Tuscarawas County library programs help young adults find friends and community

Samantha “Sammi” Ickes, a social media and video specialist in Sugarcreek, has been an avid library user since childhood and recalls checking out large stacks of books at the Tuscarawas County Public Library System.

Now, as a post-college adult, Ickes is still involved with the library and has found her community through its unique programming.

“Making new friends as an adult is hard,” Ickes said, explaining how the college social experience, where people are surrounded by others their age, differs from entering the workforce.

The Tuscarawas County Public Library System’s New Adult Programs are geared toward adults ages 18 to 35 and feature a variety of fandom and pop culture interests in a welcoming environment.

Ickes became involved in the New Adult programs after joining the Hopeless Romantics Book Club with a friend and finding meaningful connections with others her age who shared similar interests. She has also attended programs such as the New Adult Anime Club, Shrek Trivia and others.

“Doing the programs here at the library has introduced me to people that I now consider friends, who are in my age group, that I would not have met otherwise,” Ickes said.

Those friendships formed at the library have grown outside it, as Ickes and her friends often meet and support each other beyond book club gatherings.

To learn more about programs that connect people to their community, visit the event calendar at tusclibrary.org.

The Tuscarawas County Public Library System includes five physical locations — the Main Library and Operations Center in New Philadelphia, and branches in Bolivar, Tuscarawas, Strasburg and Sugarcreek — as well as mobile services.