Special Story Time At Palisade Library
The donated Brownsrone books are unboxed.
Did you know that Benjamin Franklin established the first public lending library in 1731? Libraries date back to the 17th century and have stood as pillars of knowledge indifferent to economic or political status ever since. It’s heartbreaking to note that libraries often get the short end of the stick for budget cuts, public grants, and rank the lowest for public funding. Often in today’s age of digital indulgence most libraries have regrettably become underappreciated.
Palisade Public Library however has withstood the test of time and remains a pillar for the local community for all their literary needs. All thanks to the community involvement and hard work from its staff to thank the community right back.
Monday, February 6th was one such day. The children came in excited as always for after school snacks, sharing stories about their day and the crafts they looked forward to creating with Mrs. Malcolm. Once hands had been washed and snacks had been finished, she told the children that their usual story time was extra special this day. They grew more excited with every sentence as they learned that Palisade Public Library was one of the lucky recipients of 100 brand new books from the Brownstone Book Fund.
Brownstone selects only 100 libraries annually to receive these books, which were excitedly unboxed by the children who attend story hour. Three teams of children waited patiently to open their boxes, wondering what new books would be their favorites. When they finally opened them you could see the smiles and passion for reading shine brightly as they cheered, hungrily stacking up many familiar or new favorite titles. The added excitement for the children is their involvement in helping organize and categorize the books.
Throughout the next week they’ll help organize the books according to where they think they should go, which may help gain insight to how children think and help them find their own books easier without the dated index system of yesteryear. It’s no question that Palisade Public Library will continue to be a shining light for the community to grow its knowledge and love of reading. Palisade Public Library has been upholding the time-old tradition of being available to the public for over 100 years with Librarian Stephanie Malcolm actively engaging and inspiring children to read for the past five years.
“I love kids, and I want to see more reading in our next generations. We have been hosting story hour for the past 20 years on Mondays and Wednesdays, we have the garden club who gathers weekly and the garden club has been growing for a few years. The library really has served not just as a place to read but as a local community hub where many can find kinship in a clean, safe and engaging setting. “ -Stephanie Malcolm, Librarian
