Community
Read On! Mayes County Libraries
One of the squares on the Adult Summer Reading Bingo sheet this year is “visit another Mayes County library.” I write about the Pryor Library because it is what I know best, but I am always impressed by what the other libraries in Mayes County offer our communities.
Pryor’s library is, by far, the largest library in the county. We have a bigger population base, a bigger budget, and a bigger building than the rest, but that doesn’t mean we have a bigger mission or a bigger drive to serve our patrons. The Chouteau, Langley, Locust Grove, and Salina Public Libraries work just a diligently to provide resources to our communities and our entire county (sometimes more than our county) as the Pryor Library does.
They offer storytime classes, STEM workshops, guest speakers, book collections, online resources, and amazing staff. If you live in Pryor, it’s worth the drive to one of our neighboring towns to visit. If you live in a community lucky enough to have a public library, go check it out. You’ll be as impressed as I am.
Chouteau Public Library
307 W. Main St.
Chouteau, OK
918-476-4445
Open Mon-Fri 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Langley Public Library
325 W. Osage
Langley, OK
918-782-4461
Open Mon 1:00 PM to 7:00 PM; Tues – Fri 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Locust Grove Public Library
715 Harold Andrews Blvd.
Locust Grove, OK
918-479-6585
Open Tue. Noon to 7:00 PM; Wed – Fri 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Salina Public Library
420 E. Ferry St.
Salina, OK
918-434-8001
Open Tues Noon to 7:00 PM; Wed Noon to 5:00 PM; Thurs & Fri 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Don’t miss our Summer Reading events this week!
Monday: Intro to DNA: Finding your Origins Part 1 at 6:30 PM (for adults)
Tuesday: Fun with STEAM at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM (for ages 5-11)
Wednesday: Storytime at 10:30 AM (for ages 0-4)
Thursday: Destroy the Tech! At 6:30 PM (for ages 12-18)
Read On! Read In Any Format
Many years ago, back when I was a Teen Services Librarian, I told my teens signing up for Summer Reading that I didn’t care what they read during the summer. I only cared that they read something. My standard line was something like, “you can read traditional books, ebooks, audiobooks, comic books, magazines, newspapers, wordy websites, cereal boxes, or billboards. Just read.”
My views are the same now that I’m a Library Director and a parent. As you and your family work through our Summer Reading time records and/or activity sheets, feel free to read in any format you want. We truly don’t care.
This summer, my kids have to read for 30 minutes before they can watch TV or play on anything with a screen. When they grumbled about reading being boring, I told them something similar to the line I used with my teens. My son’s eyes immediately lit up. “Really, Mom? We can listen to audiobooks? Isn’t that cheating?” Nope. Not even close.
While they’re busy playing with Legos and listening to “The Magic Treehouse” books or studying the pictures in the “My Little Pony” or “Batman” comics, they’re sharpening their reading skills and getting all the benefits of reading a traditional chapter book. Plus, they’re learning that reading is fun!
In fact, allowing my kids to choose what they read and in what format has prompted my son to say four words that I was afraid he would never utter. This weekend, we were getting ready to watch a movie when he asked, “can I read instead?”
Don’t miss this week’s Summer Reading Events:
Monday at 6:30 PM: Intro to Computers for ages 18+
Tuesday at 10 AM and 2 PM: Mad Science’s Destination Moon for ages 5 – 11
Wednesday at 10:30 AM: Storytime for ages 0 – 4
Wednesday at Noon: Free lunch for kids and teens
Thursday at 6:30 PM: Silent Library Games for ages 12 – 18
Read On: Inter-Departmental Cooperation
There are a lot of classes I wish had been available when I was in Library School. Bookshelf Assembly, How to Maximize Your Small Space, Navigating Municipal Politics, Insect Identification, and Building Maintenance are my top five.
I’ve been fairly successful at learning these things on the fly, but I am beyond lucky to have the support of the other City Departments in Pryor. Now matter how crazy my questions or requests, I know that the other Department Heads and their staff are ready and willing to help the Library.
When the Library Board and I wanted a defibrillator and CPR training for the staff, the Fire Department offered to order what we need and get us certified. The Street Department loaned us a paint sprayer and the help using it when we painted the staff kitchen. The Parks Department mows our grass and keeps our trees trimmed. The Police Department, in addition to coming whenever we need them, is always ready to get into trouble with us. The Recreation Center is never shy about partnering with us for programs or to banter ideas. City Hall gets to hear my voice on the phone more than any other department and they’re always so kind about my endless questions. (We haven’t collaborated with the Golf Course yet, but we’ll think of something.)
The bottom line is that without the other departments in Pryor, our library wouldn’t be as successful as it is. We are so grateful!
Don’t miss our events this week!
Monday at 6:30 PM: Yoga with Annie for grown-ups. Bring a yoga mat or beach towel.Tuesday at 10 AM and 2 PM: An original, life-sized game of “Interstellar Pioneers” for ages 5-11. Think “Oregon Trail” in space.
Wednesday at 10:30 AM: Toddler Storytime Class for ages 0-4.
Thursday at 6:30 PM: A more advanced version of “Interstellar Pioneers” for ages 12-18.
Read On! Adult Literacy
We’re still working on the final wording for our Strategic Plan, but some of the projects we want to tackle are too important to wait until the Plan is fully complete. Two of those projects are the Adult Literacy and English Language Learning programs.
Haley, our point person for both programs, is in the process of selecting the curriculum we will use for both programs. While she’s working on that, we have begun our search for students. That’s where you come in, dear reader.
If you know of anyone who wants some one-on-one tutoring to strengthen their reading or literacy skills, please send them our way. We are a judgement-free space at the library. We don’t care why they need help, we just want to help.
Also, if you know of anyone who wants one-on-one tutoring to learn English, please send them our way. We simply want to help anyone who wants it.
Eventually, when we have students, we’ll also be searching for tutors, so keep that in mind.
And finally, as part of our English Language Learning, we’ll come full-circle to help English speakers who are interested in learning another language. We’re looking for languages of interest and students of those languages so that we can start small conversation groups. Likely, they’ll meet on a Monday evening and consist of a group of people speaking entirely in Spanish, Vietnamese, etc.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to encourage prospective students to reach out, consider volunteering to help those students, and languages you’re interested in learning, languages you’re proficient in speaking, and whether you’re willing to spend some time with us to make these programs successful.
Feel free to call the library (918) 825-0777 and ask for me or Haley if you’d like more information.