If you see Judy Klepfer at the Brookfield Branch Library of the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, she probably has a smile on her face.
It’s a response to the friendly greeting she gets when she walks through the door.
“They make a point to greet you by your first name,” said Klepfer, of Vienna. “I’m always welcomed. They’re always helpful.”
Klepfer visited the library on April 10 during an open house hosted by the Friends of the Brookfield Library for National Library Week. She often comes to look for a new cowboy romance or Janet Evanovich novel.
“It’s convenient,” she said.
Convenience is one reason the library recently implemented an automatic renewal program that covers most loaned materials, said Brookfield Branch Manager Deborah Mosora. The library will renew certain materials up to three times without levying fines, an attempt to be more user-friendly. In the past, patrons had to physically renew a book or movie, online or in-person.
“It really helps us out, especially for people who forget to bring their stuff back,” Mosora said.
At the open house, the Friends offered cookies and punch and typically would have sold tickets for its lottery fundraiser. This year, they didn’t have any left, said President Margaret Dudt.
“This is the first year all the tickets were gone,” she said.
The Friends uses the funds to support library programs and buy new materials, and works closely with Children’s Librarian Nicole Bowden.
“Nicole asked for a number of things,” Dudt said. “She wanted a new white board. We do their Easter egg hunt.”
The Friends supply the prizes for the Summer Reading Program, which opens May 28 for children, teens and adults.
The library holds a number of special programs as part of the Summer Reading Program, and this year visitors can look forward to a painting program with Don Gold, an award-winning teacher of art to senior citizens; Felger Exotic Animals; Cirque du Papier from origami artist Michael Roy; and a NASA ambassador program, Mosora said.
Amy Reeher from Trumbull County Soil and Water Conservation District will continue her series of talks on the area’s wildlife, with programs on eagles and ospreys in July and coyotes in August.
Here are the library’s programs for May:
- Stars Wars Party: May the Fourth be With You, 2 p.m. May 4, with games and crafts for all ages. Costumes are encouraged.
- Preschool Storytime, 1 p.m. May 7.
- Taste Testers, a program of challenges for students in grades seven through 12, 6 p.m. May 8. Registration required.
- Worm composting with Ohio State University Extension Master Gardener Genevieve Germaniuk, 2 p.m. May 11.
- Preschool STEAM Club, 1 p.m. May 24. Registration required.
- Parachute Party for children ages 3 to 5, 1 p.m. May 28. Registration required.
Information and registration: 330-448-8134.
