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Dear Sun Prairie Community,
As we reflect on 2024, it's clear that this has been a year of remarkable progress and transformation for the Sun Prairie Public Library (SPPL). Since our groundbreaking ceremony on June 11, the expansion of the library has visibly taken shape. The new addition and atrium are now fully enclosed, allowing the expansion work to continue throughout the winter months. We deeply appreciate your understanding as we've adjusted our hours to accommodate the necessary, albeit sometimes disruptive, construction activities.
Despite the bustling construction, our dedicated SPPL staff have continued to provide the essential services you rely on. From establishing library card accounts to managing check-outs and check-ins, room reservations, holds, collection development, reference and technology assistance, readers’ advisory, community outreach, and program planning and presenting, our commitment to you remains unwavering.
This year, our summer reading program was a resounding success, with 3,646 children, teens, and adults participating. In the fall, 110 adults took part in our Fall Reading program. Sun Prairie truly values reading, and we are proud to support literacy as a civil right and a key determinant to overall health and well-being. Our library hosts multiple book clubs and storytimes each month, offers a growing collection of book club kits, and provides access to over 380,000 physical and digital books and audiobooks. We are dedicated to fostering a culture of reading, literacy, and lifelong learning, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Our outreach efforts have extended library services beyond our walls, with weekly Dream Bus stops and monthly visits to Headstart and senior apartments. We are proud to partner with numerous community organizations, including the Sun Prairie Area School District, Sunshine Place, Community Schools, Neighborhood Navigators, and fellow City of Sun Prairie Departments. A special highlight this year was our new partnership with Healing Hearts Family Counseling Center, bringing joy to patrons with visits from Patton, the therapy dog.
In 2024, we also made a strong commitment to sustainability. We were honored to be recognized as a Dane County Climate Champion, earning three stars in the building design category for our all-electric facility design. We joined the Sustainable Libraries Initiative and worked closely with the City’s Sustainability Coordinator on educational programming and sustainable practices.
Our success is bolstered by the incredible support from the Friends of the Sun Prairie Public Library and the Sun Prairie Public Library Foundation. In addition to raising $3.5M for the capital campaign, funding from the Foundation enabled a wide range of programs and services including, Dungeons & Dragons for teens, Winter Craft Workshops for youth and families, additional Dream Bus visits, Kanopy digital video streaming, Youth Summer Library Program marketing support, adult Spanish and English Language Learner Classes, Urban SUN: Black Voices Book Club, author visits, and artists workshops. Funding from The Friends of the Library supported the singer/songwriter series and other live music events, the youth summer library program kick-off event, Zoozort, the December Yule Ball, specialty bags for book club kits, and memory kits to support patrons with memory loss and their caregivers. We were especially excited about our first-ever Puzzle-a-thon, co-sponsored by the Friends and Foundation, which has led to a monthly multi-generational Puzzle Club.
Looking ahead to 2025, construction will continue, and we anticipate some temporary reductions in programming and service levels. However, we are excited about the new spaces and opportunities that will emerge from this transformation. We appreciate your patience and look forward to unveiling a full calendar of events once the expansion and renovation are complete in 2026.
Throughout this journey, our commitment to reaching residents outside our library walls remains strong. We will continue our visits to schools, Dream Bus stops, and senior apartments, and we are excited to introduce a new home delivery service. Our staff will also engage in professional development to bring innovative and impactful services to our community.
The heart of the Sun Prairie Public Library is our community. As we grow together, the library will continue to evolve as a place for discovery, creation, connection, and reflection. I am grateful to be on this exciting journey with such talented colleagues and supportive partners. We couldn’t achieve this without the advocacy and support from our Library Board, Library Foundation, Friends of the Library, and our elected City officials. Most importantly, we couldn’t do this without you, our valued patrons.
On behalf of the entire SPPL staff and board, I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Here’s to an exciting 2025!
With gratitude,
Svetha Hetzler
Sun Prairie Public Library Director