2020-2021 Annual Report

Mission: The library connects people to each other and the world, serving as the cornerstone of our community by providing access to information, technology, and cultural enrichment for a lifetime of learning and enjoyment.

Improving

Your Parkland Community Library provides our community with access to technology and educational resources that broaden our horizons and connect us to the world. One person’s charitable giving can positively impact more people than a supporter may ever realize. Please consider how the library has impacted you and your family’s lives, and donate today.

Community Partners

Thank you for your ongoing support!

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The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center

Adult Services partnered with The Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center for Mammograms Can Be a Lifesaver in June 2021 and a Flu Shot Clinic in November 2021. We also adopted their Clean Air Policy. 

Luther Crest and Country Meadows

Additionally, we continued our partnership with Luther Crest and Country Meadows by offering monthly programs virtually and offsite.

Keystone Canna Remedies

In September 2020, we partnered with Keystone Canna Remedies to share information on the uses and effects of medical marijuana. 

PA MEDI

Our ongoing Medicare Counseling appointments are made possible by PA MEDI. 

Youth Services

Youth Services partnered with local township agencies and emergency services to offer free community programs, including our annual Touch-A-Truck event.

Additionally, Youth Services librarians led regular enrichment programs at the Jewish Day School of the Lehigh Valley during the school year.

Parkland CARES Food Pantry

Parkland Community Library coordinated with Parkland CARES Food Pantry to distribute bi-weekly Snack Packs to Parkland School District students this past summer. We continue to be a food donation site.

Notes from our patrons

We are so thankful for your kind words!

Thank you for hosting tonight’s stories. My daughters, Brooke, Taylor and Lindsay, really enjoyed the stories. I listened in too and really enjoyed them as well. Karen is a fabulous story teller.

Kim L.

Teen Creepy Campfire Stories and S’mores

Thank you so much for running this program. It keeps the entire family reading and doing things together. I still have hopes we will make a fairy house…

Iris

Summer Quest email note

I just visited the new reopening of the @parklandcommlib! 2020 has been a difficult year for all of us, but 2021 brings new hope to Lehigh. The renovations look AMAZING, and I’m so happy to renew my library card! If it was up to me, I would give EVERY library a $1B budget!

Mark P.

Continuing to serve the community during a pandemic

2021 brought us new challenges and solutions as we continued to support the community in terms of programming and resources during these difficult times. The library has been open to the public for browsing in person since April 26, 2021, and we continue to offer curbside pickup for patrons who prefer to browse online. Our staff found creative and flexible solutions to continue offering community programming by hosting programs outdoors, indoors, virtually, in-person, and hybrid. These past months, we expanded our existing digital eBook and eAudiobook collections that patrons could access from home.  We continued to offer popular Take-and-Make craft kits to kids, teens, and adults that could be completed safely and conveniently at home.

Welcome Back to Walbert Avenue!

The 2020-2021 expansion provided Parkland Community Library with additional and improved space for library programs with the capability to enlarge meeting rooms to bring our community together. In an ever-changing world of information, the Parkland Community Library plays an increasingly vital role in the lives of those who live and work in the community. Library usage has grown and changed significantly in recent years. People visit the library for meeting space and collaborative work as much as they do for access to materials. More than just renovating outdated and underutilized spaces, the project adapted physical areas in the library to the changing needs of users, including more parking added to the front and side of the building, seating, new carpeting and paint, and access to technology throughout. The renovation also enlarged the porch, created a new Children’s wing with play space for our youngest patrons, and transformed the landscape with patio space and native plant gardens for a welcoming exterior. This expansion also provided the volunteer group The Friends of the Library with a new bookstore and storage. In addition to our renovation, Parkland Community Library introduced the first public library self-checkout system in the Lehigh Valley.

Facts at a Glance

2020-2021 Statistics – During Covid-19 and construction, the library was still able to offer services.

The Library

Items Borrowed: 107,745
Number of Visitors: 12,761

Volunteers

Number of Volunteers: 23
Logged Hours: 332

Cardholders

Number of Adults: 11,944
Number of Children & Teens: 5,072
Number of My First Library Holders: 89

Materials

Number of items in the Collection: 91,979

Tech by Numbers

Public Computer Hours: 502
Unique WiFi users: 615

Digital Resources

Number of Digital Resources: 14
Usage of digital resources: 36,556

Reference Questions Answered

5,510

Programs

In-person program attendance: 232
Virtual program attendance: 8,460

Summer Quest Reading Participants

470 Children ⧫ 49 Teens ⧫ 134 Adults

Financials & Revenue

We receive our revenue through our dedicated library tax and from the state. Your donation helps too!

Donate Today

“I’m sending a quick note to say I have been enjoying the weekly eNewsletter even more than usual during the shutdown. The addition of the pet bios and including notes from the librarians about what they are reading is a nice touch along with all the other items.”

-Sue S., PCL Patron