Report 1: Introduction
The Library, located in Middleburg Hill-Clays Hill, serves as a source of information and help for the residents of Middleburg-Clay Hill. It was founded to handle the growing number of library services needed for this area. The Library is part of the Clay County Public Library System. Based on striving to provide free-to-use informational and cultural resources, the Middleburg-Clay Hill Branch Library offers an array of traditional and virtual services to meet the needs of the oncoming patrons.
Each year, the Library’s budget falls under the jurisdiction of the Clay County Public Library System so that it can cover various aspects of the operations, including staffing, programs, and resources, among others. The Library is financed with public money, and it also gets donations and revenue thanks to selling books that the Middleburg-Clay Hill Library Association of Friends has contributed. The Governance Board of Clay County has commissioned the Library, which is being run based on the strategic plan, which aims to improve the services of its community and its outreach activities.
Adult Service: Book Club in a Bag
Target Users
The Middleburg-Clay Hill Branch Library holds book club sessions in a bag for its patrons who like reading and engaging in book discussions and are 18 years of age and above. In addition to the more traditional book loans, this specific service also makes it possible to check out themed selections of books about specific titles, thus allowing readers to start or participate in book clubs. Every bag additionally includes a copy of the same paperback book (10 copies). Moreover, it includes the names of authors and a few questions for discussion. So, this service is of the book club, where everything required for your exciting reading is kept inside the bag. Staffers at the Library will showcase various informational sites, including fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, for a large variety of patrons looking for newer and classic titles.
Funding
The Book Club in a Bag program is a massive portion of its budget at the Middleburg-Clay Hill Branch Library. It serves as the main checkbook of the funds covering the Library’s many programs and projects meant to encourage reading and engagement. This funding mechanism guarantees adult patrons the financial stability and existence of this service. It helps the Library carry on delivering thought-out book’ sets, opening its doors for meaningful discussions without imposing any additional financial costs on these participants.
Service Provision
The Middleburg-Clay Hill Branch Library’s Book Club in a Bag service allows community members to start their own book club or join one already existing one. Donations of each package will have a bundle of paperback copies of one selected book inside; this way, all the fellows will have the exact copies. Moreover, in the bag, the participants will receive supplementary materials, including author information, discussion questions, and book reviews, which would allow the participants to get the maximum advantage of creative and thought-provoking conversations.
Service Location
The service is available in all the libraries, so attendance and book club members are not limited to just one place in the Library. Hence, it is available to the library members across different locations. Church exhibitions by having the book bags placed near each branch to make it convenient to choose and select their choice books for the joint reading. Sitting adjacent to the Library shifts perception guarantees visibility, and directs clients to the program by bringing a range of reference and development materials relevant to the clientele’s interests.
Service Schedule
The patrons can pick out the Book Club in a Bag sets during the Library’s regular hours of operation, which, depending on the weekdays, may vary slightly or vary. This freedom of schedule availability benefits users, who can quickly get this service at the time, place, and way they choose because of their diverse schedules and preferences. The book within the bag will be checked out for up to 8 weeks. Hence, book lovers can finish and enjoy the material before returning it.
Children’s/Youth Service: S.T.E.M. Kits 11 and Under
Target Users
S.T.E.M. Kits 11 and Under are meant for kids from the age of three and beyond who desire to learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.) through the non-formal style of learning (Fislake et al., 2022). Intended for students to spark their curiosity and create exploration opportunities at home, STEM-themed kits equip children with hands-on tools and resources that allow them to explore different S.T.E.M. concepts on their own time in a fun and pleasant way. This target age range will also help the company realize its goal of creating early interest in S.T.E.M. subjects and ensuring children’s successful intellectual growth through entertaining activities and experiments.
Funding
S.T.E.M. Kits 11 and Under service is sustainable thanks to the general support fund in the Library, and the fund plays the role of the backbone, which handles several educational programs devoted to grooming the learner’s lifetime learner pupils. Such a strategy guarantees that the library services remain relevant, helpful, and instrumental to the young, curious people looking to learn more about STEM-related fields like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Service Provision
S.T.E.M. Kits, offered for in-library use only, allow fellow 11-year-olds and below to apply a wide variety of learning materials that can encourage child learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. These kits contain a supply of fun stuff that ranges from the Lego Magna Tiles to a microscope, log cabin blocks and other instrumental learning tools that are game-changers to any learning environment. Persons can only borrow one kit on the one-time card, but the kit may be chosen based on individual likings, and the kit can be picked to suit each child’s interests (Pard, 2018).
Service Location
Short-term S.T.E.M. Kits are placed on a book cart in front of the information desk close to the library entrance, enabling anyone to find them easily (Orlean, 2019). The location is centralized within the Library’s premises, considering that patrons who come here can quickly check out the kits and conveniently select their preferred learning tools. Apart from admitting S.T.E.M. kits in the main space of the Library near the desk to increase visibility and draw attention, this expedition will make the library mission easy for a comfortable veteran and facilitate rich learning experiences for our young visitors.
Service Schedule
S.T.E.M. Kits is a new service in the library schedule that operates six days a week, apart from providing convenience to those embracing learning by practicing through activities. Opening times have been designed to cover all the workday hours, allowing the service to be available any day of the week. Libraries offer learning S.T.E.M. kits for in-library use at regular library hours but with different weekday conditions. weekdays
Program: Air-Dry Clay Rose
- Date: Friday, March 8th, 2024
- Location: Library Meeting Room (Capacity: 38)
- Title: Air-Dry Clay Roses
- Introduction and Presenter: The program was introduced by library staff and presented by a skilled instructor knowledgeable in creating clay roses.
- Duration: The program ran from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm.
- Nature: It was a standalone workshop focusing on creating clay roses using air-dry clay.
- Attendance: Five attendees participated in the program.
- Audience Description: The audience comprised adults aged 18 years and above interested in arts and crafts.
Program Analysis
The “Air-Dry Clay Roses” program, held for adults, exhibited the procedures through hands-on experience, which helped the participants create their clay roses. The session not only involved the general adult public but worthily did so enjoyably and interactively. Nonetheless, a lack of background music during the session could certainly be tweaked to augment the overall ambiance of the workshop. Sometimes, the quality of the offered program fails to attract attention, especially the timing of the event that will take place on Friday afternoon, which can save the number of those who participate badly. Even though advertisements were placed around the Library in the form of flyers on the Library, road sign display, and the Library’s Facebook page, flyers were received too late, conscious of the issues of attendance. In order to enhance future versions of the workshop, we propose that background music be played during activities to achieve a calmer atmosphere and let people socialize more enjoyably, and hence, for those who attend the workshop.
Children’s/Youth Program: Pokémon Day
- Date: Tuesday, February 27th, 2024
- Location: Library Meeting Room (Capacity: 38)
- Title: Pokémon Day
- Introduction and Presenter: The program was introduced by library staff and presented by Leah, a knowledgeable staff member familiar with Pokémon and the activities planned for the day.
- Duration: The program ran from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
- Nature: It was a standalone event celebrating Pokémon, incorporating a science experiment and a craft activity.
- Attendance: A total of 26 attendees participated, including ten adults and 16 children.
- Audience Description: The program targeted children aged 5 to 11, with some adult participation.
Program Analysis
The Pokémon Day, a two-hour in-store program organized and managed at the Middleburg-Clay Hill Branch Library, was a captivating and exciting event that could compete with children’s and adults’ relaxation time. Through an interactive science demonstration and a craft project creation, participants received an up-close, hands-on experience that was entertaining and not merely an educational method. This aspect of the program allowed participants to discover the world of Pokémon and explore the science behind this concept. Proving that targeted programming benefits a community was just a matter of poke ball. Pokemon was everywhere, mostly among children. Another factor that contributed to this event’s success is that the local Library has become a virtual Pokémon stop on the application, which has done a great job of making visitors interested in engaging with their favorite characters and ventures. The program relied instead on effective marketing techniques, such as factsheets in the Library, a famous display sign on the road, and Facebook page promotion to reach many patrons and arrest interests among them. Even though the program went the right way, undoubtedly, there is space for expansion, which includes adding background music to boost the style; this should ideally be implemented on the crafting side.
Conclusion
To the extent of the close investigation of the services and programs provided by the Library at the Middleburg-Clay Hill location, it can be ascertained that the Library plays a significant role in the diverse demands of the community. This is shown by the fact that, since the media navigate people’s online footprint, jobs may be denied based on social media posts. Many studies have thus shown that search engines have formed how people rely on jobs and other economic activities. Libraries must strive to evolve and stay current as they adapt to the changing demands and circumstances, thus putting a constant evaluation and service improvement process into effect to prevent becoming redundant and unimpactful to the patrons.
References
Fislake, M. (2022). From Construction Kits to Educational Robotics—Technology to Promote S.T.E.M. Careers in Early Ages. In S.T.E.M., Robotics, Mobile Apps in Early Childhood and Primary Education: Technology to Promote Teaching and Learning (pp. 203–233). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Orlean, S. (2019). The library book. Simon & Schuster.
Pard, C. (2018). S.T.E.M. Programming for All Ages: A Practical Guide for Librarians. Rowman & Littlefield.
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