To celebrate the 50 years that the Intercourse Library has been providing a variety of services to local cardholders, board members and library staff members are planning a full year of activities combined with the goal of raising $50,000 for the organization.

"In January, there was a kickoff event with doughnuts and coffee, and there's a historical display with information (about the library)," shared Intercourse Library board of trustees member Tammy McCauley.

The creation of the library, which opened as a reading room in 1975, was originally spearheaded by the Intercourse Lions Club. The club sought and received permission from the Pequea Valley School District to use an empty one-room schoolhouse as a satellite location of the Lancaster Public Library. By 1988, the reading center had become an independent entity named the Intercourse Public Library and boasted a collection of 21,000 items in 900 square feet. In 2001, the name was changed to the Pequea Valley Public Library. By 2004, the need for more space was clear, and a capital campaign was instituted, which resulted in a new 9,500-square-foot building located at 31 Center St., Intercourse, opening in 2007. In 2021, the board voted to restore the name Intercourse Library. A branch library is located at 835 Houston Run Drive, Gap, in Salisbury Township.

During the month of February, the library will emphasize technology with an expert visiting each Friday to help those who need support with a new device. On Thursday, Feb. 20, at 9:30 a.m., genealogy website expert Sue Gregg will give a presentation. A special room in the library, which is dedicated to local history, may also be utilized for genealogy research by appointment. "(The room) has all kinds of really cool treasures," noted McCauley. In addition, the library has education-based virtual reality headsets that can be used by school children and homeschool families by appointment.

Movie Madness will be the theme for the library's March celebration. Movie titles, dates, and times will be announced via the library website at https://intercourselib.org.

A fundraiser dinner dubbed "Feast for the Future" will be held in April. "It will be a fundraising event for the future of the library," explained McCauley, who noted that dinners have been popular in the past. The dinner will be held at the Olde Mill Restaurant in Intercourse. The meal will be prepared by Chef Ty and his team. McCauley pointed out that funds raised by the dinner will be designated to cover a variety of needs, including programs, staffing, and building maintenance. "We will need to replace all the aging computers this year," she stated, noting that the library carpets are nearly 20 years old. More information about the dinner will be available on the library website in the near future.

For May, the theme will be "Authors and Artists," and organizers have lined up a few local creators to give presentations. Award-winning author Shawn Smucker will speak, as will family members of the late artist Milton Denlinger; Denlinger's family will bring some paintings along. The library is also working with Osceola Mill House to hold an event focused on the art of Delores Hackenberger, who once lived at Osceola Mill. Watch the library website for dates and times for these events.

The Summer Reading Program will kick off in June with a Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 7. As in the past, the event will feature a scavenger hunt, rock painting, and free food, and young readers will be encouraged to sign up for library cards as well as to participate in the Summer Reading Program.

In celebration of the Lancaster County Lafayette Bicentennial, the library has connected with Zachary Stoltzfus, who has a doctorate in modern European history from Florida State University, with a focus on French history. Stoltzfus will present a talk on Lafayette at the library on Saturday, July 12, at a to-be-determined time.

"Authors and Artists" will return in August with author John Wasserman, former game warden, talking about his books, which are popular with hunters and with members of the Plain community. The date of this event will be announced via the website.

To celebrate September, the library will focus on fall with a "Johnny Appleseed"-themed event involving apples and books.

The library's Run for Reading 5K will return on Saturday, Oct. 11. Race-day registration and packet pickup will begin at the library at 8:45 a.m. The run will start at 10 a.m.

In November, the library's 50th anniversary celebration gala will be held. McCauley noted that the library has held gala events in the stacks since 2012, but this year's gala will be held elsewhere.

Each year, the Intercourse Library partners with the Intercourse Merchants Association to host holiday festivities during December. In 2024, a dozen sheds were set in a circle on the grass at the library, and a variety of crafters sold their wares under a Christmas light display. Food trucks were also located at the library, and a cookie competition was held.

Catherine O'Sullivan, director of the Intercourse Library, stated that library usage increased significantly over the last year. "We had a 27,000 (item checkout) increase in circulation numbers for Intercourse and Gap during the calendar year of 2024 as compared to 2023," she noted. McCauley added that the number of items checked out in the last year was nearly 207,500. "For us, that's a lot," reported O'Sullivan.

McCauley added that the growth points to the need for increased funds. "We need more staff and resources," she said.