Ft Worth Times

In the past 12 months, the Fort Worth Public Library has experienced a lot of changes, from the opening of the Vivian J. Lincoln Library in far southwest Fort Worth to the closing of the Central Library in downtown. Some things have remained constant: a commitment to offer resources and activities to inform, educate and entertain Fort Worth residents of all ages.

How fun was found

The Library offers activities for all ages, from learning opportunities to fun programs. Residents took advantage of the many story times that focus on particular ages and stages, starting with Baby Story Times and leading into Preschool Story Times and Family Story Times in English and Spanish. From December 2022 to November 2023, the Library conducted 1,736 story times that drew 33,330 visitors.

Storybook characters Pete the Cat and Llama Llama made special appearances at a total of 12 story times to greet more than 1,751 eager fans. There were a few human special guests, too, including Fort Worth fire and police chiefs as well as firefighters and police officers. The 13 fire and police story times drew nearly 600 guests.

For teens, the one-day ABCs of Babysitting course is designed to prepare young caregivers to more safely and effectively supervise younger siblings or start their own babysitting businesses. Topics covered include diaper-changing, CPR training and best business practices. In 2023, the 12 classes at library locations across the city helped prepare more than 100 teens to be better caregivers.

Teen Robotics, which provides a fast track into the world of simple robot design and coding, found 37 fans at the six programs conducted in 2023. Both the babysitting course and robotics programs are among activities supported by the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation, which directs donations from the community to enhance the library’s offerings.

Join the club

Of the 20 in-person book clubs for adults hosted by Fort Worth libraries, a total of 1,029 people attended 142 meetings in the past year after having read a combined total of 145 books. In Fort Worth, casual book clubs promote fellowship among readers who enjoy reading a particular genre and discussing what they took away from a particular story.

The Stay at Home Book Club, a Facebook group that launched out of necessity during the pandemic, has continued to grow and thrive with 1,162 members, an addition of 78 participants this year. Club members vote on a book from a selection of titles with unlimited digital checkouts and then discuss it online. The club caters to avid readers who may be too busy to attend in-person meetings but still crave to be part of a community of readers. Members read 16 books this year and the club has read 67 books since its inception.

Two other virtual adult programs continue to thrive post-pandemic as well. The long-running What Fort Worth Reads is a weekly livestream on Instagram featuring Fort Worth librarians who discuss popular book titles. There were 1,055 people who tuned in live each week. A more trivial pursuit is Tuesday Night Trivia, which drew 664 people to test their knowledge with fellow online fact-heads.

The place for lifelong learning

The Fort Worth Public Library’s free computer classes saw 1,135 people attend the 683 classes offered in 2023, ranging from a focus on a particular skill or software and also general computer use.

For Spanish-speakers pursuing their high school equivalency certificate, dedicated library teachers offer a free online program to prepare them for the four tests required to earn it. There were 182 classes and programs offered with a total of 2,504 attending – an average of 14 students per class.

Adults whose first language is anything other than English have enjoyed casual, conversational classes that help them practice their English-speaking skills. The total of 480 classes offered at locations across the city saw 6,039 people participate.

For people who want to become U.S. citizens, a new Civics for Citizenship course helps prepare them to take their citizenship exam. Launched this past April at just two locations, more than 232 people have attended the classes this year.

A new initiative for people who want to learn to speak Spanish was launched at two locations in September, with plans to expand. There were 167 people who attended those in the past few months.

A library of things

The Library has offered musical instruments and a host of kits to check out and take home. In 2023, non-book items added for checkout included a GPS unit, karaoke machine and metal detector for adults. Teens could check out resources through ABCs of Babysitting kits with similar resources to the one-day classes offered in the past year. New kits for children include backpacks to support the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten initiative and Libros escolares de Mexico kits featuring books provided by the Mexican Consulate.

What Fort Worth is reading

Library cardholders clearly love to read. In the past 12 months, they checked out and took home more than 1.7 million printed books.

Original source can be found here.