Libraries stack fun and learning into every space
Visit the Edmonton Public Library Sprucewood Branch for lots of winter fun
RUSTI LEHAY
Wool and books have more in common than the average library patron might realize. Who doesn’t like snuggling up under a cozy blanket as the days cool down and the light wanes earlier in the afternoons? Recently, Edmonton Public Library (EPL) Sprucewood patrons even had a chance to learn the art of weaving with a community art project.
“We bought a little loom thinking it would be a fun thing to put out on the floor, (invite folks to) weave a strip and make a community art project,” says Sarah Foy, Sprucewood’s community librarian.
Less than a smooth beginning for the librarians. They can catalogue books, lend out games, music, movies, audio books, create after school activities, dream about offering video game tournaments for tweens and teens in their newly expanded program room once renovations are complete… but constructing the loom stymied them.
When the master weaver from Traceable Textiles across the street dropped in to pick up her holds, she saw their flawed attempts. She then properly constructed the loom, showed them how to use it and donated beautiful Alberta wool for patrons to participate in weaving a project.
There are far more than words to be found at a library. While they loan out a multitude of formats, they also offer an English vocabulary and conversation club every Tuesday afternoon. Welcoming all parents and caregivers, Bent Arrow also offers a beading circle alongside Indigenous parenting practices.
Foy noticed kids were dismissed early on Thursdays and needed a safe space and stimulating activities. Thursday afternoon STEAM Lab was born to fill that need. Full STEAM ahead is where kids can create robot battles, build hovercrafts, design their own games, and discover all things Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math.
Each of the 21 EPL branches has a community librarian like Foy, whose job it is to connect other agencies doing similar things and respond to community needs as they arise. The underlying mission is to cross collaborate and connect people in the community, addressing points of vulnerability such as filling out forms that can intimidate the average person even more than constructing a loom for librarians. Every Saturday, a volunteer helps patrons fill out forms. Anyone needing assistance can register for a spot between 2:30-4:30 pm or drop in to see if there’s a spot available.
For the wee ones, there is a flagship early literacy class called Sing, Sign, Laugh and Learn every Friday at 10:30 for ages birth to age three (and their caregivers). Foy also shares that, when babies meet a public health nurse at their two-month-old immunization appointment, they receive a Welcome Baby Package with a book, a CD, and loads of info from EPL. “We also encourage parents to go to any library branch and register their baby for a free library card,” explains Foy. “The parents can choose a new board book to keep, and then library staff put the baby’s nameplate on the book.”
The librarians also ensure parents learn of the EPL’s Ready. Set. READ! Program in partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Children receive a free book every month until they turn five, and then the library holds a little graduation party.
The weekly recurring events may look repetitive, but every month the community needs dictate additions or changes. Foy says, “We call them DIY Fun, and customers can always find different scavenger hunts or crafts. For example, for Dinovember, staff created a dino trading card station. We want to always offer something different to continue engaging kids.” Another example is the Letters to Santa Project that started in mid-November.
If you are vacationing, take the library with you by signing up at melibraries.ca. This allows you to drop in to any Alberta library, borrow books with your EPL card and return them to any Edmonton branch if you bring the borrowed items home.
Writers weave words together that fill library shelves and patrons are free to devour those words in all the existing forms, adding their own while building, conversing, beading, singing, and creating. Between the stacks, check out all the other activities and offerings from libraries, continually striving to build community. Libraries are one of the last spaces people can gather for free and gain so much.
All libraries are a treasure trove. Thank you for sharing.