I Had My First Library Program Last Tuesday, and… Nobody Came to It.
Remember when I told you that I was going to host a library program teaching people how to draw on October 3rd? Well, that time had come and passed, and let me tell you what had happened that day.
Nobody came to it.
I mean it. Literally, nobody came to my program. I mean, Tuesday from 3:30 to 4:30 isn’t the best timeslot for a library program, but still. It would’ve been nice to have at least one person come!
When I had sat in that gallery near the library’s front doors, I had never felt so alone. The gallery had big windows, so I saw people going into the Meeting Room down the hall for something else.
Gee, that made me feel better about myself…
I wrote down the basis of what my first lesson was going to be about during my time in case someone did show up, but… well, you know. I finally had to give up and end my program five minutes early. That was one hour of my life I wasn’t getting back.
I shelved some books to make myself feel better. Then, I told my fellow colleagues about what happened during my program. Naturally, they comforted me, and my male coworker told me that nobody came to his book club for the first five months he was hosting it.
Sheesh, and I thought I had it bad…
All joking aside, what he said about nobody coming to his book club for the first five months he was hosting made me think. It probably takes time for people to warm up to you enough to go to a library program. It also takes time for library systems to advertise a program taking place at one library. So, of course nobody’s really heard about my drawing classes.
My coworker also said I needed to advertise my program more loudly and more frequently, and I guess I can try and do that, too. It’s just that I’m a quiet person, and I’m not so good at pushing myself out in the open (You can thank the autism for that…).
Another coworker of mine, who supervises the children’s section of the library, asked me if my program was open to teenagers. I said yes, of course. The more the merrier, if you ask me. Plus, I can kind of see my art style appealing to a younger audience. My program is meant for all ages, and that includes teenagers. But, if teenagers are the only ones attending, then I can accept that.
I just want someone showing up so that I feel less alone. So, make sure you wish me some luck next week. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to enjoy the rest of my three-day weekend. See you guys on the 18th!
