April 6th through the 12th, 2025, is National Library Week, and this year’s theme is ‘Drawn to the Library’. National Library Week is a time to celebrate libraries and all they do for the community. This week, we are focusing on The Arts and how we encourage patrons and staff to enjoy creativity in many different ways. Our collection, including the Harvey Dodd Art Room, has many art books and electronic resources, from DIY and crafting books to biographies and criticism of famous and contemporary artists. In addition, our creative staff have recently started several annual traditions to showcase our talents.
The Harvey Dodd Art Room was dedicated in 2004, two years after Dodd passed away and left your library $500,000 to support our art collection. He “wanted everyone to enjoy the library as much as he did” and requested this money help us supplement the art collection, as well as other ‘wish list’ items not covered in the budget” (Union Leader, May 8, 2004). This fund is still a huge help to your library to this day and provides you with many resources we might not have otherwise been able to purchase. The Art Room, located on the second floor of the library, is supplemented by a collection of reference books donated by antique experts George and Elizabeth Michael from Merrimack, so “the public could use them for research” (Kepple, November13, 2003). These resources are showcased in a display case outside the Art Room. This display rotates topics month, so stop by frequently to see the new theme!
Further down the hall, we have two racks of framed prints to browse and check out. These pieces check out for 60 days at a time and can help brighten up a room in your home or office space. One of our most popular adult programs has been crafted by librarian Yvonne Loomis, the take-and-make crafts, which comes out every other month. The West branch also has a popular quarterly adult craft kit. The children and teen departments have similar monthly kits, as well as a teen craft night and several craft programs for kids of different ages. Another popular program is the ‘Culturally Curious’ series by Art Historian and Educator Jane O’Neail. These virtual presentations cover a range of interesting topics and themes from art history. The Art Room has many instructional and how-to books. If you’re looking for video instruction, Craftsy on Hoopla offers a collection of classes on sewing and knitting. Hoopla also offers access to graphic novels to supplement our print graphic novel collection, which is divided into three age groups. Also check out our craft database, Creativebug, for more inspiration. We also offer museum passes for discounted tickets to the Currier Museum, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There are many ways to learn about and explore the arts at your library!
This year’s Summer Reading Program (SRP) theme is ‘Color Your World’ and staff are already hard at work putting together fun and interesting programs for patrons of all ages. The SRP runs from June 23 through August 23, 2025, and participants will be encouraged to explore the arts through fun challenges and reading lists. In recent years, library staff have organized a staff art show in the summer and decorated pumpkin contest in the fall. The staff art show was first organized by artist and library employee Andrew Freshour in 2022 and runs for about two months in the summer. There are many talented and creative staff members in your library, and we don’t always get to show off these skills. The decorated pumpkin contest is organized by library employee Susanna Magdziarz in 2021. Each year, staff get more creative in designing unique pumpkins! Patrons have the month of October to vote on their favorite one, and the winner is announced on Halloween. Keep an eye out for all three of these upcoming events!
The arts are so important to our lives, beyond just entertainment or distraction, and can be found in almost every aspect of life. We invite you to join us in appreciating The Arts, not just the week of National Library Week, but whenever possible. Whether that be with a trip to the Currier with discounted passes, grabbing the latest craft kit, or just checking out a book on your new favorite artist, your library is here to support the arts and your desire to learn, explore, and experience them.
- References:
- “City library Art Room to be dedicated to Harvey Dodd.” New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, NH), May 8, 2004: B1CI. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/1027F06CA5E6BC27.
- Union Leader Staff, BENJAMIN KEPPLE. “Antiques expert, wife donate book collection to city library.” New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, NH), November 13, 2003: B1. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0FED4B5270489940.
- Union Leader Staff, KATHARINE McQUAID. “Retired business editor leaves library $500,000.” New Hampshire Union Leader (Manchester, NH), April 16, 2002: A1. NewsBank: Access World News. https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/0F544F7D5A0C938A.
