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St. Mary's County Library to add evening, sensory-friendly story times and increase weekly sessions
Summary
Library staff told the Board of Trustees they will expand story time offerings starting in January, adding evening sessions, a sensory-friendly Saturday option and modest caps on attendance while moving to single-leader sessions to accommodate more offerings without adding staff.
The Saint Mary's County Library Board of Trustees heard plans to expand children’s story time offerings across the system, adding evening sessions and a sensory-friendly Saturday option and increasing the number of weekly sessions at each branch.
Jill Hutchinson, who led the presentation on programming changes, said the library will increase the number of story time sessions per branch beginning in January (year not specified in the transcript): Charlotte Hall will offer seven sessions per week, Leonardtown nine and Lexington Park ten. Hutchinson said the library will cap most sessions at 15 children, set a 20-child cap for baby story time and allow 20 for a larger-format session called “wiggle giggle.”
Hutchinson said the library will shift from two story time leaders per session to a single leader so branches can run more sessions without hiring additional staff. “We’re asking a lot from our story time team. So we’re providing them with support. We’re having some refresher training so that everybody feels really confident to go into the new season leading the story time solo,” Hutchinson said.
The plan also adds evening story times at two branches and a sensory-friendly Saturday story time at Lexington Park to increase access for working parents and families with special needs. Staff will collect data and family feedback during the spring season after the change to make adjustments.
Library director Michael Blackwell and board members praised the plan’s reach and the staff training and support built into it. Board members asked for close monitoring of capacity and customer experience. Hutchinson noted a slight dip in program numbers during the Leonardtown move to the new building but said the library expects to meet a systemwide target to increase total public programs by one-third over the coming planning horizon.
The trustees did not take a vote on programming changes during the meeting; the presentation outlined operational steps staff will implement and monitor.
