Hastings Memorial Library highlights a year of learning, outreach and community connection
BY BECKY UEHLING
GRANT TRIBUNE
Hastings Memorial Library Director Robin Quinn recently presented the library’s 2025 Annual Report to members of the Grant City Council, highlighting how the library continues to be a welcoming, vital hub of learning in the county for all ages.
2025 Annual Report Overview
Through both in-person and digital services, the library continued to serve residents young and old over the last year. Many of the library’s highlighted programs have been part of the library for years, while new ideas were also added to the mix. All of library’s programing, however, was done in a fiscally responsible manner, Quinn reported.
Programming and Events
According to the report, the library hosted 157 programs, drawing a total attendance of 1,622 during 2025. The library’s most popular program continues to be the annual Summer Reading Program, which encourages children and families to keep reading and learning even when school is out.
The 2025 theme, “Level Up at Your Library,” kicked off on May 30 with a community event at Grant City Park. More than 70 people attended the celebration, enjoying hot dogs, chips, popsicles, games, sidewalk chalk, and time to socialize. During the event, families picked up summer registration packets.
Weekly summer programming began June 3 and continued throughout the month. Each week, the library offered four regular programs targeted to different age groups: Toddler Time, Preschool Storytime, K–1 programs, and 2–6 programs. In addition, the library held a summer session of its Lego Club. Over the month of June, staff presented 17 separate programs, with a combined attendance of 197.
The Reading Challenge portion of the Summer Reading Program also began the first week of June. Younger children participated in “Duck, Duck, Read!” logging their reading minutes to earn a new rubber duck each week, with older youth participating in the “Reading Dragons” challenge, tracking their reading to collect sets of dragon trading cards. For every two weeks of completed reading, participants also received 3D-printed dragons created on the library’s own 3D printers.
Altogether, 98 children took part in Summer Reading, with 58 participating in the Reading Challenge. The library recorded its highest-ever completion rate for the challenge, with 32 percent of participants reading for four or more weeks. Staff say that milestone reflects not only the enthusiasm of young readers, but also strong support from families and caregivers who encourage reading at home.
Throughout the year, the library also celebrated several national library observances. In October, Hastings Memorial Library recognized Banned Books Week, and in September, the library promoted National Library Card Sign-Up Month.
In April, the library marked National Library Week, and hosted several events, including an after-school board game and puzzle day, and a Library Open House. There was also the “Library at the Lot” day with the Book Bike coming to the lot by Blume where participants took part in music, sidewalk chalk, popsicles, and books ready for checkout. The week concluded with the 4th Annual Friends of the Library Puzzle Tournament at the Senior Center, where 29 youth and 25 adults competed for “top puzzler”.
Taking the Library Into the Community
The Annual Report highlighted many of the library’s efforts extend beyond its physical walls. Outreach is a key way Hastings Memorial Library connects with residents who might not otherwise visit the building, making it easier for them to discover and use library resources, Quinn said.
This past year, the library once again participated in the downtown Trick-or-Treat Street event, handing out candy and information about library services to around 400 children and their families. In April, staff partnered with Perkins County Elementary for a Book Bingo night. The library set up a table with details about literacy and library programs and donated prize books to be given away during the event.
In May, Quinn attended a Grant Rotary meeting to update members on what’s happening at the library and how community partners can support its mission. That same month, library staff member Val Foster took the library’s Book Bike on the annual Bike Ride Around Grant (BRAG) event, bringing books and information directly to participants of the ride.
The back-to-school season in August provided another opportunity for outreach, as Foster and library staff member Jaralyn Forney attended PCS Elementary’s Back to School Night to share library information with students and families. In September, the library hosted eight Perkins County High School seniors during a community service day. The students swept sidewalks, pulled weeds, picked up trash, and even washed the library’s exterior windows.
The report stated these outreach efforts do more than advertise services—they help the library listen closely to residents’ needs.
Public Services, Digital Access, and a Strong Return on Investment
In addition to its books and media, Hastings Memorial Library offers a wide range of public services including computer access and free Wi-Fi, scanning, photocopying, faxing, test proctoring, and one-on-one technology and research assistance. Over the past year, the library’s copy machine produced 2,167 copies for patrons, and staff helped send 59 faxes.
Recognizing the importance of online access, staff invested time in overhauling the library’s website to make it more user-friendly and informative. The redesigned site features clear drop-down menus linking users to youth and adult programs, a detailed services section (including information about the library’s makerspace), and digital resources such as Libby eBooks and audiobooks, the Aspen catalog, and the Perkins County Newspaper Archive.
One major enhancement to the library’s digital offerings is a full New York Times: All Access subscription. Through a group purchase arranged by the Nebraska Library Commission, Hastings Memorial Library is able to provide patrons with daily 24-hour access codes—at a cost to the library of just $50 per year. With those codes, patrons can read news articles, explore sports coverage, check product reviews, browse recipes, and enjoy popular games like Wordle, all at no additional charge.
Another achievement for the library in 2025 was the successful launch of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library in Perkins County. Introduced in October with an initial goal of enrolling 75 children, the program has already reached 79 active participants, with six children having “graduated” after aging out. That brings the total number of children served so far to 85. Each enrolled child receives a high-quality, age-appropriate book in the mail every month from birth to age five. The program is fully funded by the Hastings Memorial Library Foundation and administered by library staff, with start-up funding provided by Midwest Electric and Highline Electric, and matching support from CoBank and Basin Electric.
Although many of the library’s benefits are difficult to measure, the Nebraska Library Commission has helped provide a Return on Investment (ROI) report of some of the library’s real value to tax payers. Using 2024 statistics, the Commission calculated an ROI for libraries based on what it would cost individuals to purchase or pay for services that the library provides for free. These are as follows:
• Population of legal service area (population served): 1,136
• Total operating revenue (cost to taxpayers): $133,236
• Total amount that residents would spend without a library: $367,011
• Total Savings: $233,772
• Average annual cost per resident: $117
Other Statistics
In 2025, the library saw the following statistics:
• 25,591 Books Borrowed (physical and digital);
• 895 Information queries answered;
• 12,500 Individual library visits;
• 1,584 current cardholders;
• 68 Patrons added;
• 5 Patrons removed;
• 1,623 Total 2025 attendance;
• 15,064 Print books in collection;
• 717 Items added in 2025;
• 542 Items removed in 2025;
• 73,008 Items in digital collection;
• 648 Digital cardholders;
• 470 Uses of the library’s computers.
Continuing Education For Staff
To maintain accreditation with the Nebraska Library Commission, library staff must become certified librarians and complete 45 hours of continuing education every three years through the Commission’s Library Certification Program, which was highlighted in the report.
In 2025, staff members took advantage of multiple training opportunities to meet those requirements. In February, they participated in the Colorado Library Consortium’s two-day Virtual Winter Workshop, which covered topics such as community engagement, technology trends, and innovative programming ideas. Staff also attended the Nebraska Library Commission’s Big Talk for Small Libraries conference, an event specifically designed for small and rural libraries.
In May, staff members Quinn and Foster traveled to North Platte for an ESU 16 workshop focused on early literacy. They attended with several staff members from Perkins County Schools, spending the day exploring ways to encourage literacy practices at home and coordinate efforts between schools and the public library. According to the report, the workshop provided extensive discussion and brainstorming, leading to the formation of a literacy committee with PCS staff to help both institutions work together more intentionally to support young readers and their families.
Professional development continued into the summer as library staff attended the United for Libraries Virtual Conference in July. Each day of the conference focused on a different group of library supporters—trustees, foundations, and friends’ groups—highlighting how each can contribute to a successful library.
While in-person conferences and workshops remain invaluable, staff say virtual events have opened new doors. Online sessions allow them to connect with colleagues across the country, gather new ideas, and stay on top of emerging trends in the library profession without the time and expense of travel. Many of these events also recorded their sessions and made them available on-demand, enabling staff to watch additional presentations as their schedules allowed.
A Successful Year
Quinn said this past year’s work reflects the clear mission of the library to expand access to information and services, support ongoing education, foster economic opportunity, and strengthen civic engagement across the community, and they are excited to see what successes the new year will bring.
Members of the library’s Board of Trustees include the following: Alecia Einspahr, Max Jones, Madison Kemling, Penny Lee and Jessica Tenney.
Note: AI was used in some compilation of this article, with final editing and oversight provided by Correspondent Becky Uehling.