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Wichita Public Library director outlines summer-reading gains and community impact
Summary
Library Director Jamie Nicks told the council the library reached 6,626 young people with summer programming, achieved an 88% completion rate for reading goals and expanded outreach via a book bus and a United Way literacy partnership.
Jamie Nicks, director of the Wichita Public Library, told the Wichita City Council that the library’s summer programs reached thousands of children and bolstered literacy and community engagement.
Nicks presented summer-program metrics to the council, saying the library’s seven-person youth services team distributed 6,626 reading logs, of which 4,447 participants set personal reading goals and nearly 4,000 met them — "so we had an 88 completion rate," she said. The library’s mobile book bus reached about 650 children, the director added, and a new summer literacy initiative with the United Way provided 162 one-on-one sessions to 35 young readers.
The presentation included short video testimonials from patrons and local artists. Laura Berry, who identified herself as retired from Herschel Banking, said the library serves people "whether they're small children...or maybe you're an entrepreneur trying to research some things for your business," calling the library "a wonderful resource at your fingertips." Ava Moore, a Wichita artist who spoke in the video, described the library as "community and advocacy" and said events such as the Big Read created opportunities for disabled and marginalized artists to be heard.
Nicks framed the work as "high-impact, low-barrier" programming supported by philanthropy and partners. "The power of libraries is not as a vault of of knowledge, but it's an inspiring public service engine that fuels social infrastructure, greater knowledge, and a sense of belonging," she said, tying personal stories to the library’s mission and operations.
Council member S4 thanked Nicks and staff and stressed the stakes for early reading. "When 18 percent of our community is functionally illiterate," S4 said, it "hampers their ability to get a better job, to provide for their families," and affects broader access to transit and services, the councilor added.
Nicks asked the council to imagine further impact as the library continues partnerships and service expansion. There was no formal council vote or action recorded during the presentation; the session concluded with council remarks and appreciation for the library’s work.
