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Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
A transformative year for Fairfield Library
In 2023, Fairfield Public Library celebrated 170 years since the Library’s initial organization and 130 year since the opening of Fairfield’s first public library at 112 South Court Street with funding by American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Last year, with an emphasis on innovation and community-driven efforts, FPL introduced a diverse array of new programs, materials for checkout, and a whole new lineup of online resources.
On Jan. 1, 2024, FPL celebrated one year of our new fine-free policy. Eliminating late fees removed a barrier to access for many in the community that could not afford to pay these fines. Within our updated policy, borrowers are still expected to pay for lost and damaged materials. Long overdue items will be marked “Lost” 28 days after their due date. Accounts will be blocked that have outstanding replacement fees of $10 or more for lost materials. This month, FPL staff are happy to report that while there has been an increase in materials being overdue in the short term, Library use has seen a dramatic increase with over 3,000 more checkouts last year than in 2022. Additionally, the library has seen nearly 2,000 new community members sign-up for new accounts in the last year.
In September 2023, FPL participated in National Library Card Sign-Up Month by introducing colorful, newly redesigned library cards, the new MyLibro library app for browsing the collection and accessing other resources, as well as Hoopla, another app for streaming digital content such as ebooks and audiobooks. The newly redesigned cards come in two designs — one featuring the message “Let Freedom Read,” which is a reference to our First Amendment rights, and a second design featuring art by beloved children’s book illustrator Jon Klassen. MyLibro allows users to access all the features of their library account, browse the collection, access digital resources, and get assistance from FPL staff with a live chat feature. Hoopla, available on the web or on smart devices, allows borrowers access to over 850,000 ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and music albums. The library wants our community to know that we are continuing to order just as many physical items, such as books and films each month, alongside our newer digital offerings. In September and October 2023, we were able to help almost 800 community members renew their account or register a new account!
Children’s Librarian Sara Martindale welcomed a second member to the Youth Services team — returning staff member Children’s Librarian Afton Pedrick. Youth Services offers several storytime and play programs each week, as well as a monthly program for tweens called First Chapter Night the last Friday of each month. Since December 2023, Youth Services has had regularly occurring scavenger hunts in the library, such as February’s Love Your Library Youth Scavenger Hunt. Youth Services has partnered with Iowa Dance Collective, ISU Extension Office, and the Jefferson County Park to provide dynamic, literacy-based special events for children and families all year long.
Our library also has quite a few new programs for adults — The Poet’s Forge meets the second Saturday of each month led by MIU professor Craig Deininger, Genealogy Group meets the second Monday of each month led by Barbara Rainbow, Friends of the Library has reformed and meets during Toddler Connect and Play the third Wednesday of the month, and Mah Jong Group meets every Friday, boasting participation of 15-20 players ever week. The library is currently seeking adult volunteers for several other programs such a weekly gentle yoga program, a music appreciation program, and a free movie screening program. Community members wanting to participate or help lead programs should schedule a meeting with Library Director Alecs Schmidt Mickunas.
The library wishes to thank the FPL Foundation, Joe Mandarino, Everybody’s Whole Foods, and the generous contributions of library lovers for the funding to purchase new library materials for our community. If you would like to see a new resource added to our collection or you would like to fund a specific purchase, please contact the library or utilize the “Requests” button on the FPL website. We also wish to thank the residents of the City of Fairfield for their continued financial support of Fairfield Public Library. We will say it again — There’s truly never been a better time to have a library card!
