Winter has been cold and full of sporadic snow, yet we still were able to visit some fun locations and bring our library services to surrounding neighborhoods! Read up below on some of the adventures outreach services had this winter.
Night Light Parade
Thanks to the dedication of my coworkers, we were able to deck our outreach van out in lights and participate in the 2022 Night Light Parade! The theme was Christmas at the Movies, and we found some really fun costume pieces to wear while we walked next to the van. Every year we are blown away by how much the community is happy to see us in the parade, and this year was no exception. We really love being a part of the city events and look forward to the 2023 parade! Did you attend this event? I hope you got a chance to wave and say hi!
Storytimes - Preschools and Laundromat
We have been having a lot of fun visiting some preschool classrooms for a storytime once a month. We sing songs, read books, and work on learning concepts such as spelling, rhyming, counting, and shape recognition. Sometimes I will bring my ukulele, Plucky, and sing a few songs with the classroom as well! This last time I brought Plucky he got two song requests...I hope I learn them before the next visit!
We also do a laundromat storytime once a month at our literacy center, located at the Get the Funk Out Laundromat in Caldwell. These storytimes are more of a one-on-one experience at this time, and we can read up to 3 books during a visit! See our calendar for future dates for this program and come by and enjoy some stories.
School Visits
We have been delighted to be invited to some school events as well. STEM nights, math nights, and literacy nights were all a blast to be a part of. We brought library information, free books to giveaway to families, and other fun things like a literacy activity or a math activity. Partnering with Caldwell School District and MOSAICS this winter has been wonderful, and we love connecting with the families and supporting the children and their learning adventures.
Homebound Delivery Services and Senior Center Visits
Through all of the events we still make sure that we deliver items out to all of our homebound residents throughout Caldwell once a week. We drop off items to care centers as well as straight to doorsteps. If you or a loved one is in need of homebound delivery services, please fill out the application online or pick one up at the library. If you have more questions, feel free to call, email, or chat with us and we will be happy to help.
Off-site programs
Our team is gearing up to provide some regular off-site programming, and one place that has been having a great time receiving programs is the Farmway Village community. They have been enjoying programs such as arts and crafts and STEM activities. If you are in the area please come by and do an activity with us! The program is geared for 0-12, but we always bring information for all age groups and are available to talk about other library services if you have questions. We are also offering library card signups at this off-site program, just bring your photo ID and proof of address and we can sign you up!
We have also been visiting the Caldwell senior center for a monthly tabling and we love being able to talk to our senior residents and listen to some great music before lunchtime! We highlight all of our library services, such as library programs, our digital collection, the community pantry, and also the Talking Book Service. Come by our table and chat about what our library has to offer, or just to say hello! Each time we go it is wonderful to connect with these amazing community members.
Thanks for always supporting our library services. We love being able to be out in the community and support our schools, be a part of city events, help the preschoolers learn and foster a love of reading, and support our senior communities. The outreach team puts their heart and soul into creating these programs and we are passionate about our community. See you around town!