This Saturday, the Victoria Public Library will be anything but quiet as we host a multitude of residents and community groups for the kickoff of our Summer Fun Fest.
This yearly kickoff, which fills our building with eager patrons picking up reading logs and learning about services, is a great reflection of what the library does during the summer and throughout the year. We strive to be a community anchor, a place where residents can connect, learn and try new things. Our library building is truly your space, and we are in a constant process of listening to our residents to understand how we can better serve you.
In recent years, we’ve included more groups in the kickoff so residents can learn about the many summer activities and other services Victoria has to offer. A couple of years ago, we tried hosting booths outdoors, but the Texas heat made us rethink this approach. This resulted in the event’s current format, with booths spread throughout the library—a great way for attendees to get to know the building.
Summer reading programs are great for helping schoolkids beat the “summer slide” and keeping adults’ minds sharp. However, the library’s summer programs are about more than just reading as residents flock to the library for events and activities: Last summer, we had 8,733 total visits at 112 programs for kids and adults.
In recognition of this, we’ve joined forces with local partners to offer more events than we could on our own: events like dance lessons with the Ballet Academy of South Texas, yoga with Blackbird Yoga and “Cooking Well for Diabetes” with Texas A&M AgriLife (their classes have been a hit with our patrons so far).
We are thankful for the continued support of the Friends of the Library, whose fundraisers keep our events free for our patrons. If you’d like to join the Friends of the Library, stop by our front desk to let us know you’re interested. You can also support the Friends’ mission by shopping at their book sales; the next one will be in September.
Library Master Plan
We are excited to get to work on the goals of our first-ever Library Master Plan that was approved by the City Council in April. The master plan is a long-range document that brings together community input to help us set goals for the growth of our programs and facilities.
Looking over the feedback we received, it is clear that our library’s physical space is an important resource to our residents, whether they’re coming for a public event, for a meeting or just to read on their own. In the long term, the best way to meet many of residents’ needs—such as the need for meeting or study spaces—will be best served by expanding and improving our existing library building.
In the meantime, we are pursuing grant opportunities to help us meet other short-term goals outlined in the plan. For instance, we’re exploring the possibility of adding off-site lockers where residents can pick up and drop off library materials. We will also continue to look at ways to keep our use of technology up to date to improve the resources we offer. We’re embracing the growth opportunities ahead, and we will continue listening to our patrons as we improve our community space together.
To learn more about the library and to view our event calendar, visit www.victoriatx.gov/library.
Jessica Berger is the director of the Victoria Public Library.