Patrons are thrilled with the return of Museum Passes at the North Providence Union Free Library. With the help and dedication of its Met School Intern, Jennifer Cortez, the library now has 16 passes for families to enjoy. As part of her end-of-year school exhibition, Ms. Cortez shared her process and progress with classmates, advisors, staff, and members of the public.

The library wished to provide its patrons with this much needed service. Following the pandemic, many businesses suffered losses and did away with the program or put them on hold. Timing worked in the library's favor, as staff thought carefully about how to acquire new passes and took time to find the funding.

Staff time also played a factor in the delayed return of museum passes. With staff turnover and the return of in-person programs, the time needed to call, email, follow up with, and research available institutional memberships was lacking. In stepped student intern Jennifer Cortez, from the Met School. Miss Cortez is a freshman at the Met School and wished to do her field study at the North Providence Union Free Library, as she is an avid reader and thrives in educational environments. Jennifer, along with Youth Services Coordinator Jenny Durant and Director Stefanie Blankenship, worked out a plan to bring passes back to the library. So far, 16 passes have been secured, with the hopes of acquiring 20. Miss Cortez also used this process as her exhibition project for school, which must show evidence of learning in many facets.

Patrons have responded enthusiastically to the return of the pass program, especially for the Audrain Automobile Museum, Mystic Seaport, and Capron Zoo. Though the library is still waiting on some of the guaranteed passes, the excitement is evident.