News

Hello all, It’s that time of year for the Summer Program. We are meeting on Tuesday at 2pm. There are three dates left July 11th, 18th, and an awards/pizza party day on the 25th. So come by for some Library fun!!

Ms. Jennie and Ms. Lyndsey would like to thank the community for participating in the 2021 Summer Reading Program!

Volunteer’s of the Summer

In collaboration with the Friends of the Hennessey Library and the Helen Cline Scholarship, the Library offers volunteer opportunities to Hennessey youths (ages 13-18) in the pursuit of a $500 academic scholarship. Our volunteers often assist staff with Summer programs by supervising, interacting with children, and providing assistance to staff. Other volunteer activities may include non-program related tasks, such as shelving, circulation, and assisting in staff projects.

This summer we would like to acknowledge five teen volunteers, two of which who will soon be eligible for the Helen Cline scholarship.

• Ashland Crites volunteered 11 hours this summer, primarily assisting staff with children’s programs.
• Sammy Sosa volunteered 7 hours this summer, also assisting staff with children’s programs.
• Samir Sosa volunteered 7 hours this summer assisting staff at the front desk with preparations for future programs.
• Michael Pacula volunteered 2 hours this summer assisting with children’s programs.
• Rachel Miller volunteered 2 hours this summer, aiding staff at the circulation counter and preparations for the End of Summer Pizza Party.

Summer Achievements

While many of the in-house activities can be fun and lighthearted, our main objective is to educate and encourage children to continue reading throughout the summer. Furthermore, our goal is to encourage the Hennessey and surrounding community to be life-long learners and engage with books and information throughout their lives — be it recreational or for academic purposes. As such, we would like to recognize the achievements of our Summer participants.

Most Active Summer Participant
This award is presented to participants who attended and engaged with as many programs as possible.

• 1st Place: Martin Robinson
• 2nd Place: Elizabeth Robinson and Tony Valles
• 3rd Place: Stephanie and Dahlia Valles

Most Number of Books Read
This award is presented to participants who read the most number of books through June and July.

• 1st Place: Benny Letchenberg
• 2nd Place: Dahlia Valles
• 3rd Place: Stephanie Valles

Most Time Spent Reading
This award is presented to participants who spent the most time reading through June and July

• 1st Place: Stephanie Valles
• 2nd Place: Martin Robinson
• 3rd Place: Dahlia Valles

Best Parent/Child Partnership
This award is to acknowledge our younger readers who are engaging in books with their parents and older siblings throughout June and July.

• 1st Place: Lauren and Ginger Cox
• 2nd Place: Hannah, Henly, and Katlyn Weaver
• 3rd Place: Giovanni and Maribel Valles

Adult Readers

We would like to acknowledge our adult participants in the 2021 Summer Reading program. While we do not currently incorporate Adult-focused programming in our Summers, we strive to encourage adult readership in the community and would like to recognize two of our adult participants.

Jennifer Ullery, a fellow librarian in Hennessey, read 22 titles in June and July. Jennifer is always an enthusiastic participant and supporter of the library.

Maribel Valles, community member and mother of some of our most active participants, read 15 titles in June and July, on top of reading with her young children.

Join us at the Hennessey Public Library for a fun, creative, educational program this summer!

This summer we’ll be learning about various animals, habitats, carrying capacity, the food chain, and much more! Along with interactive, educational activities, participants of all ages can engage in fun summer activities such as water balloons, yard games, animal-themed yoga, and charades. Decorate and build birdhouses for your yard, make an wild-life or ocean-themed diorama, and create beautiful tie-dye t-shirts this summer!

Above all, we’ll be encouraging patrons of all ages – from infants to the elderly – to pick up a book each day and engage their minds and imagination. Reading or being read to provides countless benefits for all ages – its exercise for the brain, exposing it to new vocabulary, perspectives, information, and concepts. Reading promotes empathy and emotional intelligence as well as reduce stress and provide a reprieve from the uncertainty of life. It is especially important for children – of all ages – to engage in books throughout the year to avoid losing their developmental profess between school semesters. Your health and safety are our top priority this summer. We encourage our patrons to continue to participate in social distancing. We will be taking the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of illness and keep you and your family healthy.

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

1. Register

Registration for the program will begin Tuesday, June 1^st and continue until June 4^th.

Patrons of all ages are welcome and required to register to participate in the Summer Reading program.

Pick up a registration form from a member of staff at the circulation desk.

Upon submitting a registration form, you will receive a calendar of events, a reading log, and information worksheet to help develop your personal summer reading goals.

2. Sign Up for Activities

Some activities will be limited to a capacity of 15 youth participants. Registered participants will take priority and can sign up for these activities in advance at the circulation desk.

While many of our activities are open to all ages, some activities will have age restrictions. Ages will be listed on the calendar and sign-up sheets. Please ask staff if you have any questions or concerns.

Please note, for your child’s safety, it is recommended that any child under the age of 9 be accompanied by an adult while attending an activity.

3. Track your reading and participate in activities and events to win prizes

We’ll kick off the program on Monday June 7^th at 2pm. We will introduce the overall program as well as our behavioral expectations while participating in activities. Following the introduction, participants will be invited to play Frozen Critters – an educational version of freeze tag to get kids excited to learn about the food chain and life in the wild. This event is open to all registered participants of all ages.

At the end of the summer we will be hosting a Pizza Party for all participants and family Friday July 30^th at 3:30pm with an awards ceremony to follow at 4:30pm. Prizes and giveaways will be determined by participation in activities, reading logs, and drawings. Each participant will be given one reading log but you can pick up additional logs at any time. All reading logs much be turned in by5:30pm Monday, July 26^th.

All activities begin at 2:00pm and end at 3:00pm. All children below the age of 9 must have an adult or older sibling present following the activities. Participants are asked to wear clothes and shoes appropriate for playing outside or using art supplies such as paint.

As always, keep up to date on all our adventures on Facebook and Instagram. Just search for “Hennessey Public Library”. For more information, please call us at 405-853-2073 or email us at info@hennessey.lib.ok.us

Summer 2021 Activities

• Week 1
  • Monday June 7th @ 2pm: Quick-Frozen Critters (all-ages)
  • Tuesday June 8th @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday June 9th @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday June 10th @ 2pm: Art Day: Birdhouses (all-ages)
  • Friday June 11th @ 2pm: Tween Funtivities Club (ages 7-12)
• Week 2
  • Monday June 14th @ 2pm: Ecosystems Activity (all-ages)
  • Tuesday June 15th @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday June 16th @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday June 17th @ 2pm: Lego Camp (all-ages)
  • Friday June 18th @ 2pm: Tween Funtivities Club (ages 7-12)
• Week 3
  • Monday June 21st @ 2pm: Animal Charades and Yoga (all-ages)
  • Tuesday June 22nd @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday June 23rd @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday June 24th @ 2pm: Art Day: Animal Painting (all-ages)
  • Friday June 25th @ 2pm: Tween Funtivities Club (ages 7-12)
• Week 4
  • Monday June 28th @ 2pm: Head in the Clouds (all-ages)
  • Tuesday June 29th @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday June 30th @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday July 1st @ 2pm: Lego Camp (all-ages)
  • Friday July 2nd @ 2pm: Tween Funtivities Club (ages 7-12)
• Week 5
  • Monday July 5th: CLOSED FOR HOLIDAY
  • Tuesday July 6th @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday July 7th @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday July 8th @ 2pm: Art Day: Tie-Dye (all-ages)
  • Friday July 9th @ 2pm: Tween Funtivities Club (ages 7-12)
• Week 6
  • Monday July 12th @ 2pm: Animal Scavenger Hunt (all-ages)
  • Tuesday July 13th @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday July 14th @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday July 15th @ 2pm: Lego Camp (all-ages)
  • Friday July 16th @ 2pm: Tween Funtivities Club (ages 7-12)
• Week 7
  • Monday July 19th @ 2pm: Web of Life (all-ages)
  • Tuesday July 20th @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday July 21st @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday July 22nd @ 2pm: Art Day: Wildlife Dioramas (all-ages)
  • Friday July 23rd @ 2pm: Tween Funtivities Club (ages 7-12)
• Week 8
  • Monday July 26th @ 2pm: Yardgames and Water Balloons (all-ages)
    • All reading logs due by 5:30pm
  • Tuesday July 27th @ 4pm: Teen Funtivities Club (ages 13-18)
  • Wednesday July 28th @ 10am: Littlest Patron Playtime (ages 0-5)
  • Thursday July 29th @ 2pm: Lego Camp (all-ages)
  • Friday July 30th @ 3:30pm: Pizza Party w/ Award Ceremony to follow

Per the Town of Hennessey’s Phase 3 of the Reopening Plan, the Hennessey Public Library is officially open to the public with circulation and business services and the return of programming. We continue to encourage our patrons to practice social distancing. Masks are not required. Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes will continue to be available for patron use.

HAVE ITEMS CHECKED OUT? You may continue to return your materials in the blue drop box on the north side of the building or come inside to return them in person. Starting June 1st, regular circulation policies, including late fees and fines for lost or damaged materials, will resume as usual. We encourage patrons who checked out materials between March 1st and May 31st to please return all overdue items as soon as possible.

NOT READY TO GET OUT BUT NEED BOOKS TO READ? Download the OverDrive app to your smartphone or tablet. You can check out e-books and audiobooks using your Hennessey Public Library card number!

NEED TO PRINT, FAX, OR MAKE COPIES? We can help you with that at the Library!

NEED TO USE THE COMPUTER? We currently have two desktops available for business and school purposes. Chrombooks will be limited to two devices for school or business purposes only at this time.

HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS? WE ARE HERE! Call 405-853-2073 (between 9 am-6 pm M-F). Or email us at info@hennessey.lib.ok.us