Staging more than 100 events made for a busy 2019 at the Houston Public Library, reports librarian Sara Lewis.
“In addition to keeping After School Games and Lego Club, we also started Adult Pinterest Nights, Teen Nights, and Storytime for regular programming,” recounts Lewis in a breakdown of library activities.
Additions last year include adult Pinterest nights, teen nights and storytime.
“With the help of the Northwest Library Federation were able to bring in children’s magician Leif David and Canadian author Ivan Coyote,” Lewis adds.
There were also recreational events such as flower pot painting, storytime with puppies, an Easter egg hunt, serendipity and crime solvers.
2019 was a very successful year for HPL. We planned and facilitated over 100 programs and events during the year. In addition to keeping After School Games and Lego Club, we also started Adult Pinterest Nights, Teen Nights, and Storytime for regular programming. Some other fun events included Flower Pot Painting, Storytime with puppies, an Easter Egg Hunt, Serendipity and Crime Solvers. With the help of the Northwest Library Federation were able to bring in children’s magician Leif David and Canadian author Ivan Coyote.
One 2019 highlight was the annual Serendipity Sale in which the library hosted 52 vendors and 68 selling tables.
“We counted about 1,563 people during the event,” Lewis noted.
The library also held its third annual 12 Days of Christmas last year, counting 516 participants.
“Events included a hot chocolate bar, a colouring contest, craft days, lego challenge, stories with Santa (in partnership with Houston Link to Learning), and The Great Ginger Bread Challenge. We were also able to give out free popcorn and cake during some events,” Lewis said.
A grant from the federal Canada Summer Jobs resulted in the hiring of two high school students to help with the summer reading club.
“Hayden Kopetski and Adisyn Delgow both showed their creative sides and did a great job with the program and the kids,” Lewis noted.
Another grant, this time from the Dungate Community Forest, enabled the library to purchase a larger TV and a new laptop for conferences and meetings in the Canfor Room.
“We were also able to purchase some security cameras for our entryway and outside the building to help discourage theft and vandalism,” Lewis said.
Donations from a number of sources including the Cutloose Quilters, Morice Forest Salvage Society, Reitsma’s Home Hardware, the Moose Hut, Milian Lacika, and Mary Robinson were also appreciated.
Other grants were received from the District of Houston, Law Matters and the provincial libraries branch.
Throughout the year the library also partnered with Houston Link to Learning, the Northwest Library Federation, the provincial libraries branch, the BC Library Association, BC Libraries Cooperative, BC Library Trustee Association, Association of BC Public Library Directors, the HR Macmillan Space Centre, Silverthorne Elementary School and 7-Eleven.
“We are extremely grateful to all our donors, funders, and volunteers. Without the generous help, we would not be able to provide programs and services to our community,” said Lewis.
As an active member of the community the library offers table and chair rentals, free programs and events, free computer and Wi-Fi use, meeting room rental, print/fax/photocopy/scan to email, access to online databases, free online magazines, free eBooks, free e-audio books, reference services and interlibrary loans.
The Houston Public Library Association traces its history back to late 1964 but more informal book lending services were offered as early as 1924, cites Grace Hols in her “Marks of a Century: A History of Houston, B.C., 1900-2000.”
“The Houston library continues to operate, for the most part quietly and without a lot of fanfare, as a solid and indispensable feature in this community,” Hols wrote.