T-L Photo/JOSIE BURKHART Trisha Fox, a Libraries Transforming Communities program participant, shows off a craft she completed.

CADIZ — Pottery, movies and craft activities all made their way into a program at Puskarich Public Library funded by a grant from the Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities program.

Susan Guthrie, librarian and the inspiration behind the program, thought about the idea when the Physical Activities and Life Skills, or PALS, group from Chrysalis Health in Cadiz would visit the library, and she thought it would be a good idea to provide programming to the group because they didn’t have a schedule when visiting. The Board of Developmental Disabilities in Cadiz also said there aren’t a lot of organizations that partner with adults with developmental disabilities when she talked to them.

“There aren’t a lot of places that partner with adults with developmental disabilities, so it can be difficult for groups to find activities to do,” Guthrie said. “So, it seemed like a perfect fit.”

Every week the library has some type of program, whether it be a movie or a craft, Guthrie said.

The program started last fall, but the library obtained a grant that started in April that the Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities offered. It is, “an ALA initiative that provides community engagement and accessibility resources to small and rural libraries to help them better serve people with disabilities,” according to The American Library Association.

Guthrie said the grant has allowed the library to buy sensory equipment and to expand the program to more than just watching movies and doing crafts.

The goal of the program is for The American Library Association and The Association for Rural & Small Libraries “to enhance the accessibility of library facilities, services and programs in small and rural communities to better serve individuals with disabilities,” according to the American Library Association.

“It’s just so rewarding. I love my job at the library,” Guthrie said. “Every day is different. I get to interact with people in the community every day. It’s perfect.”

Abby Roberts, who owns Peaceflower Pottery, visited the library to allow the program participants to make bowls and pottery. Afterward, Roberts took the pieces with her and did the firing and glazing process and brought them back to the library. The participants were all so happy and it turned out great, Guthrie said.

Oglebay Good Zoo also visited the library with its Zoo-To-You program. The adults participated in a 45-minute presentation from a zoo educator and popular animal ambassadors. The animal ambassadors may include birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and small mammals in the presentation.

The library had a melt and pour soap making day, and participants got to pick their soap scents.

One day the adults had a Taylor Swift concert, watching the “Taylor Swift Eras Tour” on Disney+ and dancing and singing to the music.

Guthrie said the grant is the support that allows the library to engage in these programs, and it is a learning process but would be great if the program is expanded in the future.

Guthrie hopes to offer an outdoor photography class, as she knows an individual interested in teaching the class, music therapy and art therapy in the future through the grant, as well as opening the program to neighboring communities.

PALS offers activities and outings three days a week, according to Guthrie. By providing the option to come to the library, it creates the opportunity to go there and engage in different activities, Guthrie said.

“One of our goals is to provide resources for the community. So people think of us as just books, but we do so much more than books,” she said.