By MADDY VITALE
The Ocean City Free Public Library is not only popular among families during the summer for its in-person and virtual programming, events, activities and lots of books in all forms, but year-round.
And that is why the staff for the children’s section of the library has grown, explained Library Director Karen Mahar during Tuesday’s OCFPL Board of Trustees meeting.
She noted that the numbers have “exceeded” the busy times in the kids’ section prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in 2019.
“This summer there were 66 programs with 3,000 attendees,” Mahar said, noting that Children’s Librarian Taimi Kelley continues to work hard to make the section exciting for children and their families.
“Taimi is innovative and keeps adding to it,” Mahar said of the programming.
Because of the growing popularity of the children’s section, Mahar said that there was a need for an additional part-time library associate to fill a need.
That will bring the number of staff in the section to Kelley and two part-time library associates, she said.
“It will help us to have coverage over the weekends and evenings,” Mahar said, adding that currently, sometimes at night, there aren’t librarians designated specifically to the children’s section. “We get very busy.”
She said that the new librarian could also assist when Kelley goes to the preschools or the city-run children’s programming in the Community Center.
Along with providing more staff to assist patrons, the library is also increasing its ways to receive information about all that the library has to offer.
An employee created a brochure this month for patrons to take.
Mahar said the new brochures are loaded with information about activities, events, programming and resources. And it is all in one, easy-to-read pamphlet.
“This is the first month of it in a brochure form,” Mahar added. “It is a great pick-up and go brochure.”
In other matters, OCFPL Board of Trustees President Jennifer Shirk spoke on behalf of the Friends and Volunteers of the OCFPL.
The Friends and Volunteers hosted an author’s tea at the Flanders Hotel last week featuring best-selling author Pam Jenoff.
“She was very impressive. She was definitely worth the wait. It was a great event with 310 people — a big crowd,” Shirk noted.
Shirk was recently named one of the recipients of the 2023 Women of Wonder. The award is given by the Atlantic Cape Community College Foundation and the Cape May County Women’s Commission.
Shirk will be honored at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 2, with the other recipients.
“Yours truly, is following in the footsteps of the library director,” Shirk said. “I will be a Women of Wonder recipient.”
Mahar received the same honor in 2019.
Shirk, of Ocean City, is a pharmacist, best-selling romance novel writer and has been on the Library Board of Trustees since 2012.
Shirk is married to Jeff Shirk and they have a daughter, Juliette. She said that she believes she was one of the recipients selected because of her volunteerism with the library, as well as the Ocean City Education Foundation.
“I was recognized because of my work with the library and science background and as an author, but primarily because of the library,” she said.
In other matters, Mahar told the board that she is eager to work with other libraries and already began collaborating.
The OCFPL is part of the Coalition of Independent Libraries of South Jersey (COIL). Among its members are Atlantic City, Margate, Linwood, Longport, Northfield, Millville, Strathmere and Avalon.
“We are meeting up after summer and hoping to do more collaborative things with them,” Mahar said, adding that it is great to be working with the other library boards.
