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Brooke County Library receives boost from Elks

Reading programs adapting to challenges of pandemic

Contributed LOCAL SUPPORT — The Wellsburg Elks Lodge presented funds for the Brooke County Public Library’s summer reading program from a $3,500 Elks National Foundation Beacon Grant it secured for the library and four other charities. On hand for the presentation were, from left, Elks Jeff Cionni and Katy O’Connell; Alex Schneider, the library’s director; and Kim Harless, the library’s director of educational programs.

WELLSBURG — The Brooke County Public Library has received a boost from Wellsburg Elks Lodge 1553 at a time when it’s finding new ways to reach readers of all ages.

Members of the lodge recently presented to the library a portion of the $3,500 Beacon Grant they secured from the Elks National Foundation for it and four other charities: A Child’s Place Court-Appointed Special Advocates, the Brooke County Salvation Army and the food pantries operated by the Follansbee R.E.A.C.H. Program and St. John Catholic Church in Wellsburg.

Alex Schneider, the library’s director, said the donation will help greatly in providing materials and prizes used in the library’s summer reading program.

Schneider said the Wellsburg Elks have secured multiple grants for the program during the last five years.

“(Past Exulted Ruler and grant writer) Jeff Cionni and his team have been lifesavers every year,” she said.

The summer reading program is among many held by libraries throughout the nation to encourage youth to read while not in school. In recent years the Brooke County program has been expanded to include older readers, including teens, with activities geared toward them.

Schneider said she and Kim Harless, the library’s director of educational programs, are planning activities for the program, which will be held in June and July.

With the status of local COVID-19 cases then unknown, she said, “We’re planning to do it virtually but we’re hoping to do some outdoor programs, too.”

Since last spring, the library’s services have been altered to address concerns spurred by the pandemic.

Recently Schneider and her staff have returned to providing books and other materials for curbside pickup only. Patrons can use an online card catalog at tinyurl.com/yakpr4qg and order up to five books or other materials from their homes by calling the Wellsburg location at (304) 737-1551, the Follansbee branch at (304) 527-0860

And from story hours to book reviews, the library has been posting programs on its Facebook page and website at http://bcplvirtual.webbly.com since last year.

The virtual programs also have included Schneider and Harless both separately and together, while wearing face shields, presenting cooking demonstrations as a continuation of the library’s Cook by the Book Recipe Club.

Schneider said members of the library’s Book Club have continued to meet through videoconferencing and even picked up a member from Pittsburgh.

She said participation has dropped from 10 to 15 members, when the club met at the library, to about five, but she’s glad to see it continue until the group can gather in person again.

The library currently is offering a winter reading program for all ages through February, with a short children’s reading program planned for March to coincide with Dr. Seuss’ birthday and a fall program also eyed.

But Schneider said the summer program will remain the largest.

The library will hold prize drawings for readers of various ages who report the largest number of books after registering at http://bcplwv.readsquared.com. The computer platform was made available to the Brooke library and others through federal C.A.R.E.S. Act funds awarded to the West Virginia Library Commission.

Schneider said local libraries have helped to provide easily accessible entertainment to many during the pandemic.

But COVID-19 aside, she said it’s a good time for newcomers or former regulars to revisit the library, as it recently joined the West Virginia Library Network, the largest consortium of libraries in the state.

With that comes access to a larger pool of resources and greater spending power for each of the network’s 109 libraries as well as access, through interlibrary loans, to many more books and other materials for each library’s patrons.

Schneider said she hopes one day the network will include a courier service allowing patrons to borrow items from member libraries without paying a small fee.

She said throughout the year, libraries offer no-cost opportunities for learning and entertainment to families and others.

Schneider said the Elks’ contribution “means so much because it helps the little people from the grassroots up.”

She noted exposure to a library and its many materials may help to determine a child’s future.

Schneider recalled as a child, enjoying the various activities offered through her local library’s summer reading program.

“I remember that, and I’m in the library world today,” she said.

(Scott can be contacted at wscott@heraldstaronline.com.)

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