Strathmore Municipal Library welcomes fall with new programs and community supports

By Melissa Crispin-Piche Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Strathmore Municipal Library is heading into the final stretch of September with a new children’s program, an indoor food pantry and preparations for its annual costume exchange.

Among the new additions this fall is Curiosity Club, which held a session Sept. 25 and is designed to give school-aged children a chance to explore different ideas, experiments and activities.

Assistant Director Laura Henderson said the program grew partly out of the success the library saw during its STEAM programming over spring break.

“We did all sorts of STEAM activities over the week, and they were just hugely successful and very much the type of thing that we want to focus on at the library,” she said. “It was very literacy based, educational based, that sort of thing.”

Rather than offering a different themed program for each of Golden Hills School Division’s Flex Fridays, the library wanted to create something that could continue under one name while still leaving room to explore a wide range of subjects.

“What I love about it is that you can be curious about anything and everything,” said Henderson. “That’s really what the function of the program is, just to be curious and share that curiosity and learn and be inspired by different things.”

Although the program is aimed at school-aged children, younger children are not necessarily left out. Henderson said families often attend the library’s Flex Friday programming together, and preschool and kindergarten-aged children can participate with some help from a parent.

Additional Curiosity Club dates are scheduled for Oct. 9 and 23, and Nov. 20 and 27.

The library is also looking ahead to Halloween with its annual costume exchange, taking place Oct. 2 from 3 to 6 p.m. and Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Costume donations are already being accepted.

Henderson estimated the exchange has been running for roughly 12 or 13 years, though she said she would have to check the library’s records to confirm the exact number.

“It really just came from a place of wanting to serve the community. Costumes are really expensive. It’s once a year that you’re really getting all done up,” she said. “It was just a really great initiative that happened many years ago and we just have kept it going.”

People with costumes they no longer need can bring them in and select another. Those without a costume to exchange can still take part by making a small donation.

For families with growing children, the exchange can help solve the problem of costumes that no longer fit. But Henderson said it also gives children an opportunity to simply try something different from one Halloween to the next.

Members of the Wheatland Youth Network, the library’s teen leadership group, will volunteer during this year’s exchange.

Another initiative at the library is intended to meet a much more immediate need.

An indoor Little Free Pantry and Kitchenette is being launched to give patrons access to food and a place to prepare it during library hours. The space includes a microwave and minifridge, with plans to keep easy to prepare or ready to eat foods such as soup, oatmeal, cup noodles and fruit cups available.

The project builds on the Little Free Pantry already located outside the library, which Henderson said receives heavy use. “We can stock it in the morning and by evening, it’s empty,” she said.

Library staff have also encountered people coming inside looking for something to eat or needing help preparing food they already have. The library staff have been willing to provide things such as boiled water or access to a microwave, but Henderson said the indoor pantry is intended to give people a more independent option.

“This is just a little bit more of a self-serve option, with a little bit more autonomy, so you can just go and see what we have available, heat it up,” she said.

A volunteer will check the kitchenette on Thursdays to clean the space and replenish supplies as needed. Its continued operation, however, will depend largely on community support.

All these events, along with the library’s September Artists of the Month, Joanne Giesbrecht and Jane (Style) Groenen, will keep the library busy for the foreseeable future.

More information about Curiosity Club, the costume exchange, the Little Free Pantry and Kitchenette and other upcoming programming is available through the Strathmore Municipal Library’s website and Facebook page.