Thank you for being part of our library community and making this year’s Library Giving Day a big success. Together, we raised over $17,000! Your support is already helping people of all ages connect, learn, and grow.

In this issue, you’ll see how your support is making a difference. Read about book clubs in local schools, programs that help kids keep learning during the summer, and highlights from a busy spring at our libraries.

By believing in the power of libraries to change lives, you help make our community stronger. Read on to see the impact of your kindness in our libraries and beyond.

The 4th Annual Mad Hatter Tea Party transformed Shawnee Public Library into a topsy-turvy Wonderland filled with maddeningly creative hats, delicious food, and delightful surprises around every corner. Thanks to our sponsors, guests, and volunteers, the evening raised over $12,000 to help support library programs and services in Pottawatomie County. Read more.

P.S. The Queen of Hearts has already declared the date for next year’s celebration: Saturday, April 3, 2027.

• Tecumseh Public Library teamed up with Cross Timbers Elementary for Family STEAM Night. They brought the library’s maker equipment and OU’s Sooner Flight Academy to the event. Students got to try their hands at aviation activities, which helped them get excited about science, technology, engineering, art, and math.
• Norman Library Lab hosted a Musical Theatre Dance Camp for kids at The Well during spring break. Campers learned basic dance moves, practiced routines, and put on a show for their families. By offering accessible arts programming, the library helped children build confidence, social skills, and creativity, especially for caregivers unable to access similar opportunities.
• At Blanchard Public Library, Learn It! Mahjong for Beginners gave adults the chance to try a new activity and make new friends.
• At Norman Public Library East, teens and adults learned how to fix their clothes in creative ways through the Visible Mending program. This helped them build confidence in their skills and taught them about sustainable fashion.

Strong partnerships help our libraries reach further. With support from Tinker Federal Credit Union, Moore Public Library’s Sequoyah Book Club is expanding access to books and meaningful experiences for elementary students at Moore Public Schools.

PLS staff bring this program directly into participating schools, leading lunchtime and after-school discussions and activities tied to the Oklahoma Library Association’s Sequoyah Book Award. Students read selected titles while building reading comprehension and critical thinking skills in a fun, engaging way.

A teacher shared, “The staff from Moore Public Library provides thought-provoking questions and shows [the kids] the purpose of a book club. They always bring fun activities that connect to the books. We at Sooner Elementary are forever grateful for this outreach.”

Each year, this partnership provides more than 200 books so more students can take part. Since 2020, the program has grown from four schools to 16, reaching more than 1,100 students.

We’re thankful to Tinker Federal Credit Union for helping expand the library’s reach and creating more opportunities for young readers.

Research shows that high-quality summer programs can help reduce learning loss and close the country’s educational and opportunity gaps. The Pioneer Library System’s Summer Learning Challenge, from May 1 to August 15, helps address the “summer slide” by encouraging kids to read at least 20 minutes a day. This helps keep them learning, building skills over the summer, and ready for school in the fall.

There are learning tracks for kids, teens, and adults. Everyone can join by reading, doing hands-on activities, and coming to library programs that spark curiosity and creativity. Thanks to your generosity, the Foundation is helping summer programs like these reach people of all ages in our communities:

• Children can enjoy high-energy experiences like Hooplahoma! or explore paleontology in Dino Detectives, stepping into the role of a young scientist.
• Teens are invited to participate in creative activities, including Art in Action: Learn about illustrating a book and designing a children’s book layout, or solving STEAM-based mysteries in CSI: Red River.
• Adults can join hands-on workshops, such as Painting Together: Step by Step, or engage with Science and Speculation: The Art of Creating Dinosaurs to learn about the intersection of genetics and imagination.
• All-ages events like American Storytellers feature interactive live storytelling that shares American history and culture with attendees.

Join the Summer Learning Challenge to see what your support makes possible. Sign up today, start logging your minutes, and be part of inspiring learning this summer!

Mark your calendar for the 21st Annual Touch a Truck on Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. This free event lets kids learn through play as they explore vehicles like fire trucks, mobile weather units, construction equipment, and more.

Proceeds support children’s programs in Moore, Noble, Norman, and Southwest Oklahoma City. Interested in sponsoring Touch a Truck? Visit https://plsfdn.org/touch-a-truck/ or contact us to learn more about you can help.

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