Pioneer Library System Foundation

🎷 Jazz in June is coming to the library! Join us for special artist clinics with this year's Jazz In June, Norman, OK headliners, plus a Children's Music Appreciation Program for ages 5–11. Don't miss these unique opportunities to connect with world-class musicians right here in Norman! 🎶

These programs are made possible by a Norman Arts Council Hotel Tax Grant.

Please join us in congratulating Lisa Wells, PLS Executive Director, on this achievement! 🎉 This recognition is a testament to her exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to strengthening libraries and the people they serve. Library users, staff, and supporters across PLS are fortunate to benefit from her vision and advocacy. Well deserved! 🌟

PLS Executive Director Lisa Wells receives 2026 ALA Ken Haycock Award for promoting librarianship - Purcell Register The American Library Association has named Lisa Wells, Executive Director of Pioneer Library System, as the recipient of the prestigious 2026 ALA Ken Haycock Award for Promoting Librarianship, one of …

✨ Bringing people together through shared interests and creativity is what libraries do best. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we're proud to help bring SOKC FanFest back for a second year. Check out the lineup below! ⬇️

If you are a fan, you belong at FanFest! ✨

SOKC FanFest 2026 will offer a wide variety of free programs and activities tailored to all fans. Each day will highlight a different theme, inviting community members to explore their interests and discover new ones:

🎮Thursday, July 16 – Game Day: Attendees can explore a variety of game-based programs, including tabletop role-playing games, trading card games, video games, and board games.

📘Friday, July 17 – Book Day: A celebration for book lovers featuring literary-themed crafts, trivia, and sessions with local authors. There will also be a book swap!

🧙‍♂️Saturday, July 18 – Fandom Day: Focused on anime and movies, with a Fan Art Contest that begins in June, and winners will be announced at FanFest.

This program is made possible with support from the Pioneer Library System Foundation

📚 A child having books at home is one of the strongest predictors of future academic success, yet 61% of low-income children in America grow up without them.

Through the PLS Summer Learning Challenge, our community can help change that. When participants reach the goal of 20 million minutes spent reading and learning this summer, the Foundation will provide books for local children under age 5 receiving WIC assistance, helping families build their home libraries and supporting school readiness.

Last year, generous donor support helped place more than 10,500 books into the hands of local children across our communities. 💜

Please join us in thanking Mary Carter of Tecumseh and Jamie Crowe of South Oklahoma City, as their terms on the Foundation Board of Directors come to a close this month.

Over the past six years, Mary and Jamie have shared their time, talents, and leadership to help advance literacy and a love of learning throughout our communities. Through their service on the board and various committees, they have helped strengthen programs, partnerships, and opportunities that benefit people across Cleveland, McClain, and Pottawatomie counties.

We are grateful for their dedication, leadership, and lasting impact.

⬇️Join us in wishing Mary and Jamie our thanks and best wishes in the comments below!

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More than 107,000 children and teens participated in nearly 4,000 library programs across our communities in 2025.

These experiences do more than fill time. They help young people build literacy skills, confidence, creativity, and connections in safe, welcoming spaces.

That's the kind of impact your support helps make possible. Thank you! 💜

🌟We're proud to celebrate PLS's own Meghan Hollingsworth, Selector and Early Literacy & School Readiness Coordinator, on her nomination for the 2026 Anne Roberts People's Choice Award for Child Advocacy. 🏆

Through her leadership of Growing Like a Read and Foundation-supported book distribution programs serving children receiving WIC assistance, Meghan has helped expand access to literacy and learning opportunities for thousands of local children and families.

👉Please take a moment to cast your vote and help recognize her outstanding advocacy for children. Vote through July 25 at 7 p.m.: https://www.oica.org/ar26-finalists

Congratulations, Meghan, on this well-deserved recognition!

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Research shows that staying mentally active through reading, learning new skills, and social connection can support brain health and well-being as we age. Libraries help make those opportunities accessible for everyone. 💜

"I have found the most valuable thing in my wallet is my library card." - Laura Bush

📚☀️ The PLS Summer Learning Challenge isn’t just for kids. We’re inviting our supporters and community members of all ages to help our communities reach 20 million minutes of reading and learning this summer!

When the goal is reached, the Foundation will provide books to children enrolled in WIC programs across our service area. Last year, with donor support, more than 10,000 books were distributed to kids and families.

Every minute you log helps inspire literacy and a love of learning while putting more books into the hands of children who need them most.

Join the challenge: https://pioneerlibrarysystem.org/summer-learning-challenge