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Park City and Summit County librarians invite communities to Love Your Library

Park City Improv will help celebrate Love Your Library Week with a performance at Storymime Live, a storytelling festival on Feb. 13, at the Park City Library.
Park Record file photo

Feb. 11 to Feb. 22 Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave.; Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch, 1885 W. Ute Blvd. parkcitylibrary.org and thesummitcountylibrary.org

Libraries have evolved over the years from a place to do research and check out books to a place that also offers three-dimensional printing, art exhibits, book club meetings and film screenings.

For the next two weeks, Park City Library and Summit County Library will celebrate Love Your Library Week with special programming that will complement their story times and Lego building.

Both libraries are also eliminating late fees, said Summit County Library Director Dan Compton.



“We felt we were spending too much time on collecting fines, and we would much rather have our staff spending their time helping our patrons learn how to use the computer, or find what they need to advance their knowledge,” he said.

Even if I wasn’t a librarian, I would still feel it’s pretty awesome to have them…” Dan Compton, Summit County Library director

Compton also found that fines have prevented people from visiting the libraries.



“Once they get a fine on their account, a lot of times they don’t come back,” he said. “This is especially true with kids. When kids got a fine, sometimes their parents wouldn’t allow them to come back. And we didn’t want any part of that. We want people to come to us to find what they want in books and entertainment, do their research and enjoying some life-long learning opportunities and advance their knowledge.”

In addition to going fine-free, the Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch will set up stations where people can make their own Valentines and have their photo taken with a scenic backdrop.

“They can make Valentines for their friends, families, favorite authors, favorite books or even for the library,” Compton said. “We’re excited and looking forward to it.”

The Summit County Library will also extend Love Your Library Week for a second week and host a Pigeon Party that will honor author Mo Willems from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Feb. 19, according to Compton.

Willems, a Caldecott Award winner and Emmy-winning former writer and animator for “Sesame Street,” is the author of “The Pigeon Books.”

“The Pigeon Books” is a nine-volume children’s book series that follows a pigeon whose adventures include trying to drive a bus, finding a hot dog to share with a duckling and attempting to obtain a puppy.

“We decided to push our it back to the next week because school will be out (for February recess),” Compton said. “We’ll have pigeon related activities, hot dogs and games.”

While the party is geared toward kids, it is open to the general public.

“Anyone can come over and have some fun,” Compton said. “We’ll also serve some chocolate chip cookies.”

The Park City Library’s Love Your Library Week events will run from Monday, Feb. 11, through Saturday, Feb. 16.

Activities will include film screenings, book giveaways and a storytelling festival called Storymine Live, said Becca Lael, Park City Library community engagement librarian.

“Love Your Library Week, to me, is celebrating our joy of having a library in our lives,” Lael said. “It’s a time to be thankful. It’s a time to share our love of books, 3D printing and other experiences.”

The celebration will start with a free screening of Disney’s animated film starring a book-loving protagonist, “Beauty and the Beast,” at 4 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11, and it will end with a 4 p.m. screening of John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club,” which stars Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Anthony Michael Hall and Emilio Estevez as high school students who serve detention in the library on a Saturday morning.

Park City Library will host other Love Your Library activities through the week.

Since Mayor Andy Beerman’s State of the City speech is on Tuesday, Feb. 12, the library will host a pie luck, instead of a pot luck, Lael said.

Storymine Live, a free storytelling event, will start at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13.

“People can come prepared to share a five-minute story about a library experience or they can come prepared to hear these stories,” Lael said.

The event is presented by Park City Improv, Park City Toastmasters and KPCW.

“Park City Improv will also do a library-themed performance before the stories,” Lael said.

The library and Park City Film will introduce a new program called Art on Screen on Thursday, Feb. 14.

The screenings for this program will feature visual and performing arts in a film format, according to Lael.

The first film, which will start at 7 p.m., will be Thomas Riedelsheimer’s “Leaning Into the Wind,” a documentary about visual artist Andy Goldworthy, who is known for his installations made from natural materials that are inspired by time.

Park City Library will show appreciation to its patrons all day on Friday, Feb. 15, Lael said.

“We’re going to serve free cookies and give away lots and lots of books,” she said. “Those books will include bestsellers, staff recommendations and children’s books. And people can stop by all day.”

Lael looks forward to Love Your Library Week because she and her fellow staff members enjoy serving the community.

“We have a great library in Park City, and as librarians we try to be really responsive to the community and purchase items we think the community will like and bring everyone together,” she said.

Compton concurs with Lael’s sentiment.

“We’re so grateful to live in a country where we can have access to any information we want, and we are blessed to have a place in our community,” he said. “Even if I wasn’t a librarian, I would still feel it’s pretty awesome to have them. I’ve used libraries all my life, and it’s great to celebrate them.”

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