The Great Bend Public Library Board of Directors Monday received a heartfelt thank you from GBPL Circulation Manager and ILL Lisa Schultz, who spoke on behalf of staff who were grateful to the board for continuing to pay salaries through the mandatory pandemic shutdown months earlier.
“You supported us, and we have heard from other librarians around the state, other boards were not supportive, and we really appreciate it,” she said.
Schultz reported how each department had continued to work to uphold the mission of the library via the internet, and how they were transitioning back to the library building now that it has reopened to the public. Outreach Manager Hannah Grippin, who joined the staff just prior to the shutdown, has created a library Twitter account, as well as a TikTok account, for displaying and sharing short original videos created by the staff.
The 2020 Summer Reading program will look different this year, Schultz said, but will be fun and safe for all participants. With the need to continue social distancing, live in-person storytimes, performances and craft projects are not advisable, so staff had to get creative and imagine what’s possible under the limitations of the current climate. For adults and teens, minutes spent reading will be tracked using the Reader app, and for school-aged children, there will be virtual storytimes, fairy tale trivia nights, and murder mysteries. Each child registered by July 1 will also be invited to pick up a take-and-make package with supplies for a month’s worth of crafts, experiments and activities to help them “Dream Up Your Story”, the program’s theme this year.
“The staff have been like the shoemaker’s elves, just as busy as can be,” GBPL Director Gail Santy told board members. “If you’ve come in and it looks like they’re just crafting, well, they are for heaven’s sake.”
Throughout the month of June, in addition to making all the needed adjustments to reopen the library to the public, GBPL staff have been cutting out shapes from construction paper, measuring out supplies, and assembling craft projects, all of which will be packaged in a cloth bag printed with the theme.
“Bags will include all the supplies needed for every craft project, so no one will miss out on getting to take part,” Children’s Librarian Amy Mayhill told the Tribune Tuesday afternoon.
The children’s library, normally filled with several young readers selecting books, playing with toys, and taking turns at the youth computer stations, was quiet. Toys have been stored away in an effort to reduce the amount of items and surfaces staff must clean and sanitize throughout the day.
On June 29 and 30, pre-registered kids will be able to pick up their take-and-make kit curbside at the library, Mayhill said. There’s still time to register in person or online at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uEbH7wd13bPRKRXJ0rtB3bVU1-0X0tWoRWzVnVZRl8w/viewform?edit_requested=true .
This year, adults in the summer reading program keep count of their reading goals and track minutes reading using the Reader Zone Program, a cloud based app they can download to their computer or phone. More information will be made available through the library’s weekly column and on their social media later in June.
