The County Library Card Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello and welcome to the county where we examine issues important to Baltimore County, Maryland. I'm your host for this episode, bill Baker. I'm joined by Emily Williamson, communications and media relations supervisor for the Baltimore County Public Library. Thanks for joining us. 
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Thanks so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
BCPL recently reopened the Catonsville branch after a massive $7 million renovation that took over a year and a half to complete. The turnout for the reopening was impressive, to say the least. It was like hundreds of people streaming through the doors. It was crazy. So what are some of the one of a kind features of this new branch?
Speaker 2 (00:42):
So we loved the turnout. It was amazing. We're glad that Catonsville people were excited to be there. Uh, we actually have this crazy stat, 1700 people walk through the doors on the first day. Insane. 
Speaker 1 (00:54):
That’s so many. 
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Yes, and so we couldn't be happier. It was stayed packed all weekend ca still so excited for it to be reopened and so are we. So when it comes to some of the new things that we have, of course there's a lot behind the scenes that people can't see. So we gave like new sewer, new hvac, new carpeting, things like that. Um, so you might not think of, but they're so important. All new lighting, if you go in, you know, used to have the, the older yellow lighting, now it's bright and just all the windows. It's incredible. And then when you get into some of the amenities, we have a brand new teen space before they kind of were like shoved over in a corner. Now they have their own space where they can be loud if they want to. They can play video games, they can hang out with friends.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Our children's section is totally redone. Of course there's books, but people don't just come for the library for books. So we now have tables. We have um, just different play things, things like that that they can do. And then of course we have our state-of-the-art recording studios and mixing booths. We have two of them and they have all state-of-the-art equipment. We have somebody who is dedicated to working with people who want to use it. And I think it's going to be such an amazing resource for the community. So we know a lot of people have been asking about it because it is so new and it is technical equipment. We're actually going to be doing training things. So at first we're going to be offering a couple of large programs for people where they can come in, they can learn about it, and then you have to have a one hour course where you can kind of learn more in depth about it. And then after that you're able to book by appointment. You'll have it for an hour. You'll have, uh, Chris at your disposal to able to use. But really it's, it's your space. It's your time to use the equipment, you know, how you see fit, whether that's music, podcasts, poetry, whatever it is that you want to do.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
That's amazing. It's such a great space. So you said Chris, is he an engineer that's going to teach people how to use the equipment? So
Speaker 2 (02:45):
He is specialized in how to work our equipment. And so he's going to kind of walk you through like, okay, you want to do music? This is the program we're going to use. This is how you use the recording mic. This is the way that you can mix these things together. But then again, like we said, it, it's kind of on your own. He's there, but he's not, you're not recording and he's editing. You're really get hands on doing it yourself.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Some branches are going to be open seven days a week again.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yes. So now through May 18th, 2025, we have seven branches that are now going to be open seven days a week. So they're our ISTs, Cockeysville, north Point, Owings Mills, Perry Hall, Pikesville, and Towson. And it's the same seven we opened last year on Sundays for the first time post pandemic. It's the same seven. So if you remember that, uh, it's the same seven. And the, the reason that we picked those is because pre pandemic levels, those were the communities that really used them the most. As well as things like ample parking. Um, and we spread them out across the county so that there's at least one branch open somewhere near your community. And it's such a great resource to be open seven days a week. Not only are we a weather security area, we're also temperature controlled, which is so important. So when it gets hot, you can come in seven days a week to cool off when it's going to get really cold in the winter. Just give someone a place to be. It is really important to note that its core resources only. So it's things like checking out books or library of things items, using the computer printing, faxing, no special programs like passports, notary my librarian. So really there's core services, but it's, it's really important for the community and it just gives them a place to come and hang out on a Sunday.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Are you doing anything special for the Sunday openings?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
We are. So we are doing a campaign called Wild about Sundays. And it is to celebrate that we're opening those seven branches on Sundays from one to 5:00 PM like I said. And so now through October 27th, every Sunday to different branch there's going to be a program and it kind of all stemmed from the childhood favorite book where the Wild Things are. And we kind of just like took that and ran and we were like, we're wild about Sundays. We want our customers to be wild about Sundays. And so when we started thinking about programming, we saw that we could actually do a character appearance where a character from where the wild things are can come and meet families. And so that's two of our programs On Sundays we will have a character appearance with him. And then after that we're doing succulent giveaways. So, kind of using succulents kind of seem wild, a little bit like the forest looks like in that book.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
And so, there's going to be succulent giveaways three weekends and then Eco Adventures are coming in with some of their wild reptiles. And so just really keeping into that theme. And we want people to come and enjoy the space and I guess have a program for them to enjoy. And of course, what is a campaign without a giveaway? So we're doing a giveaway. So if you come through and borrow any sort of physical item on one of those Sundays through October 27th, we're actually going to put your name into a raffle to do give away either we have two, One-Night Family stays at the Great Wolf Lodge and keeping that like wild theme. And it comes with things like a towel, goggles, the little wolf ears that are so popular, great Wolf Lodge. Or if that's not your thing, you can also be entered into the raffle for a wild basket. Think like a gift card to Buffalo Wild Wings. So again, just keeping it really creative and we want people to come in on Sundays and borrow those items. And as a thank you, in return you're going to be entered into one of these raffles
Speaker 1 (06:21):
To borrow any of those items, you have to have a library card. And September is library card signup month. Are you guys doing anything special for that? We
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Are. So we believe that a library card is the most important card in your wallet because we offer so many resources and they're completely free. And so we're encouraging people to sign up. And again, keeping with that wild theme that we love so much. If you sign up for a new card or if your card expired and you come to renew and pick up a new card, we are actually giving away a bookmark that has wildflower seeds in it is like a, a bookmark with the seeds in. And so when it comes time next year to plant for your garden, you just drop the bookmark in. So you'll have it through the fall in the winter, it tells you all about our Sunday hours. And then in the spring you can plant it and you'll have beautiful wildflowers to grow. 
Speaker 1 (07:08):
I love that. This summer BCPL teamed up with the USDA Summer Food Service program helping to feed kids in our communities. And with school starting, there's another program to help hungry students after school lets out, right?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Yes. So again, everything we did with the summer program, you can't learn if you don't have a full stomach. We obviously still feel that way heading into the school year. So kids are hungry at the end of the school day and so we wanted to offer that resource for them. So at seven of our branches they have afterschool snacks and again, it usually corresponds with some sort of program. So whether that's after hours, teen time where you can come play video games. Sometimes it's like a chess class, come hang out with your friends, do homework, whatever it is, and get one of those snacks. Uh, we'll have the information of what seven branches on our website, BPL info.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
Speaking of homework, I didn't know this, but students can also get homework help from the library.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
They sure can. I think this is so cool and a lot of people don't know about it. Again, the library is your community connectors, so they offer so many free resources. So there's so many things that kids don't know about, but we do offer homework help. There's actually, if you go under youth on our website, there's a whole homework, homework help page. Uh, but just a couple of those resources. We have something called Brain Fuse where you can in the afternoon live chat with a tutor. So if you have questions, you can just have a live chat with them, they'll be able to help you work through, or if they're not online during those hours, you can still submit a question and you'll get a response back within 24 hours. Something we think is really cool about that is that it comes in English and Spanish.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
So that's a really great resource. A lot of helpful information there. Something else we have is a writing kind of studio. And so you can submit a prompt whatever writing you're doing, you're gonna get it edited, they'll submit it back to you, that way you can kind of make those tweaks. And it just seems so much more personalized. I know in the world chat, GBTA lot of people are going that way, but this time you're really getting a real tutor to go through, make corrections, uh, give you some suggestions on ways to improve so you can submit your best work of writing. And then when you think of big things like the SATs, the acts that are coming up for some people, the GED, when you're studying for those big tests, we actually have Peterson Test Prep available all free with a library card to be able to help you practice for those huge tests that are coming up. It's really, it's amazing. Also something that's really cool is that any Baltimore County Public School student can use their student ID card to do some simple things. Like they can check out up to five books, eBooks, things like that. But then they can use those online resources, uh, which are really important when you're starting to do research for bigger projects.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
BCPL’s Summer Reading Challenge aims to help kids read while school's out. And that's all over 'cause they're all back in school now. But you have another one going on. What can you tell us about the Adult Reading Challenge?
Speaker 2 (09:56):
Okay, so our Adult reading challenge is back better than ever. We brought it back last year and the response was amazing. We had a lot of people being like, we want to do this, we want to read, we want to challenge. And so we brought it back last year, amazing success. So we brought it back for a second year and it's really, really easy to do. It's just a bingo card. So you can either sign up through the Bean Stack app or you can come into any of your branches and ask for the paper game board. And then it's traditional bingo. So once you get five diagonally horizontally, vertically, bring it back in and you're going to get a limited edition tote bag. So this one is red and it says be enlightened, but every year we're going to have a new tote bag. So it really is, if you miss out, you're not going to get it.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
We do have a limited supply, so you know, if you like competition, you can read kind of fast. Uh, but we just want people to have a lot of fun. We have a couple of things on our website, recommendations for books. So every block is a different thing. So everything from like Read a Romance, that's pretty easy, borrow a cookbook, especially headed into the fall season. But then there's some that are fun, like read your childhood favorite read, one that's been recommended by a friend, read one that you recommended to a friend, things like that. So don't be afraid of being like, I can't read five books in these two months. So, uh, you definitely can that it's easy to complete. I looked at the board, if I can do it, you can do it. I'm a, I'm a pretty average paced reader. Um, and so the Adult Reading Challenge runs now through October 28th.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Emily, thank you so much for being with us. Thank you for listening to this episode of the County. This episode was produced with the help from the Baltimore County Public Library Media Services. Tune in next time.







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