Altamont Library Notes for Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Over the past three years that we’ve struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to make a lot of hard decisions about how we could offer our patrons the most access to the library and do the best programs that we could while keeping library users and staff members as safe as possible.
We’ve done things like offer grab-and-go checkout, book clubs on Zoom instead of in person, home delivery for folks who couldn’t safely get to the library, and lots more besides.
One of the most difficult things we’ve had to grapple with is how to keep doing story time, our Tuesday morning children’s program where we read stories, sing songs, make crafts and generally have a whole lot of fun. Story time is so important for so many reasons: encouraging early literacy and social skills, giving parents and caregivers of young folks a social circle to catch up with, introducing the library to young kids, and lots more reasons beyond that.
Early in the pandemic, in order to keep story time in kid’s lives, we made video story times on YouTube twice a week so that at least children would get to hear new stories told by old friends. As restrictions loosened, we were able to reintroduce the personal element of story time by holding the program out in Orsini Park during nice weather.
Last year, when the weather turned colder, we reached out to our friends at the Altamont Reformed Church to ask whether we could use their big community room, where kids and caregivers could space themselves out more than they could here at the library. Altamont Reformed Church has kindly and generously allowed us to use their space during cold months since then, and we are so grateful to them for letting us use their lovely space.
The time has come, though, to bring story time back where it belongs: the library! Starting on Jan. 10, please join Miss Ann for our super-fun weekly set of stories, activities, songs, and crafts in the library’s Community Room at 11a.m.
Not only will your young friends get out of the house, gain a few early literacy skills and have a great time doing it, but they’ll meet other kiddos, and you’ll have a chance to catch up with a few people your own age! After story time, feel free to hang out and play and browse the stacks for your new favorite book. It’s a win-win-win!
We’re so happy to have story time back at the library, but we’ll be even more happy to have you back in the library, so please join us!
Annual meeting
The Altamont Free Library Board of Trustees will hold its annual organizational meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, which will be immediately followed by our regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.