OWE
HOWE LIBRARY
Annual Report FY22 | HOWE LIBRARY CORPORATION
BOARD CHAIR’S REPORT
Vital Community Resource Learning. Literacy. Community. These three terms represent critically important values and goals of the Howe Library and the Howe Library Corporation. Over the past year, the library’s patrons, staff, town leadership, Corporation members, and supporters have come together to sustain and strengthen the Howe as a vital community resource. Library programs have inspired families and engaged seniors in poetry, science, and public issues. New books and digital resources have opened hearts and minds. The Summer Reading Program introduced children to Oceans of Possibilities — our 2022 theme — playing a key role in year-round learning for the young people in our community. Despite the challenges of operating during the continuing pandemic, the important work of the library moved forward thanks to our talented staff and library leadership.
Jennifer Rickards Chair, Board of Trustees
DIRECTOR’S REPORT
Partner, Innovate, Thrive Rubi Simon Director, Howe Library
The Howe Library is woven deeply into the fabric of our community — and that strength is due to the many individuals who participate in and connect with the library. On behalf of the Board of the Howe Library Corporation, thank you for your role in making the Howe Library a true community organization. With this report, I invite you to read carefully and share our pride in a successful year.
The library had an exciting year of partnerships, collaborations, and new innovations. Our programs took us outdoors, indoors, and online. Howe staff worked tirelessly to find new and creative ways to meet community needs as we continue to maneuver through uncertainty. This year, thanks to an ARPA grant awarded through the New Hampshire State Library, our staff installed our very own Zoom room in one of the library’s meeting rooms. This new technology platform allows large groups to participate in both virtual and in-person programming. Thanks to this grant, the Howe was also able to collaborate with community organizations such as Northern Stage and CATV to create new and imaginative hybrid programming in which we held panel discussions with actors and technical artists. We were also able to offer more author talks beyond the library walls. Another exciting collaboration was our partnership with Red Kite Candy and Hanover Parks & Recreation for our summer series, Picnics in the Park. We offered outdoor programming for all ages ranging from magicians, puppet shows, and the ever-impressive Taiko Drummers. Red Kite even made our very own Howe Library ice cream flavor for the summer. We offered music in the library — bringing in world renowned classical musicians — that made the library feel alive, bringing back our pre-pandemic energy. As for our collections, we continue to offer a broad array of online resources that so many of us depended on through the pandemic. Hoopla, Kanopy, and Libby continue to be popular and important resources for the community in addition to our rich and extensive print collection. We are very grateful to see everyone come through our doors again. We look forward to all the new and exciting initiatives coming this year that could not be done without your generous support.