Blog

Over the past few years you may have noticed many changes on the 2nd floor of the library. The Youth Services department is in the middle of an enormous, multi-year project bringing you some new and some improved spaces. Beginning in March of this year we burst apart our old Storytime Room to create a much larger and more flexible space we now call the Program Room. Remember how packed that small Storytime Room would get?

Now it has room to spread out, and we are able to host activities that previously required us to move downstairs to the lovely (but not exactly kid-friendly) meeting rooms. Success!

But that was just the beginning. Coming this spring, we will be changing the way everyone looks at picture books for children. For the life of this library, picture books have been shelved like most other books in a public library – spine out on a shelf, and arranged by author, or sometimes by series. What’s wrong with this picture? Toddlers can’t read…yet. How do they select books?

Though we joke about not judging a book by its cover, this is exactly how baby book borrowing happens. You will still be able to browse, as the books will be stored in bins, but with their fronts facing out.Imagine flipping through a record bin looking for your favorites on vinyl and you have a pretty good idea what this will look like. But that’s just one more step on the journey. By the time we’re done, you may not recognize the place.

Coming soon: Early Literacy spaces for our tiniest customers! Early Literacy is what young children know about reading and writing before they actually read and write. You already know about our magnet wall and our LEGO table. WATCH THIS SPACE for many more wonderful opportunities to experience imaginative play with your child!