Fall 2021 Update
While COVID promises to make this a challenging fall for everyone, we can still enjoy the beauty around us here in Garrett County and take comfort in family and friends, as well as the good books, movies and resources that the Library is here to provide for everyone.
All locations of the Library remain open at our regular hours, though our plans to restart Storytime events have had to endure a delay due to the circumstances. While masks are not currently required for our patrons, our staff will be wearing them, and we will be happy to provide one to any patron that asks – we strongly encourage their use while in the Library.
With so much uncertainty in the schools right now, be sure to check out our resources on learning at home. Whether quarantining, participating in online-only education or homeschooling, your Library is here for you with lesson plans, virtual tourism opportunities, language learning software, homeschooling guides, and much, much more. Our Literacy Kit backpacks are also there to help with subject-based books and educational toys. It’s a tough situation, but we’re here to help you through it.
One of our newest features that we’re proud to announce is the digitization of the Glades Star from 1941-2014, a project conducted with the support of the Historical Society. This fully searchable resource joins our archive of the Garrett County Republican to put the history of your hometown at your fingertips!
Don’t forget – we also have a wide array of ebooks and e-audiobooks through Hoopla and Libby, as well as movies through Kanopy and Hoopla – all available to you for free!
Need a computer? We’ve got you covered there as well! Chromebook laptops are now available for checkout at each Library, and we’re hoping to add Wifi hotspots in the near future too!
While we’re having to carefully weigh what programs we can offer our patrons during COVID, we will continue to provide take-home crafts and activities, and partner with libraries throughout the state to give you access to online talks featuring such luminaries as George Takei, LeVar Burton and Jason Reynolds. Our book clubs are still active as well – check your local branch for their meeting schedule!
We were very happy to see such a remarkable turnout for this year’s Summer Reading Club! 732 people signed up this summer – well above our pre-COVID level – and 159 kids completed the program, reading over 2,400 books between them! We also gave out over 1,500 take home activities to our young patrons, and 885 people attended our 13 in-person programs!
If you want to be part of what the Library is all about, don’t forget – we’re always looking for new members of the Friends of the Library! Feel free to join us at our next meeting – they’re the second Wednesday of each month at 5:30 PM, and we look forward to seeing you!
