Dear Board Members,
I’m sure you feel this too, but summer is swiftly passing through. It feels like no time ago that we were working to figure out how summer programming would look, what our staffing needs were going to be, and who would be coming to the Varnum to indulge in all that we have to offer. Quickly, I will try to catch you up to speed in what has been going on here:
It is with sadness that I share that Patty Edwards has “retired” from her position here at the Varnum, though she has agreed to stay on as a substitute when a need arises. She thanks the Varnum for the opportunity to share all the talent, humor and love she so willingly gives to those around her. And the Varnum thanks her. We owe her a debt of gratitude for helping rebuild our programming, as well as helping to create strong community bonds which brought so much joy to kids and adults alike. She will be missed on the daily.
Alice, a rising senior at the College of the Atlantic, serendipitously joined our staff as our summer intern the first week of summer programming. She has brought with her a willingness to contribute, a cheerfulness in work and a creativity to help diversify some of our summer programming. She has also been instrumental in keeping our hours steady as we’ve juggled staff needing personal time, illnesses, and other incidentals of life. Her arrival seemed almost magical, to be honest.
I would like to share some context on a few of the statistics listed below:
Coffee and Conversations continues to be our most attended adult program in spite of summer traveling.
StoryTime continues to grow so much, that space is becoming a challenge. I offer this program twice a week, and both sessions are quite full.
Bees, Drawing and Stitching Hour are all programs brought and facilitated by Alice.
Camp Kids is what happens on Mondays; the children who attend the summer camp held at the CCC which come from Fairfax and Cambridge all are brought to the Varnum in groups so as to have access to books weekly which would otherwise not be available to them. Currently Fairfax’s library and community center are under renovation, so the Varnum has welcomed these young people in and it is something we look forward to each week. Many of these kiddos don’t get library time, and it’s been incredible to see them all come in, grab a book and a seat (and sometimes a staff member to read to them!) and dig into a story. We have invited them to join us next Monday for our Bats! program. We have received so much positivity from this collaboration it truly makes us all proud of our library.
Summer Lunches are our collaboration with Lamoille North Supervisory Union and the USDA in which we are an open, non-congregate food site serving summer meals (breakfast and lunch) to all youth 18 and younger. Because of this program, we have been able to distribute hot meals, 5 days a week, to any and all who ask. We continually have logistical issues to deal with, but our team has really pulled through in making this program a success especially for its inaugural year. This program concludes on its 6th week, the first week of August.
I am still working with CLIF to finalize our Summer Readers program to conclude our summer special programming. Look for that date in the first two weeks of August.
As always, thank you for your support and allowing myself and this incredible team to keep working towards our best offerings as a community, public library.
Respectfully Submitted,
Aurora River
Library Director