The Victor Farmington Library has something to offer everyone when they grow out of their current space

The Victor Farmington Library at 15 West Main Street has something for everyone this summer.

Children can tell stories or do handicrafts, teenagers can take part in events like tie dye workshops or cupcake wars, and adults can take part in recurring games like Scrabble or Euchre along with various courses. The library designed a summer with a variety of events for visitors of all ages.

The first thing you notice when entering the library are the paper origami cranes hanging from the ceiling.

Victor Farmington Library director Timothy Niver stated that the project was launched to bring the community closer together during the pandemic. When entering the library for the first time, a display informs about the Japanese tradition, which is a “symbol of hope”. Making healing and wishes come true. ”The goal of the project was to make 1,000 cranes, and Niver said there are now more than that. This is just one example of how deeply rooted the library is with the community around it.

The library offers its visitors various services, including so-called “discovery kits” that children can borrow.

“Christina, our children’s librarian, is doing some great things here,” said Niver. “We have discovery kits that we keep behind the desk with a microscope, one that is a bird watching kit that comes with binoculars and a bird watch book.” There are sets of books and toys to help kids learn about emotions, sets to help kids learn their ABCs, and even a set of travel activities. Children can read these like books to take home and have a more fun and interactive way to learn.

The children’s event calendar for summer 2021 can be found at https://victorfarmingtonlibrary.org/event-calendar/. Activities include indoor storytime, indoor drop-in handicrafts, craft afternoon, concerts in the parking lot, story walks, and various games. The library also features Checkers Library TV, where kids can watch a character named Checkers and his robotic vacuum friend Snoozer showcase animals from around the world with fun facts. Children can pick up Checkers Library TV packages on Wednesdays for the Thursday watch parties.

Teenagers also have their own space, which is decorated with colorful furniture and books for young people on the shelves.

The youth section also contains the library’s magazines, newspapers and periodicals.

Young people can take part in a number of events this summer, which run from July 1st to August 18th on the library meadow. The Teen Summer Kick Off Party will take place on July 1st from 3pm to 5pm with author Talli Morgan. Various programs on offer include a tie dye workshop, button making, cupcake wars, rock art, edible architecture, mason jar terrariums, and the teen advisory board meetings scattered in between. The programs are for young people in grades 7-12 and can be registered here. There are other activities, including an online summer reading challenge and take-away-and-make craft kits.

Adults also have a variety of activities to choose from in the library. On June 14th, the library was able to offer on-site programs again and recurring events returned.

At the back of the library is a room for games and other activities, including Mah Jongg on Mondays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., Scrabble on Tuesdays from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Euchre on Wednesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. : 00 p.m.

Niver explained that the meeting room, usually used for afternoon games and lunch, was used as a room to disinfect returned books and store much of the library furniture during the pandemic. With the restrictions removed, the library can return to a more normal schedule for its users.

This summer there is also the Adult Summer Reading Book Bingo for adults, where participants can read and take part in a raffle after receiving a bingo. Library Walkers is also available; a recurring event where adults can meet outside the library every second and fourth Wednesday of the month to explore local trails, neighborhoods, and parks on foot.

For adults who still want to stay virtual, the library offers Live Chair Yoga every Thursday at 11 a.m. on its Facebook page.

The library has unique and fun things to do to keep the variety fresh, including the chance to try a metal detector and local community groups offering a selection of books they find appropriate for the public to use.

In addition to the entertaining, interactive and community-oriented offers, the Victor Farmington Library also offers individual rooms for people who are looking for quiet time alone.

Niver explained that these rooms are very popular, but are currently only able to offer library visitors two quiet rooms apart from others due to the size of the library.

According to the FAQ on the Victor Farmington Library website, the search for a larger location began in 2017. Before deciding on the location, where 740 residents responded, an in-depth investigation was conducted of what the community was looking for. 82% of those surveyed said yes that Victor needed a larger library.

Before deciding to move the space, the architects working for the library said a second floor could not be supported with the current foundation at the Main Street location. Expansion would also reduce the current parking space, where a larger library needs 100 spaces and the current library only has 50. The cost of separating the library and building a library in Farmington would also be more expensive overall than moving to a more appropriate space.

The library was now built over 25 years ago to serve 14,800 users, and the 2020 census assumes the population will be over 25,000 today. The Victor Farmington Library is one of the top two libraries out of 42 libraries in the Pioneer Library System in terms of editions and door numbers. Around 400-500 customers are looked after every weekday and over 4,000 people used the library’s meeting rooms last year.

The Victor Farmington Library FAQ explains that libraries are much more than just places to borrow books; they are the cultural and social center of communities.

The Victor Farmington Library is deeply involved in the community connection, and that commitment means adding more space to the thousands of people who use the library and all it has to offer would help immensely.

The library is currently publishing a number of chapters that discuss the history of the library and why the expansion is so important not only to the library but also to the community itself. Chapter one has been published and two more will be published later this summer.

The community had a lot to say about what they wanted in a new library, including a coffee shop next to the extra space.

The meetings will be held when the voting date in May 2022 approaches. If the vote is successful, the library will lay the foundation in 2023 and open to the public in 2024.

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