Director's message - Spring 2026

Spring is on the way. For me, this means it’s time to check out an armload of gardening books!

Although we’ve lived in our Worthington house for three years, our yard is a constant work in progress. I am excited to start adding new plants to my flower beds. The books I have checked out from the Library have helped me learn so much about what will grow in central Ohio and which plants will most benefit the environment.

Gardener or not, if you have a hobby or special interest, this is a reminder that the Library is a great place to begin or continue your journey. And, until the end of March, the more books you check out, the more opportunities you have to win!

Our Read for the Gold challenge continues until March 31, and each time you check out five books, you can enter a drawing to receive a gift basket. There are four baskets available at each library (each designated for a specific age group). Winners will be selected and notified in early April.

We are hoping Read for the Gold and other initiatives planned throughout the year bring people back to browsing the library stacks. Recent studies have found reading for pleasure has declined significantly in the United States, dropping about 40 percent over the last 10 years. Researchers speculate the loss of reading time could be attributed to social media, screen use in general and economic pressure (more time spent at work and less on leisure activities). The researchers also found that, while more than 20 percent of people surveyed had a child under nine years old, only two percent of those surveyed read with a child.

These are concerning trends for a variety of reasons. Reading with children is proven to have a positive impact on their emotional, social and educational development. Reading fiction, in particular, builds the capacity for empathy and expands critical thinking skills (true for all ages!). The power of stories is real, and you have access to thousands at your library.

Browsing the stacks is a quintessential library experience. We want people to experience the joy of discovery, the leisure of perusing the stacks, the unabashed desire to judge a book by its cover and take it home! By reconnecting people to the Library in this most fundamental way, we hope to rekindle a love of reading and increase community connections, understanding and empathy. All you need is a library card, so come on in and leave with a stack of your own!