ELIZABETHTOWN PUBLIC LIBRARY

We want to see every person striving to achieve their dreams and making a meaningful impact in their family, community and world. We do this by instilling the tools of literacy in lives.

We are working toward making relevant materials accessible to all people. Regardless of one's income level, residency status, ability, or other defining characteristic - we are working to provide access to what is needed to build literacy and, in so doing, instill hope for a better tomorrow.

We want to see every person connected to the resources they need to make their dreams come true. We do this by providing educational, informational, and recreational books, resources, and programs.

We want to see every citizen engaged in their community and practicing their democratic rights and obligations. We are working to empower volunteers and educate voters.

We are here to protect the freedom to read and of the press. We defend the privacy of all readers. We stand firmly in opposition to censorship.

We believe that with literacy comes hope. And, with hope, people have dreams. Dreamers build better tomorrows for all of us. So, we are always seeking ways that we can help people build to their own level of literacy, find hope, and dream big dreams. We strive to be a learning organization, testing new methods, and engaging in real-life with our community to make dreams come true.

Some of our current strategies include:

Early literacy programming: The Library has many traditional early literacy programs that engage children and their grown ups in reading literacy based programming. Story times, character events, and reading programs are entertaining book-based programs that include a STREAM (science, technology, reading engineering, arts, and math) component. For the younger children there is almost always singing and dancing followed by an art or craft that builds fine motor skills.

Theme-based programming: The Library hosts many learning programs throughout the year. From Crazy-8's, an entertaining math learning program for middle schoolers (part of Bedtime Math), to Make-it and Break-it programs, where teens and preteens learn about machines and technology by exploring the inner workings in a non-threatening environment. The Library also brings in special people and special things for families to explore like the teenage cow and dairy princess during the Summer Reading Program. These opportunities stimulate exploration and learning. Inquiry is an important part of advancing to the next level in any stage of life.

Book discussions and book lending: The research on reading is clear. People who read, even if only for fun, process information better than those who do not. Readers have the ability to focus longer on a task. Success Magazine, Forbes, and all of the high achievement coaches agree...reading is vital if you want unprecedented success. And, believe it or not, readers are shown to have higher levels of empathy and understanding of other people. We desperately need greater empathy and understanding in our world today.

Working together with community organizations and educators to build a strong network. We work with Elizabethtown College to have a new business co-working and start-up space. We collaborate with local agencies who provide nutritional services to young children, local businesses for economic development, and the community youth cohort to build a strong, healthy infrastructure for children and families.

We believe strongly in doing the very best we can and partnering with others to make our best better.

We are a learning organizational so our capabilities are growing as the Library grows.

Our capabilities are multiplied by that of our partners. We have many partners who invest in the services of the Library and others who extend our service farther into the community, even across the globe.

The Library has grown into a sustainable entity by overcoming significant financial challenges in the early 1990s into an organization that could continue serving the community during the significant challenges of the Covid19 surge. The Library shifted operations to provide electronic and physical items outside of the building. The community responded with gratitude that the Library provided physical materials for learning experiences and family engagement. Elizabethtown Public Library was the first public Library in Pennsylvania to begin curbside pickup of materials. We responded to the needs demonstrated by the community and provided free lunches during the week and facilitated the meeting of other needs the Library does not usually provide.

The Library is now moving to build new goals and strategies to thrive in the post-Covid 19 world so that we can support everyone in our community in their pursuit of reaching their full potential and making their dreams come true.