Emily Woody is passionate about connecting with the youth and cultivating a passion for reading.
As the new children and teen program coordinator at the Fruitland Park Library, Woody has been working to make a difference with the local youth since she was hired in mid-April.
“From a young age I realized that I just really enjoy helping people and bringing them happiness,” she said. “In this role, my hope is to bring the love of reading to local children and help them enjoy just being a kid. I love seeing them come to our events and they just kind of let go and have fun.”
A native of the area, Woody graduated from Wildwood Middle High School before attending Lake-Sumter State College, where she received her associate degree. She then attended the University of Central Florida, where she received a bachelor’s degree in English Literature.
“I knew that I loved reading and I loved literature. Pursuing an English literature degree felt like that was a good broad degree that gave me different options,” said Woody, who previously worked at a pediatric dental office and for two years, taught fifth grade at a Marion County Public School before applying for the position of Fruitland Park program coordinator.
Describing the events she plans as “easy, free and family-friendly,” Woody said she enjoys seeing community members of all ages connect and build new relationships before her eyes.
“At events I watch the moms hang out and talk to one another while their kids get to play and interact,” she said. “I just love being able to bring that to people.”
Still, Woody said, there are challenges she faces in her new role.
“Something that I am still learning and working on is whenever I throw an event at the library, you really have to be mindful of the amount of people who might be coming because there’s no registration required,” she said. “It could be 50 people or it could be 200 people. We had a little over 200 people for our Firetruck Event. I have to be very mindful in my event planning of how we can utilize the rooms and space that we have.
“The library is a bit on the smaller side, so I have to be inventive with the different activities we can do,” she said. “I feel this was like a practice summer for me to know how to plan for next summer.”
Woody also has had to overcome the challenge of learning what goes where while keeping the library organized.
“I had always kind of had an idea of how books are organized at the library, but it’s totally different once you get in and see that everything has a place,” she said. “Now I know the nonfiction books go in number order of the Dewey decimal system and fiction books are organized alphabetically by the author’s last name. No book should be out of place. This is to help patrons find the exact book that they’re looking for. That’s been a little bit of a challenge, but it’s been really fun, too.”
Hoping to cultivate a passion for reading among the local youth, Wood planned seven weeks of activities for the Fruitland Park Library’s 2026 children’s summer reading program, “Plant a Seed, Read.” From May 18 to July 12, children and teens were encouraged to read 10 or more books and document them on their reading logs to receive a gift and save a spot for themselves at the invitation-only end-of-summer pool party that took place on July 19.
For each book read and documented on their reading logs, young readers received a goodie bag with a bookmark, flower seeds to plant and a ticket for a slightly larger prize.
The library also hosted free events during the seven weeks, including the interactive “Peter Pan” movie night on June 18 and the Chalk Art day on July 8.
On July 15, families explored Lake Griffin State Park for the library’s Nature Scavenger Hunt event.
Woody said the reading log, library-sponsored events and prizes were ways to help young people keep learning during the summer.
“I try to make it a big deal for them,” she said. “The children who joined the program had to have their own library card. That’s really cool because they get to sign it and it’s all really official. The pool party was an even bigger end-of-summer incentive meant to encourage them to read.”
Barbara Fields, Fruitland Park director of community services and the previous children and teen program coordinator, said Woody has been full of new ideas for the library that has helped bring the community together in new ways. Fields also noted an increase in programming participation with more than 200 kids participating in some of the summer reading programs.
“We are super lucky to have Emily,” Fields said. “She’s a former teacher, so she really understands the kiddos and the parents just adore her. She’s a really great addition and has been able to help pull the community together. The scavenger hunt at Lake Griffin State Park was the first time we’ve taken programming off-site in years, so it’s really incorporating the city in the reading program.”
For more information about the Fruitland Park Library and the youth events it offers, visit mylakelibrary.org.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
