June / July 2026 | Director's Report

Director's Report: July 13, 2026

Prepared by Director Jason Bumbico for the Board of Trustees meeting

Patron Services

  • Our new Adventure Pass Program launched as planned on June 1, giving adult cardholders access to free or reduced admission at ten area museums and attractions. The passes have proved popular with patrons, in particular the passes to Beech Creek Gardens and the Akron Zoo.
  • The Library closed Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.

Adult Services

  • June adult programming included a Geocaching program with Stark Parks on June 8, a talk on the history of Fort Laurens, our monthly adult craft, and a class on taking care of woody plants.
  • The "Meet George Washington" program on June 29 was well received, with 25 patrons attending.
  • July adult programming has included Wits Workout on July 9, with an adult craft class on July 14 and a Patrick Henry living-history program on July 20 still to come.

Youth Services

  • This year's Summer Reading Program, themed "Unearth a Story," is already ahead of last year's pace. As of this report, 624 readers have signed up, compared with 430 by the end of last year's full program. We have already topped 2025's final total, with our program continuing through July 31.
  • Recent programming drew strong crowds: the Summer Reading Kickoff Celebration (around 120 attendees), Reptile Adventures with Paul Hernandez on June 3 (around 200), Bugman Live! with Mark Berman on June 10 (at least 150), and a Dino Sleepover family storytime on Thursday, June 25. Life-Size Jumanji (June 11) was also well attended, with about 100 patrons coming in to play.
  • July programming has included a Dino Clinic on July 8 (about 60 attended) and a family storytime on July 9. Still to come are a Mario Kart tournament on July 17, a Family Fun Night on July 23, and our End-of-the-Read Pool Party Summer Reading wrap-up on July 29.

Collection Development

  • New materials added in May 2026 included:
    • Adult books: 136
    • Adult audiobooks: 4
    • DVDs: 3
    • Youth books: 74
  • New materials added in June 2026 included:
    • Adult books: 138
    • Adult audiobooks: 5
    • DVDs: 9
    • Youth books: 226

Community Outreach

  • The Library had a table at the Homecoming Festival, where I had a great time connecting with a good number of community members. We plan to make Library participation in this event a regular part of our outreach going forward.
  • I gave a talk to the Church Women of the Alliance Area group at New Franklin United Methodist Church on Friday, June 5, sharing what the Library is currently doing and upcoming plans.
  • Nicole Weber is coordinating a gift basket donation to the Minerva Area Chamber of Commerce's golf outing fundraiser.

Miscellaneous

  • The Auditor of State's office continued its regular review of our FY2024-25 records; requested documentation has been provided.