BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey
Like many reacting to the restrictions that come in a time of pandemic, the relationship between local libraries and their patrons has had to evolve in breakneck fashion. Libraries are a community staple, particularly for those without resources. How to provide those resources is undoubtedly a challenge.
Remarkably, a year after COVID-19 restrictions came into play, the weekly event and activity schedule is pretty much jam-packed at Pasco County Libraries.
Story times, book clubs, chair yoga and Thai Chi, cooking classes, ESOL classes and those helpful SHINE informational sessions on Medicare enrollment are still on the schedule.
Of course, due to COVID-19 restrictions and for the safety of patrons and staff, a lot of what’s offered these is of the virtual variety. But they are happening. There have been new additions as well, such as the county-wide, virtual storytelling game, Dungeons & Dragons. A most recent addition to the mix is a virtual family wellness program called Story Strong.
The interactive reading program that “seeks to build community through reading” is a collaboration between the University of South Florida and the Pasco County Libraries as well as the Temple Terrace Library systems. The literacy wellness project is sponsored by the USF School of Information Responsive Librarianship Lab, and is funded by the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The Department of State’s Division of Library and Information Services manages Florida’s LSTA program.
The Pasco program was initiated by South Holiday library branch manager, Kim Nordon, who worked with the University of South Florida School of Social work to get this off the ground, said Bob Harrison, the program manager for Pasco County Libraries.
Book and discussion topics held by Zoom include financial literacy, underemployment, dealing with stress and anxiety and food insecurity and housing insecurity, said Harrison, noting that a social worker from USF will attend each virtual discussion and information session.
“These are just some of the issues people in our community are dealing with right now,” said Harrison.
This is just another way that local libraries are serving members of the community where they are, he said, adding, “So much of what libraries do, ours included, is kind of leveling the playing field for folks in the community.”
The virtual programs, although not altogether ideal, are doing better than expected, Harrison said.
“Everybody would prefer to go in person, but people are adjusting,” he said.
“When we first started moving our programing over to virtual, it took a little bit to publicize, but once word got out people have really flocked to it. Especially things like story time for the kids. That gets a lot of engagement.”
“People love their books and people love their book clubs,” Harrison said, adding that virtual story times were doing well at all branches, mostly because of the rapport youth librarians had built with young patrons and families over the years.
“Take and make” craft activities have been extremely popular, as well,” Harrison said. “They sell out, if you will, pretty quickly.”
There are still occasions when the library welcomes people in, such as a socially distanced, fall drive-in concert featuring Sarasota Slim. The Land O’Lakes branch is also taking appointments for those who want to tackle various projects in the library foundry.
“We are definitely looking to include more virtual programming,” Harrison said, adding that continuing the service of curbside pick-up for book and media borrowers is something that is pretty much a no-brainer.
“People love that,” he said. “It’s just so convenient and easy on our end and certainly an example of something we will keep doing.
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