BY CHRISTINE BRADLEY
Funny thing about summer, we look forward to it all year, but summer can mean spending more money with the kids home. Jill Foster, in her “Thursday Tip” column in The Hour, offered a list of 25 things that can be done in the summer for low cost or for free. Unsurprisingly, five of them were about the library.
“Taking time to read that book you have been looking forward to” is something I know a lot of Norwalkers do, because every year, our circulation goes up 25 percent in the summer months, and we stock a giveaway cart at Calf Pasture Beach so popular that we can hardly keep it full. Even so, our book circulation continues to decline (except for e-books) just as our use of online databases and digital resources continues to grow.
“Rent movies from the library and have a marathon” or “Catch up on a TV series that you have wanted to watch from the library” are two tips that I know Norwalkers have already embraced, because movies and TV series are half of our circulation. (Take that, cable companies!)
Also on Jill”™s list is “taking a class or a workshop at the library.” The library is a good place to learn something new and challenging because the place itself is already comfortable for the learner. Literacy Volunteers has been teaching English language learners in the library for 30 years, but now we also have regular classes in computer skills, job hunting and “Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies,” as well as writing workshops, book discussions and author talks. Also very popular are the weekly Zumba and yoga classes and, of course, live music programs.
The theme of this year”™s citywide summer reading program is Fizz, Boom, Read! The program focuses on science for preschool, elementary and middle school students. Norwalk public schools, summer camps, Stepping Stones Museum for Children and the Early Childhood Council have all banded together with the library to encourage kids to read for enjoyment in the summer. We know that elementary students”™ performance falls during the summer and the decline is far worse for lower-income students, so we are all working together to slow the summer slide.
It”™s all happening, for free, at the library!
Christine Bradley is director of the Norwalk Public Library, a member of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County. For more information, visit CulturalAllianceFC.org or email infoCulturalAllianceFC.org or call 256-2329.
