Library Adventures

Built by the community for the community

By Tiffany Paisley

The Santa Fe Public Library was thrilled to host this year’s summer reading program, Adventure Begins at Your Library. As the school year winds down for teachers, spring and summer ramp up for children’s librarians across the country, planning special programs and reading challenges for our youngest patrons. In a School Library Journal survey, 97 percent of libraries in the United States increase youth programming in the summer months, and Santa Fe Public Library is no exception.

Thanks to the generous support by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library, we hosted 122 programs with 4,277 attendees.

Kicking off the summer, the Alas de Agua Art Collective held screen-printing workshops, creating an original design for kids to print on tote bags they received upon registering for our program. This seven-week reading challenge awarded weekly prizes for reading, and culminated in grand prizes of custom-fit bicycles for 22 kids and three teens from Rob and Charlie’s, funded by Core Crew.  One of the library’s biggest heroes was Stephen Newhall, from Rob and Charlie’s. Stephen rode his bike to each location’s party to support summer reading participants and honor the grand prize bicycle winners. We also received support from the Governor’s Commission on Disability’s Brain Advisory Support Council, who provided bicycle helmets and fittings.

Friends of the Library community partners also helped support weekly reading with activity passes and coupons for special treats. Families enjoyed summer fun and activities at the Santa Fe Botanical Garden, the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, the Alley, ENMU, and the Genoveva Chavez Community Center, topped off with treats from Dairy Queen, Dion’s, and McDonald’s. And, of course, kids received their very own books to keep from the Friends of the Library. We couldn’t do what we do without the support from our colleagues at the New Mexico State Library, who ensure we have the resources we need to develop and promote our summer reading program.

As a recent newcomer to Santa Fe, I had the chance to soak in all the offerings from our three libraries. Each branch—Main, La Farge, and Southside—has unique features and dedicated children’s librarians who bring a special flavor to each location. Most importantly, these librarians work together to encourage reading in all its forms for families and kids across our community.

At Main Library, Ms. Kate hosts Craft-O-Mania, a relaxed process art activity where kids can choose their own adventure from a selection of supplies to make their own creations. There is no definitive outcome; they simply get to create.

This aligns with an important aspect of our summer reading program: Self-selection. When the school year ends, many students lose interest in reading and experience the “summer slide,” a setback in their reading development. When children choose the books they read, they tend to be more motivated to continue. A three-year study by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University found that kids in summer reading programs experience higher reading achievement in the fall. Another aspect of self-selection is that we support reading graphic novels and listening to audiobooks. Discouraging these formats can have a detrimental impact on the development of lifelong reading habits. They also provide options for accessibility, and can help overcome barriers some may have to reading the printed word.

We also have pre-reading activities for our littlest patrons. Ms. Kate offers a Baby and Toddler Play hour—unstructured time where children can explore and interact with others and new educational toys. Research shows that unstructured play builds neuron connections in the brain. Without play, these neurons do not connect, which can slow development. Play provides children with a foundation for developing literacy skills. They gain narrative skills as they share and tell stories, fine and gross motor skills when acting out stories and moving in various settings, vocabulary development as they learn new words while exploring, counting skills when assessing what they see, and social skills while engaging with others. Ms. Kate is always ready to play and up for fun and adventure.

After visiting Main, families can head to midtown’s La Farge Library, where they can find Ms. Lydia tending to the children’s garden and hosting nature parties. Children explore traditional folk crafts, sustainability, and creative eco-consciousness. Recently, a child nearly knocked me over when running to a seedling station to check on the development of a growing plant—they were on a mission. Ms. Lydia brings a sense of wonder and enchantment to every child who walks through the legendary rainbow arch into her realm. Children develop literacy skills by talking about and naming what they see, enriching their vocabulary. There is always a new flower in bloom or a new bug to discover. She often has guests from the Audubon Center and the Xerces Society providing enrichment activities.

Next stop is the Southside Library. Not a day goes by without a child asking if Ms. Susan is around. Having worked for SFPL the longest, she has had the joy of connecting with families and watching children grow up. Teens and college students stop by to see Ms. Susan, who they remember fondly from their childhood visits. Developing long-term relationships with the community is not the only thing Ms. Susan builds. This summer she offered opportunities such as making bird feeders and cardboard box creations. Kids explored multiple locations worldwide through photo booths set up in the children’s room. Partnering with the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, Ms. Susan also provides a weekly pajama storytime and craft for families who cannot attend daytime story hours. Ms. Susan is deeply knowledgeable about early childhood development and passionate about supporting young readers.

One of the best experiences this summer was seeing many of the same families at all three libraries. We can’t be a public library without the support of the people who use it. Ms. Kate, Ms. Lydia, and Ms. Susan coordinated our end-of-summer glow parties, and it was heartwarming to see some people attend all three. We finished strong with 1,080 participants in our summer reading program. The three schools with the most participation were Wood Gormley Elementary, Turquoise Trail Charter School, and Pinon Elementary. Shout out to those students! We also had a high number of home-schooled participants.

This is only scratching the surface, the library offers many more programs and resources, for all ages. Please check the online calendar for more opportunities (santafe.librarycalendar.com/events/upcoming). Santa Fe Public Library is fortunate to have strong community support from the Friends of the Library, who financially support our programming efforts and as program volunteers, to library users who attend events, and to community partners like the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and the Santa Fe Animal Shelter who facilitate special programming at all three libraries.  Margaret Mead’s quote comes to mind: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Tiffany Paisley is a librarian with 17 years of experience. She discovered a passion for children’s librarianship while shelving books part-time. Paisley holds an MLIS from San Jose State University and has managed both neighborhood and urban libraries in Colorado. Now she serves as the youth programs manager for the Santa Fe Public Library, Tiffany thrives on community connections, the values deeply shared by her colleagues, and her new community.