Dozens of kindergarteners from Linton Springs Elementary School excitedly spread out across the carpet in the large meeting room at the Carroll County Public Library Eldersburg Branch.
Squirming, they anxiously awaited the start of the library’s presentation of “Jack and the Beanstalk Puppet Show.”
As the lights dimmed and music played, the students were transported from their library to a magical world filled with fairy tale characters.
The puppet show is one of several programs the library offers to children, teens and adults across the county, according to its website. Providing programs including cooking classes, dance parties and story times, the library leads the state in the number of youth programs offered annually.
Carroll County Public Library has had the highest circulation per capita for the greater part of the last two decades, according to CCPL. A total of 2,917,861 items were checked out from the library system’s branches last year, which translates to 17 items per person.
CCPL operates branches in Eldersburg, Finksburg, Mount Airy, North Carroll, Taneytown and Westminster. Serving 704,882 visitors and 96,485 cardholders last year, the library offers lifelong learning opportunities through its programs, resources and services.
Lisa Picker, director of communications at CCPL, said the library has promoted circulation by instilling a love of reading in children from an early age.
“Their parents bring them before they’re even reading, so they’re coming to the library to play and then when they begin their reading journey in kindergarten, they visit the library through things like puppet shows,” she said. “The library has a wonderful partnership with our local public school system, so we go out to the schools and talk about the importance of reading and we also instill those values in our parents and our caregivers, so that they raise readers growing up.”
Picker said it is a point of pride for her to work for the library with the highest circulation per capita in the state.
“It’s an awesome experience when you see the kids as kindergarteners and they come into the library and we put out the display of books and they see all of these possibilities before them,” she said. “There’s everything that is there to foster a child’s creativity and learning and to help our parents and caregivers on that journey.”
Julia Mills, 28, of Sykesville, watched as her three sons used the play kitchen in the children’s section at the library.
Frequenting the library, she said her husband checks out more than a dozen books per week to read to their sons.
Mills said she likes that the library is a family-friendly place.
“With the kids, it’s really nice to get into a new environment to play,” she said. “A lot of times there’s moms with kids the same age here, so it’s a way for me to socialize.”
Mary Forgione, 33, of Eldersburg, also brought her son to play at the library.
Registering for a library card that day, she said it is cool her library leads the state with the highest circulation per capita.
“It’s not surprising because of how much is offered and how convenient and fun it is,” she said.
CCPL is open Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a list of locations, visit library.carr.org.
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