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Trustees review "Summer at the Library" plan, kickoff set for June 22
Summary
Library staff told the Wakefield Board of Trustees that "Summer at the Library" will run June 22'Aug. 15 with age‑targeted collectables, a Buzzy scavenger hunt through Wakefield businesses and a donation drive for the Wakefield food pantry; trustees asked about outreach, school tie‑ins and logistics.
The Wakefield Board of Trustees heard a detailed presentation on the library's summer schedule and outreach plans at its meeting.
"Summer at the library will run June 22 to August 15," Catherine Walton, head of services in the children's room, told trustees, and staff said they will hold a kickoff party on June 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. The program offers age‑based incentives: sticker books for preschoolers, lanyards and pins for elementary students, and daily scratch‑ticket prizes and weekly raffles for middle and high school participants.
The staff described a multi‑pronged approach to engagement. "All they need to do is just tell us what they are reading," Annie said of the reading component tied to the scratch tickets, which give teens entries into larger prize bins and a weekly raffle prize at Whiteland Books. The program also includes an on‑site scavenger hunt: each week a clue from the mascot Buzzy will point patrons to a participating Wakefield business window, where a message and QR code steer them back to the library for a collectible prize.
To tie the program to community service, Walton said registrants who bring a donation for the Wakefield food pantry will earn a special pin and be invited to a card‑making session that the pantry will include with food donations.
The presenters also described an outreach push to local schools. "We're in the middle of our school visits," Katie said, listing visits to multiple elementary and pre‑K classrooms and distribution plans for bookmarks and classroom videos aimed at middle and high school students.
Trustees asked logistical questions about registration, whether children need a library card to participate (staff said they do not), additional copies of book‑list titles (staff said they ordered extras) and how the school system will receive the promotional video. Board members praised the staff for getting the calendar out early and for program planning.
The presentation closed with trustees thanking the youth services team; staff said they will return to report on participation and outcomes after the summer season.
