Celebrating a Strong Start to 2025: Thank You for Your Generous Support!
As we begin 2025, we want to extend our gratitude for your support of literacy and learning in Pioneer Library System communities. Thanks to your generous contributions to our year-end campaign, we are thrilled to share that nearly $25,000 was raised to enhance and enrich programming and services in our libraries. Your support means everything to us, and we can’t thank you enough!
Full Steam Ahead! Bringing Books to Newborns
We’re excited to announce our partnership with Norman Regional Health System and SSM Health – Shawnee to promote early childhood literacy.
Through this collaboration, every newborn at these facilities will receive the book The Little Engine That Could, and caregivers will learn how to register their baby for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, sign up for a library card, and learn about the library’s children’s programming and resources.
This partnership illustrates how your support enables us to provide more children in our community access to books and learning opportunities, equipping them for success in school and beyond! Learn more
Mad Hatter Tea Party: A Curious Evening Awaits!
Don your most fabulous hat and tumble down the rabbit hole into a whimsical evening in Wonderland at the 3rd Annual Mad Hatter Tea Party! Join us on Saturday, March 29th at the Shawnee Public Library for a night filled with curious delights—a magical dinner, live entertainment, “Maddest Hat” contest, raffles, and surprises galore!
Proceeds from the event benefit the Pioneer Library System’s Pottawatomie County branches, supporting programming and services at the McLoud, Shawnee, and Tecumseh libraries. Learn more
A Joyous Day for Dolly
January 19th was a joyous day in our libraries as we celebrated the birthday of the iconic Dolly Parton. Her incredible book-gifting program, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, has sparked a love of reading in millions of children around the world.
Library visitors joined in the festivities with themed photo opportunities and the chance to sign personalized birthday cards for Dolly. It was a fantastic celebration enjoyed by all!
We thank our corporate matching partners and generous donors for supporting the Imagination Library at PLS. Your contributions in honor of Dolly will provide books for an entire year to 470 children in our community!
The Crowns Tea: A Timeless Tradition of Culture and Community
The 20th Annual Crowns Tea is Sunday, February 23 from 2-4:30 p.m., at The Well in Norman. This beloved community event is inspired by the book Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry. The free event is open to all ages. It will include a reading from the book Crowns, a discussion of the culinary art of soul food, demonstrations, and refreshments.
Other Crowns Tea Black History Month events:
Book Discussion – The Cooking Gene
Sunday, February 2, 2-3 p.m., at Norman Public Library West
The African American Read-In
Sunday, February 9, 2-4 p.m., at Norman Public Library West
Crowns Tea events are made possible, in part, by the Norman Arts Council Hotel Tax Grant Program.