Library Staff at the Northwest Library’s First Summer Reading Program Celebration

Worthington libraries staff members advertise for a performance by ventriloquist Rick Evans at an outdoor event held at the Northwest Library in its first year of being open. From left to right are Tom Slappy, Joan Taylor, Danna Armstrong and Sally Carton. A celebration of the library’s summer reading program, the event also featured face-painting and games.

The library system’s summer reading program and circulation statistics increased dramatically in 1996, the first year that the Northwest Library was open. In June 1996, more than 80,000 items were circulated at the Northwest Library alone, and total circulation for the library system as a whole increased 21 percent over June 1995. And by June 1996, 3500 children had signed up for the summer reading program, compared to 3010 the year before.