The Library Levy passed in August, enabling our system’s high level of service and reliable funding to continue for quite some time to come. Yay! Many thanks to the many supporters, both those who spoke and those who voted.
Most popular take-outs: The furry mechanical pets on loan that meow and bark! And the Library Card Collecting game. Get a card for every branch or for various activities – folks came from as far as Kendall and Sudden Valley to get our PR card (with a mermaid), for many, a first-time visit!
Once again, Whatcom Grooves featured live music on the lawn; Cape Flattery played country and blue grass to an enthusiastic audience and was generously supported by our PR Friends of the Library, the Whatcom County Library System, and the Library Foundation.
Summer hours again expanded to Fridays, and we welcomed new public services assistant, Bronwyn Glor. The summer reading program kicked off with a brand-new book for every kid coming in that first day and followed up with many DIY learning quests.
With support from WCLS Youth Services, projects throughout the year often included local teens lending a hand to kids programs like the treasure hunt, joke telling, up-cycling for Earth Day and Japanese story theatre.
Our Youth Services liaison, AmandaLyn Wayland also showed kids how to make nature journals, simple books, valentines, masks, collage, Christmas gifts and other crafts. Dissecting owl pellets was particularly intriguing.
Students and teachers from our local primary school visit twice a month. Promoting early literacy, AmandaLyn conducts pre-school story time almost every Wednesday morning (10:30 a.m.). Teens are encouraged to write poetry for the yearly publication A Forest of Words, and/or draw for another publication, Whatcomics.
Adults enjoyed painting buoys this past spring, as well as making nature journals, memory maps and poetry collages. Wild fermented bread making was very well received here, and before year’s end look for the paper star making class. Authors and other speakers irregularly appear, including PR’s own Paul Ferry presenting travel stories.
Two book groups, (one on Zoom, the other in-person) meet monthly. A writers’ group on meets weekly on Saturday afternoons, and crafters/board game players meet on Tuesday afternoons. Our meeting room often accommodates private meetings and can be reserved. Look for new events in 2026, like the traditional plants workshop. Remember to read or listen to the Whatcom Reads selection, Solito, by Javier Zamora, who will be speaking at various venues in the county this winter.
It’s true that our structure and support come from WCLS, the Friends, and other entities, but the heart and soul of this branch lie in the cohesiveness and spirit of our team: Liz, AmandaLyn, Bronwyn, Susie, and me. We will do our best for you, our precious patrons.
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