Activity Report - MayJune 2026

2026

MAY/JUN

ACTIVITY REPORT

EARLY VOTING Our Pendleton and Powdersville libraries served as early voting locations for the June primary. Our Pendleton branch saw approximately 1,300 voters while our Powdersville branch saw approximately 5,300 voters!

Early voting also brought lots of traffic to our Powdersville branch, who had over 2,000 library visits during the two-week voting period.

The best part? Voters who usually don’t frequent the library were able to stop in and get a fun ‘I Libraried’ sticker!

BOSCH OUTREACH On June 18, our Bookmobile and Outreach staff had the opportunity to be a part of Bosch’s employee wellness day at their Anderson campus. We interacted with tons of Bosch employees, and signed up 60+ people for library cards!

Employees were impressed with our new Bookmobile and very interested in our “non-traditional” library items, such as fishing rods and park passes.

STAFF DAY Our 2026 Staff Day was a huge success, with all of our employees coming together to learn about the latest library updates, enjoy a meal and some yummy treats, conduct department meetings and tackle some spring cleaning!

ART SLAM In partnership with the Anderson Arts Center, the Anderson Main Library hosted an exhibit by 5th annual Art Slam winner, Wendy Converse from May 1-May 29.

Wendy’s exhibit showcased a beautiful collection of ceramic sculpture pieces.

MOVIE NIGHT AT THE LIBRARY Lights, camera, action! On June 12, we hosted our first Night at the Library event at the Anderson Main Library. Over 100 patrons walked the red carpet, enjoyed delicious popcorn, and partook in movie-themed activities, such as movie trivia, an anime marathon, a popcorn craft, and of course, watching our featured film: Space Jam.

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CAROLINA DAY Our outreach team braved the heat and entertained hundreds of families at Carolina Day! We had such a good time handing out special SC250 swag, showing off the Bookmobile, and bringing patriotic cheer to the citizens of Anderson.

SUMMER READING Unearth a Story this Summer at the Library! We’re “digging in” to the world of dinosaurs and archaeology through tons of fun summer reading programs, such as learning about ancient bugs, making dinosaurthemed crafts, and so much more!

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Beyblades Tournament

Mom, Me & Our Family Tree

Mother’s Day Card Making

Make a Friendship Bracelet for Teens

Curious Crafters

Watercolor Berries

Homeschool Friday with Critters & More!

We continue to offer a wide array of classes, clubs and programming

to

address

the wants and needs of every patron segment.

511

PROGRAMS

In MAY/JUNE we offered 511 programs across the library system.

CELEBRATE AMERICA 250 We’re showing off our stars and stripes at all of our library branches! From balloons to bunting to rag-tie garlands, we’re ready to celebrate 250 years of America. Also, we’re pleased to announce that our 2026 Books & Community theme is ‘America: Celebrating 250 Years!’ Patrons will be able to pick up their free book (to keep!) at the library, then can join us in September for a series of fun and informative events.

POPULAR ITEMS FOR MAY/JUNE For Youth (Ages 0-12)

For Teens (Ages 13-17)

Top 5 Books (Physical)

Top 5 Books (Physical)

Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls

by Dav Pilkey

2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney 3. Dog Man and Cat Kid

by Dav Pilkey 4. Dog Man by Dav Pilkey 5. It’s My Bird-Day!

by Mo Willems

Top 5 Books (Digital) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

2. Wings of Fire: Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland 3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Partypooper by Jeff Kinney 4. Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret by Tui T. Sutherland 5. Dog Man and Cat Kid

by Dave Pilkey

For Adults (Ages 18+) Top 5 Books (Physical) The Correspondent

by Virginia Evans

2. Yesteryear: A Novel

by Caro Claire Burke 3. The Calamity Club

by Kathryn Stockett 4. Theo of Golden

by Allen Levi 5. Hope Rises

by David Baldacci

Top 5 Books (Digital) The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett

2. The Deal by Elle Kennedy 3. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 4. Yesteryear: A Novel by Caro Claire Burke 5. The Mistake

by Elle Kennedy

Top 5 Books (Digital)

I Must Betray You

by Ruta Sepetys

2. The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins 3. The Escape Game

by Marissa Meyer 4. Twilight

by Stephanie Meyer 5. Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins

Sunrise on the Reaping

by Suzanne Collins

2. Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas 3. Fake Skating

by Lynn Painter 4. Shatter Me

by Tahereh Mafi 5. The Assassins Blade

by Sarah J. Maas

LEAP Items

PASS Children’s Museum of the Upstate Pass 2. South Carolina State Park Pass 3. Mobile Wi-fi Hotspot 4. Roper Mountain Science Center Pass 5. Magna-tiles

EVENT GUIDE Patrons are picking up our Event Guide!

Our April - June issue saw a record number of Event Guides taken by patrons, a whopping 4,750 printed copies.

The digital version was read 1,976 times.

Our Summer Reading Guide is a roaring success!

Families are enjoying our stand-alone Summer Reading Guide with over 4,450 printed copies distributed.

The digital version has been read 1,812 times so far.

COMING SOON: 24/7 LOCKERS IN PENDLETON Our 24/7 library lockers are coming to the Pendleton Library! Just like at our Powdersville locations, these lockers will allow patrons to pick up their library holds on their schedule.

We hope to unveil these lockers by the end of summer.