Siouxland Libraries, Washington Pavilion partner on community programming, special offers

A recent partnership between Siouxland Libraries and the Washington Pavilion has brought new programming to families across the community.

It kicked off earlier this year when the Washington Pavilion hosting the touring Broadway production of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“We’d noticed a decent amount of overlap,” said Jeri Light, the library system’s adult program lead. “The hold list on that book was skyrocketing, and we realized this was a trend during other performances.”

In December 2023, Siouxland Libraries and the Washington Pavilion made their partnership official.

“We made sure we had extra copies of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ on hand,” Light said. “And we offered library customers a special discount to the performances.”

Now, there are additional perks such as receiving a discount at Parlour ice cream inside the Washington Pavilion by showing a library card or participating in programming tailored to the performances.

“After ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ we had a staff member host a discussion comparing the book and performance,” Light said. “A majority of the people who attended the meeting had seen the performance and were able to have a good discussion.”

Light recently began her role as adult program coordinator at Siouxland Libraries.

“When I started this role, the partnership was just beginning,” Light said. “It was something I was excited to have landed on my plate.”

It’s a natural fit, said Madelyn Grogan, the Pavilion’s director of education and museums.

“Our organizations share a common goal of enriching the lives of our community,” she said. “There are so many ways to make connections in art, science and storytelling.”

In the spring, the library partnered with the Dakota Academy for Performing Arts at the Washington Pavilion for its “Mary Poppins” performances.

“We did K-5 programming in tandem with those shows in both March and May,” Light said.

For example, the library hosted a candy-making event at the Ronning Branch in tandem with DAPA’s “Willy Wonka Jr.” performance.

Last week, there was a free teen improv program held in collaboration with members of the DAPA team at the Ronning Branch.

“The relationship has allowed us both to expand our reach,” Grogan said.

“We are able to share our message to a broader audience. The connections we have been able to make between literature and theater have been exciting to be a part of. Partnering with the library has allowed us to provide another level of programming to our guests that goes beyond seeing a live performance in our theater.”

“Hadestown” is a Broadway musical coming next spring, and the library plans to put do programming around that too.

“With the fall shows being announced at the Pavilion, we’re going to look at them and decide how best to connect our library customers with it,” Light said.

Library patrons are likely to see book-related displays leading up to performances.

“We look forward to continuing to look for unique opportunities to work with the library and are excited about some upcoming plans in our Visual Arts Center,” Grogan said.

Another perk of the partnership comes through Siouxland Libraries having a presence at Washington Pavilion events.

“Once a quarter during the Pavilion’s free First Fridays, we get to come and promote events and give information about the library,” Light said. “It’s a great way to connect with the community outside of the library walls.”