Butte County’s libraries are offering worlds of entertainment and engagement that reach beyond books • Chico News & Review

By Helen Harlan

It was a rainy winter moment when a group of teens, tweens and kids escaped the downpour by heading into the Oroville Public Library. They were there to celebrate one of 2024’s most revered authors: Uber-icon Taylor Swift.

Billed as a “Tay-Tay Birthday Party,” the event was free and open to the public. It included a book cart with Taylor-themed titles, black cat silhouettes around the room and everyone’s favorite library offering – cake.

“We had Taylor’s music playing for the entire 90 minutes of the party, and kids seemed to most enjoy the coloring pages, cake and bracelet crafting,” notes Kimberlee Wheeler, a youth librarian with Butte County Libraries. “Our youth programs have always combined music and literary arts because they work hand in hand to foster stronger reading skills and enjoyment.”

The Chico Public Library hosted a similar Taylor Swift birthday party the next day. 

Yoga classes and Taylor Swift birthday parties are just two of the veritable grab-bag of in-person events offered by the Butte County libraries at no charge to the public. For adults, the shortlist includes book clubs, chess and knitting groups. A bad art night, which is called The Ugly Art Club in Butte, compliments simple gatherings like Coffee and Company. For kids, the schedule includes movie nights, opportunities for homeschoolers to socialize and a seasonal Halloween scavenger hunt.

“Books are just the tip of the library iceberg,” says Hilary Herman, a lifelong library advocate and Butte County Library advisory board member. “I firmly believe that everything a library has to offer, for free, makes a healthy community. Most people don’t know you can get a high school diploma, check out computers and (get) free state park passes.”

If you feel like staying home, a Butte County library card can save you hundreds of dollars a year on streaming subscriptions and Amazon and iTunes rental fees. It gives one access to the film hub, Kanopy, a service of public and university libraries, including its over 30,000 movies and documentaries. You can also sync Hoopla to your devices and enjoy music, both audio and e-books, as well as BingePasses to Hallmark+ and The Great Courses.

Additionally, Butte County libraries offer dozens of free online magazine and newspaper subscriptions for the likes of The New York Times.

Need stuff for the physical world? The Oroville Public Library also has a Library of Things where one can grab items like a camping stove or even a telescope. 

Taylor Swift and pasta makers aside, Butte libraries are here for when life gets serious. It offers educational services in English Learning, as well as resources to earn one’s GED or HiSET.  And it’s never stop providing a comprehensive literacy services for adults, seniors, families and children.

Albert Einstein once said, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” The staffs at Butte County’s centers of learning and community interaction are making that quote more relevant with every passing season.