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Coatesville Area Public Library details flood recovery, new programs and makerspace plans
Summary
Amber Tewon, executive director of the Coatesville Area Public Library, updated the board on recovery from a major flood, expanded bilingual collections, a makerspace and outreach that fed and served thousands of children last year.
"My name is Amber Tewon. I'm the executive director for the Coatesville Area Public Library," Amber said as she opened a presentation on the library’s recent work.
Tewon told the board that a flood last summer inundated the library’s entire lower floor — about 7,000 square feet and an estimated 10,000 gallons — destroying program spaces. The library rebuilt and reallocated space during reconstruction, reopening a children’s zone that drew more than 20 families to its grand reopening and creating a dedicated teen space. Staff and volunteers painted a mural in the kids’ zone.
Tewon said the library has expanded collection development efforts to grow Spanish and bilingual holdings for picture books, fiction and nonfiction for children and adults, and is building a makerspace and a "library of things" where patrons can borrow toolkits and hobby kits. The library also offers free museum passes (e.g., Longwood Gardens, Elmwood Zoo) to cardholders.
On services and outreach, Tewon said the library’s summer art program provided breakfast and lunch for more than 450 children; the summer reading program had about 1,500 participants; and the library engaged more than 2,000 children during roughly 100 outreach events over the last year. She thanked municipal donors and asked the board to continue supporting library services.
The presentation was informational; no board action was requested.
