Guthrie library director says summer reading fully funded, launches new take‑home feeding site

Cameron Smith, director of the Guthrie Public Library, told the board on May 20 that the library’s summer reading program is fully funded after staff and volunteers raised roughly $13,000 in prizes and grants. Smith said summer reading starts June 1 and that calendars list daily programming; she credited staff and the Friends of the Library for the fundraising.

Smith also announced the library is approved to operate a summer take‑home feeding program, distributing five days’ worth of lunches and breakfasts in boxed meals. The meals will be handed out Thursdays beginning in June from about 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Smith said, after completing required training.

To extend staff capacity and deepen youth engagement, Smith said the library will let teen volunteers and a teen council intern help with shelving and program support this summer. "If they do a good job this summer with the shelving...we may end up using volunteer shelvers through the school year," Smith said, noting supervised shelving would free staff for programming and circulation duties.

Smith described recent outreach at the Oklahoma Legislature’s first library legislative day, where Guthrie’s display and outreach generated interest; he also said he briefly met with state Sen. Chuck Ball to discuss library priorities. On local early‑childhood reading, Smith said he is pursuing a Dolly Parton Imagination Library sponsorship for Logan County but cautioned that program costs and ongoing funding are substantial: the per‑book cost is about $2.40, leaving roughly $1.40 per book for a local sponsor.

Smith reported a $10,000 gift from the Anne B. Clark Duncan Foundation initially intended for a new circulation desk; he proposed using approximately $5,000–$6,000 of that check to seed an Imagination Library rollout while the Friends of the Library and potential anonymous donors pursue additional funding.

Other program highlights included an Easter egg hunt, a tween murder‑mystery, a joint teen/tween movie outing and ongoing story time (now partly held in a park), all of which Smith said drew strong participation. Smith credited teen volunteers and the teen council for supporting events and said adult programming remains limited but steady.

Smith framed program decisions against the library’s budget and accounting rhythms, noting the Oklahoma Department of Libraries statistics and differences in city and state fiscal calendars can make year‑to‑year comparisons appear uneven. He told board members that most summer reading expenses are covered by grants and Friends’ fundraising, reducing the use of city operating funds.

The board heard Smith’s report and did not object to proceeding with the summer programs and feeding site as presented.