcoming programs were also
promoted on the teen site, in the Library’s biweekly
newsletter and social media, and with Middleboro schools.
Our Nonfiction Book Club continued into its second
season, with members participating both in person and
remotely. We share significant (and sometimes,
not-so-great) nonfiction titles in a supportive atmosphere.
The circulation of items from our Sharebrary, our
nontraditional collection for adults, skyrocketed to more
than 120 checkouts. With the addition of more items, the
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