Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home Public Library is planning activities for 2015 after receiving a $1,436 Ready to Read Grant from the Oregon State Library.
The grant is combined with funds from the Friends of the Library and the city to pay for the annual Summer Reading Program for children and their families.
This year’s theme will be “Every Hero has a Story,” said Library Director Rose Peda.
State Librarian MayKay Dahlgreen said the Ready to Read Grant program, administered by the Oregon State Library, has provided funding for 20 years so local libraries can work with other organizations to help every Oregon child be ready to start school and retain his or her reading skills over the summer.
This year’s schedule will include a couple of evening activities to allow parents to join their children, Peda said. It will provide prizes to families who read together, either out loud or just sitting and reading with the children.
“This year, we’re focusing more on families and having families read together,” she said. “We’re going to be doing some family-type activities.”
“If they see the adults reading, there’s a good chance they’ll follow suit and do the same. There are a whole lot of studies that show how as children read it helps them in school.”
Summer reading helps improve children’s academic performance and behavior, Peda said.
“It opens up a new world to them too.”
She recalled a story she heard recently about a young man who had just earned a science degree. The man credited his teacher giving him a book about a scientist for inspiring his decision to pursue a career in science.
“There are different things that books can do for people,” she said.
The librarians are still planning the details of the Summer Reading Program, but among the ideas is a magic show in the City Hall parking lot for the whole family, Peda said. Children can learn magic tricks and enjoy some other family-oriented activities.
The theme will focus on superheroes and other kinds of heroes, Peda said.
The library also is planning events throughout the year.
Coming up, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Feb. 7, it’s Take Your Kid to the Library Day. The library will provide music, arts and crafts and other activities to be determined.
From 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, the library will host an open mic event for the Willamette Writers on the River. Writers will have seven minutes to read theirm work. All skill levels and genres are welcome.
The library will celebrate major nationwide events, including National Library Week in April, Children’s Book Week in May and Banned Book Week in September.
Family story time will continue this year at 10 a.m. on Fridays. A schedule is posted in the library.
The Legos program will begin at 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Peda said. Children are invited to go to the library, use their imaginations and build. Their creations may be placed on display, and they can win door prizes.
As part of the ongoing effort to allow library cards to be used at libraries throughout the county, the Sweet Home Public Library is moving forward applying for an LSTA grant to help fund the project, Peda said. Meanwhile the libraries are developing intergovernmental agreements to get the program running this year.
Currently, the Passport program allows patrons to check out books at other libraries, but they must travel to the other library. Once the new library network is functional, patrons will be able to check books out from other libraries at their home library.
For more information about the library and its programs, call (541) 367-5007.