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Lovin’ the Library
Written By: Jenny King | Issue: 2019/09 - September
I feel right at home in libraries. Perhaps that’s because my mother was a librarian in Southport, North Carolina, and that’s where I spent my early years.
There, and also in the hottest bookmobile in Brunswick County. Imagine spending your summers sitting in the back of a big metal box with no air conditioning, traveling the dusty roads of the South.
I still love the smell of diesel in
the morning.
Libraries have certainly changed since my early days (yes, we had electricity back then) with the Dewey Decimal system and card catalogs; and I thought I’d kept up
with technology.
That’s before I spoke with Hudson Librarian Carlyn Morenus.
Her enthusiasm is contagious and she jumped right in talking about the Kid Zone they host each Thursday afternoon. I had to slow her down as she started discussing STEM kits, robots, 3-D printers, and 3-D pens. It’s obviously not my mother’s library.
Over the summer, the Kid Zone afternoons were filled with children of all ages experiencing technology and hands-on projects that steer them in the direction of their futures. These afternoons continue through the school year and are made possible, in part, by an L.S.T.A. Grant: Library Services and
Technology Act.
The Hudson Library also works in conjunction with The Bascom: A Center for the Visual Arts, and The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust to encourage children to foster their curiosity in the arts and sciences. Kid Zones are held each Thursday afternoon at 3:30 and are open to everyone, but it best serves those over five years old. Children under seven should be accompanied by an adult.
No need to sign up, just stop by the Hudson Library. While you’re there, ask about the Student Access Program, where every child in the Macon County school system gets her own library account.
Yes, things have changed since my days spent reading “Pippi Longstocking” in the back of the bookmobile and I say, “Bring it on!” I wonder if I’m too old for Kid Zone? There’s a lot there I could learn.
