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On the February Library page: First cards for first graders; Book Review
1/28/2015 1:27:11 PM
Initiative empowers elementary students with library cards
By Lauren Campbell
Splash Contributor
According to the Learning First Alliance public education collaborative, first grade is when children define themselves as good or bad readers. That decision can follow them for life, with kids who are good readers in first grade being more likely to be in the top quartile of readers and even more likely to graduate from college.
Melanie Boerner, youth services librarian for Liberty Lake Municipal Library, is starting an initiative to encourage local students to find themselves on the positive end of that spectrum.
Over the next month, Boerner will visit first grade classrooms and explain the library to students. At the end of the presentation, each kid will receive their own library card and card holder, a symbol of independence and access to unlimited books.
Library cards can be particularly exciting for young students because they can be seen as a marker of maturity.
"First grade is a turning point," Boerner said. "It's a great age to catch them and get them interested in books."
The program will include a class field trip to the library and asks each first grader to bring their family to the library twice during the year as well as participate in the Summer Reading Program. To encourage participation, incentives such as books and pencil holders will be given to the students on their first few visits to the library.
The Fallbrook Library in San Diego, where Boerner worked before coming to Liberty Lake six months ago, held a similar program. They served 1,200 students in the first year, and saw a 90 percent completion rate.
"It was wonderful to see, and I knew it would work in a small community like Liberty Lake," she said.
Outside of classroom initiatives, Boerner said that most kids who get their first library cards ask their parents to bring them to the library and sign them up, rather than it being something that the parents encourage. This, she says, is because of the excitement of having a "grown-up" card of their own.
"It's usually the first card they have that they can sign and put in their wallet," Boerner said. "I remember when I got my first library card, and it felt so adult."
Elementary school libraries often don't have a wide variety of books and other materials for kids to borrow, Boerner said, so the community library can serve as a bridge, adding more resources for children. She wants students to know that the library has more to offer than books, such as audiobooks, movies, music and online resources for future research projects they will have to do as they progress through their education.
By reaching students when they are young, Boerner hopes to encourage a lifelong habit of reading.
"We're raising them to be library lovers," she said.
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Book Review: Novel explores ties of depression-era characters
By Shardé Mills
Liberty Lake Municipal Library
In "Serena" by Ron Rash, a wealthy couple mercilessly build a lumber empire in the Appalachian Mountains. Newlyweds Serena and George Pemberton rule over a logging empire in North Carolina during the onset of the Great Depression. Steeped in the pursuit of money, power and greed, the couple advances their agenda at any cost-from the lives of their workers and the health of the land, to Serena's relentless hunt of George's ex-lover, Rachel, and their infant son.
For readers who enjoy strong characters, Rash has created an ensemble cast of personalities that reveal the stark and moving reality of life during the Great Depression. They embody and exemplify the humanity behind jealousy, longing, mercy and hope.
Central to the plot, Serena is a ruthless but beautiful character, who simultaneously provokes feelings of hate and fascination. Will George challenge his wife to spare the life of his son? Will Rachel escape? Is Serena too powerful to defy? Fraught with suspense, vivid imagery and a surprising ending, "Serena" is an enthralling read.
Be sure to read this captivating book before the movie release in March. The movie features Jennifer Lawrence as the alluring Serena and Bradley Cooper as her tragic but callous husband, George.
Shardé Mills is the adult services and reference librarian at Liberty Lake Municipal Library.
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Friends hold Valentine auction
Friends of the Liberty Lake Municipal Library is currently holding a "Be My Valentine" silent auction through Feb. 11 at the library.
Twenty Valentine baskets for that special mom, dad, wife, husband or friend are available to bid on at tables in the library. Many of these baskets are filled to the brim with gifts, and bidding starts at just $5 on some baskets. Winners will be notified Feb. 12.
The silent auction benefits the Friends of the Library and will be used for future projects of our library. For more, call 232-2510.
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