Library week: 'Find Your Joy'

The James V. Brown Library in Williamsport is using National Library Week to pitch itself as a place for games, classes, archives, and meeting space, not just books. (sungazette.com) The library’s local observance runs from April 19 through April 25 at 19 E. Fourth St., matching the American Library Association’s national dates and this year’s “Find Your Joy” theme. The national campaign names former librarian Mychal Threets as honorary chair. (sungazette.com) (ala.org) The Williamsport library said the theme was shaped by Threets’s viral library-advocacy videos and by a push to show what patrons can do beyond checking out print books. Its suggestions for the week include free programs, borrowing video games and board games, using rentable Wi‑Fi hotspots, and booking private rooms for tutoring, virtual meetings, or telehealth appointments. (sungazette.com) That framing matches the national message this year. The American Library Association describes National Library Week as an annual celebration of libraries’ role in “transforming lives and strengthening our communities,” and its campaign materials urge people to try a program, class, or conversation at their local branch. (ala.org) At James V. Brown, that broader role is visible in the regular calendar. Recent and upcoming listings include toddler story programs, teen gaming, a cross-stitch club, weather basics with the National Weather Service, yoga and meditation, and a Lycoming County Reentry Coalition meeting. (jvbrown.edu) (jvbrown.libcal.com) The library is also bigger than a single city branch. James V. Brown serves as the district center for the North Central Library District, which says it supports 40 state-aided libraries in 45 facilities across 11 counties in north central Pennsylvania. (northcentrallibraries.org) Its own materials describe the library as the public library for Williamsport and Lycoming County, with services that include digital collections through Libby and Hoopla, language learning through POWER Library, local history and genealogy archives, and museum passes. Those offerings help explain why the week’s message centers on access and daily use instead of industry-style panels or internal library programming. (sungazette.com) (jvbrown.edu) The building is closed Sundays, but otherwise keeps weekday hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday hours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The pitch for this week is simple: come in, get a card, and find one service that fits into ordinary life. (jvbrown.edu) (sungazette.com)