Livermore Falls Advertiser: Jay, Livermore Falls libraries launch summer reading programs

Jay-Niles Memorial Library and Treat Memorial Library in Livermore Falls are planning summer reading programs with children’s activities, special events, hands-on learning and prizes for readers.

The programs include a fossil- and mineral-themed children’s program at Jay-Niles, a garden-themed summer reading program at Treat, kickoff events at both libraries, and activities meant to encourage children and families to keep reading through the summer.

Jay-Niles Memorial Library will offer three summer reading programs this year: one for younger children, one for tweens and teens, and one for adults, according to information from the library.

The children’s program theme is “Unearth a Story,” part of the Collaborative Summer Library Program, a nonprofit made up of member libraries nationwide. A committee of librarians and others choose a theme each year intended to spark curiosity and learning among children and families, according to the library.

This year’s theme includes paleontology, fossils, minerals and other things that can be unearthed by digging into the ground. Several Jay-Niles programs will be led by outreach staff from the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel.

Jay-Niles children’s summer reading programs will be held Mondays at 5 p.m. The schedule begins June 29 with the kickoff and sign-up event, a “Reading is Magic” show with magician Wes Booth. Other programs include Fossils and Dinosaurs on July 6, Meteors and Meteorites on July 13, Birthstones on July 20, Crystals and Maine gems on July 27, and a Dino Dance Party with DJ Beets on Aug. 3.

Booth’s “Reading is Magic!” program is described in promotional material as an interactive magic show themed around classic books for schools and libraries.

“As a social worker and librarian, I’ve been helping and encouraging kids all my life,” Booth said. “Our kids are getting historically low scores on reading, and I’m doing my best to change that by firing their imaginations and planting a love of reading in their hearts one story at a time.”

Booth said he showcases classic books and uses magic woven around the theme of a book “to bring home the message that ‘Reading is Magic’ and that, by being good readers, kids can become whatever they want to be.”

The children’s program is intended mainly for children 8 or 9 and younger, though older children may attend programs that interest them. There is overlap between the children’s program and the tween and teen program, according to the library.

Families do not need to register in advance and may attend individual events without signing up for the full program. Children must read or be read to and turn in a reading log to be eligible for prizes at the end of the program. There is no required amount of reading, and the reading log tracks reading time in 15-minute intervals.

Participants do not need to live in Jay or have a library card to participate, according to the library’s program flyer. Reading logs are due Aug. 3 for a prize.

LIVERMORE FALLS

In Livermore Falls, Treat Memorial Library’s summer reading program, “Plant a seed, read,” will begin with an enchanted garden carnival Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Families may drop in during the event to sign up for summer reading, play garden-themed carnival games, win prizes and try treats. Readers who cannot attend the kickoff may sign up before the finale Aug. 6.

Alana Knapp, assistant director at Treat Memorial Library, said the theme connects reading, food, nature and community.

Knapp cited Ellen Fitzgerald, an iRead librarian, who described the program as “rooted in the concept of farm to table.”

“A farm grows food that nourishes our bodies; a library grows ideas that nourish our minds,” Fitzgerald said, according to Knapp. “Both food and stories connect us to our family, culture, economy and ecology.”

Knapp said Treat is looking to provide programs that foster connection, imagination and curiosity about the natural world. Programs will include environmental education from Chewonki, hands-on learning visits from a Master Food Preserver and an herbalist, edible slime, trinket-making, recipe trading, and other activities.

Treat’s first summer reading program event will be a visit from Chewonki at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 30. The program will feature Maine mammals. Summer reading programs at Treat are free and open to the public.

Treat Memorial Library also has renewed passes for several organizations through grant funding from the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation. Knapp said the library received enough funding to buy passes for two years.

“Providing these passes for our patrons has been a long time goal for us, but the grant made it possible for us to have them all at once so we could see what passes are most interesting to our patrons,” Knapp said.

The passes include Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Boothbay Railway Village Museum, Maine MILL Museum, Maine Wildlife Park, Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, Maine State Parks, and Western Maine Play Museum.

Each pass works differently, according to the library. For the Mineral and Gem Museum, Maine State Park Pass, Western Maine Play Museum, and Maine MILL Museum, patrons may borrow a physical pass for a week and return it. For the Wildlife Park, the library gives patrons passes for their party that do not need to be returned. For Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Boothbay Railway Village, the library reserves tickets and needs the exact date of the visit.

The library’s Homeschool Resource Center has also expanded through John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation grant funding. Knapp said the grant has allowed the library to purchase more than 200 materials, including nonfiction titles, educational games, workbooks, flashcards, counting and sorting tools, and story games.

“Our Homeschool Resource Center has been a great success,” Knapp said. “It’s steadily building momentum.”

Knapp said more people are using the resources in the library.

Treat is also part of the Androscoggin Library Passport program. Participants may start at Treat Memorial Library and visit each library in Androscoggin County to receive a passport stamp. Those who collect all nine stamps receive a prize.

Other June programs at Treat include a homeschool group meeting at 11:30 a.m. June 10, a book club meeting at 3 p.m. June 11, Game Gathering at 3 p.m. June 18, Tails and Tales with therapy dogs from Love on a Leash from 4-5 p.m. June 18, Craft Circle at 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Lego Explorers at 10:30 a.m. June 6, 13 and 20.

Treat Memorial Library is at 56 Main St. in Livermore Falls. For more information, call 897-3631.