By Eric Hansen, Director Vicksburg District Library
While families are preparing to send children back to school, the Vicksburg District Library is ready for its own new adventure. The library will introduce new adult-centered programming this fall during three Wednesday nights every month. “We already had programs at the library for adults,” says Adrianne Schinkai, Head of Reference, who is heading these programs. “But we noticed that it was the same people at the same programs each time. While this is fine and we love our regulars, we wanted to reach out and ask our patrons what they wanted to see from us. What programs could we give them that we don’t already have?”
During May and June the library surveyed adult patrons in the library. The surveys collected information about age range, programs attended, program satisfaction, and new program endorsement. Schinkai says the results were not shocking. “We weren’t really surprised by our most prominent adult demographic, which is seniors. That being said, our hope with these new programs is to reach out and attract more patrons, especially in the range of younger adults and middle age.”
The Gaming Group is dedicated to those who love tabletop gaming, from card games to board games, and may extend into video games depending on adult patrons’ interests. The Yarn Arts Circle is for adults who love fiber crafts. Schinkai avidly crochets herself. “I’m hoping the Yarn Arts Circle will be a great opportunity for those well-versed in arts such as crocheting and knitting to pass on those skills to a new generation. I’m hoping to attempt cross-stitching myself in the next year.” Movie Night for All will feature a range of G to PG-13 rated movies where parents can bond with their older children, but might include themes that are more challenging than the library’s other programs for small children. Schinkai describes it as a program where “parents can share their favorite classics.” The first film to be shown will be Back to the Future – Part One on Wednesday, September 25 at 6 p.m.
Schinkai will also begin providing 20- to 30-minute appointments as a tech tutor. “Since technology is developing so rapidly anymore, it’s sometimes hard to keep up,” she points out. “Sometimes what patrons need is just someone to sit down with them and break down what they want, step by step. It’s able to be done, but it can be time consuming in a busy library.” Schinkai explains, “By scheduling an appointment and letting me know exactly what they are hoping to accomplish, I can make up an agenda for the patron to follow. I can lead them one-on-one in using the device or service. When we are done, they can take the agenda home to use as a reference.”
The Gaming Group will launch these new events on Wednesday, September 13 at 6 p.m., with a night of classic card games. More information about these events and services can be found at the Vicksburg District Library website at vicksburglibrary.org.