The week of April 7 is National Library Week in the United States, an annual celebration that highlights the valuable role that libraries, librarians, and library staff play in transforming lives and strengthening local communities.

This year’s theme for the week is “Libraries = Strong Communities.” The goal is to raise awareness of the fact that libraries often serve as the heart of our cities, towns, schools, and campuses and provide critical resources, programs and expertise. A library’s community space provides access so people can come together to connect and learn, regardless of age, culture, or income level. 

The easiest way to help us celebrate National Library Week is to come in and visit us. Visit one of our programs, use a computer, find some books or movies to keep you busy in your leisure time, or learn more about our digital and online resources. If you want to get more involved, you can share your experience with the library on social media using the tags #MyLibraryMyStory and #GreatBendPublicLibrary, and answer the question: How do you library?

There are other ways you can get involved with the library, too. On Monday, April 8, consider stopping by the library for our annual Friends of the Library informational meeting. Did you know that Friends puts on an annual book sale, with thousands of books, or that Friends helps fund many of our exciting summer programs and presenters? You can learn more about what the Friends of the Library group does, how it influences the library, and how you can get involved. 

Also, the library is celebrating National Library Week by offering amnesty to our patrons! If you have a long overdue, lost, or damaged item on your library account that is preventing you from using library resources, stop by the library during the week of April 8-13 and we will write off one item from your account, no payment necessary. Our goal is to have our community members continuing to enjoy the library for years to come.

See the schedule below for the library’s activities during this upcoming week. For more detailed information on any library events, programs, or resources, check out our website , send us an email, or call the front desk (620-792-2409). You can also “like” and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

Michael Adamyk is the Marketing and Technical Services Manager at the Great Bend Public Library. He can be reached by email at gbcirc@gmail.com.