The Portage la Prairie Regional Library is trying to keep the joys of reading alive, and they've been gaining traction over the past few years.
Jen Kendall, director of the Portage Regional Library, attended the Rotary Club of Portage la Prairie meeting on September 3. She says over the past three years, she's worked to improve the experience for all library lovers. This includes both their selection and library layout.
"We've added shelving to make the collection more accessible," explains Kendall. "We've also moved the kid's area up to the front, which kind of brightened up the space but also gave us a little cozy reading area for adults. We've also added the additional language books in Tagalog, Punjabi, German, Spanish and Ukrainian, which have been very popular with some of our newcomers here."
These changes have helped the library grow their registration numbers as well, seeing about a ten per cent increase each year. Looking ahead in the short term, Kendall and the rest of the library staff are hoping the positive trends continue into the fall.
"We have our library signup month which is happening right now and if you renew or sign up for a new library membership, you get entered for a draw for a $50 gift card to Homestead Co-op, which they generously donated," notes Kendall. "After that, we have our traditional Halloween program which we're all super excited about. I think the staff like it more than the patrons at this point because it's nice to have a day to just dress up and act silly."
The library also recently wrapped up its 46th annual summer book sale on September 5 to raise $15,000.
"We're just seeing where we can go and kind of what community partnerships we can continue to develop and make the most of what we're doing both in the library and with the community."