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Library plans for Halloween with new staff

Date: 9/18/2019

SOUTHWICK – While its staff is in transition, the Southwick Library still offers plenty of events and rentals to the Southwick community.

Since July the library hired three new staff members; a new children’s librarian, a new assistant director and a new director. Library Director Lynn Blair  said she previously worked at the library in 2014 before returning in July.

Blair said the transition between directors and staff has been a smooth one. “Everyone has been helpful while we’ve transitioned into these new positions. We’ve been a little short but everyone is helping out,” she said.

While they are transitioning, the staff is excited for the new hires to start.

“I’m hoping they can get started soon, we’re very excited to have a full staff again,” Blair said.

Despite being short-staffed, the Southwick library is still planning various events throughout the next month and a half, including the library’s popular Cookbook Club meeting that takes place every fourth Tuesday of the month.

“Every month we pick a different cookbook and everyone chooses a recipe to make one serving size off so everybody gets to taste each dish,” Blair said. She added that the club has about 20 members that participate each month.

The library will also be spicing things up for the Halloween season with several horror themed events throughout October. Starting on Oct. 7, the library is hosting local horror author Michael Aloisi and the Friends of the Library invited a guest speaker to give a presentation about some of Massachusetts’ serial killers on Oct. 9.

To offset the grim horror of the Halloween events, the library will also be starting the festivities for the holiday season early when it hosts an adult arts and crafts event for making wreaths on Oct. 29.

The library offers plenty of activities for children after school and Blair said they are looking to add even more programs once the new children’s librarian starts. Currently the library offers activities after school because of its location in between the high school and middle school. One such activity is the teen lounge. Blair explained that teens come after school and hang out at the library and can use a Wii the library owns.

Blair said that adding another children’s librarian would be beneficial because it would allow them to schedule activities during nights and weekends.

However, the Southwick library doesn’t just offer rentals for books. The library also offers home improvement equipment, such as a sander, or items for fun, including an ice cream machine.