Library’s popularity continues to soar

Andrea Roberts
Times Intern

 

Although a new school year is starting soon, the fun events planned at the Strathmore Municipal Library are not over yet.
The past few months have seen large numbers of people come through the library doors to enjoy events such as breaking the record for the most cardigans worn in a library, the secret service day and the library Olympics.
“The library has been crazy busy,” said Alexis McKenzie, the interim director of library services. “Sometimes it is a bit weather-dependent or depends on the event. Especially with the summer reading program bringing in people regularly, traffic has been great. We have huge numbers of people coming into the library and it’s a wonderful thing to see.
“It is a hope and a dream that we could have a bigger building to accommodate such numbers but it is nice to see so many people at the library,” she added.
One event McKenzie is most looking forward to is Pokémon week. The Strathmore Library and part of the building that houses Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) are “poke stops” on the Pokémon Go app. During Pokémon week, which runs from Aug. 22-26, the library will be dropping five lures per day during the hours of 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. There will also be a photo competition: if you catch a Pokémon in the library during the week, take a picture of it and post it to the Strathmore Municipal Library Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account, and you could possibly win an iTunes or Google Play gift card.
The library recently hosted Act the Week, run by 11-year-old Charlie Ziehr. The event received a number of positive reviews. A similar event will run from Sept. 19 – Dec. 12 called Winging It, where youth will be taught different acting skills. Alex Keeling, a library staff member, will run it every second Monday evening. Due to the previous success of the event and the amount of inquiries, there will be two age groups participating. The first is the newly added 7-11 year old age group, while the second is for 12 years old and older. Registration for Winging It opens on Aug. 22 for both age groups.
After breaking the most cardigans worn in a library record, they plan on attempting to break another: the largest pajama party in a library, which will take place on Aug. 19.
September will continue to be a busy month for the library. Minecraft Mania will be returning for another year and McKenzie said spots will fill up fast when registration opens on Aug. 29.
September is also “food for fines” month. For each non-perishable food item or personal hygiene item brought in, the library will deduct $2 from outstanding book fines.
“It is a great way to get your fines off your accounts and also to support people in need,” said McKenzie, who added the items will be donated to the Wheatland County Food Bank.