Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Library provides learning for all ages and interests
BY JEANETTE WHITE
Correspondent
EDENTON - People looking
for help with learning, espe
cially children and young
mothers, find a secret weapon
when they discover Shepard
Pruden Memorial Library.
During the month of June,
3,698 people walked through
the door at the library to take
advantage of 23,000 books, au
diotapes, videotapes and other
services expected at any simi
lar facility.
The library has only two
full-time employees, County
Librarian Rosalie Boyd and
staff member Naomi White,
with several part-timers.
Michelle Vanterpooi works
with family outreach and Lee
Lolkema as assistant for chil
dren programming. Lolkema
is a retired educator and
school administrator who
plans all children’s programs
for Shepard-Pruden.
The library’s annual sum
mer reading program this
year sponsored six sessions
with more than 130 children in
each session. Youth and lead
ers gather on the waterfront
on summer days to have fun,
but the gatherings also serve
another purpose.
“It keeps the children read
ing and questioning, it contin
ues what they started during
the school year and they enjoy
it,” Boyd said.
For years the staff has made
an effort to visit every day
care center in the county, both
private and ^public, annually.
This year staff is making 18
visits to day care centers ev
ery two weeks to work with
about 285 children. This out
reach program is funded by
Smart Start and Chowan
Gates-Perquimans Partner
ship for Children.
Children are provided
“manipulatives,” or games,
puzzles, etc., appropriate for
the age group. Teachers at the
day care centers can request
certain materials they would
like to borrow for their chil
dren and the upstairs chil
dren’s activity room at the li
brary is loaded with books and
materials bought by Smart
Even though the state’s bud
get crunch is swiping at Smart
Start, Boyd says the local part
nership is working to provide
funding to continue the day
care program.
“We also make an effort to
contact young women with
children who may not be com
ing to the library. With them,
Michelle (Vanterpool) does
things like model reading for
the child..:she involves them
in what we call emerging lit
eracy when little children are
ready to learn how to
read...shows young mothers
how to do those kinds of
things with their child. Most
of them have not finished high
school and she encourages
them to get their GED.”
The encouragement of
young mothers has been a suc
cessful effort and some have
gone on to study at College of
the Albemarle.
A pre-school story hour is
held every Wednesday at 10
a.m. for 2- and 3-year-olds and
11 a.m. for 4- and 5-year-olds.
Part-time employee Joyce
White leads a successful pro
gram which provides visits to
nursing homes, where she
sometimes takes family and
music.
“Joyce visits with the
people, talks with them. Some
times she takes her own chil
dren or people from her fam
ily. Sometimes she takes her
church choir and they sing,
just whatever she comes up
with,” Boyd said.
The library offers varibus
public workshops each month
except during the summer, the
latest in June featuring Afrj
can-American genealogy in
conjunction with a local
church.
“I met a woman whose
great-great-grandfather had
been a slave in Edenton. He
had run away during the Civil
War at a time when Union
forces were occupying
Plymouth...He is buried in her
home town, she knew his his
tory, but came in here trying
to find the plantation from
which he escaped and didn’t .
even have a last name.
“She got interested in the
whole genealogy thing and, of
course, there are more diffi
culties with African-Ameri
can genealogy because of
records, not being kept
properly...She does an excel
lent lecture, it was an excel
lent, excellent program. She
has written a book and
brought that to the workshop.”
Another Shepard-Pruden
program allows authors from
eastern North Carolina to
meet their readers, who can
get books signed, and Boyd
tries to schedule book
signings on all but summer
months. One workshop after
the tragedy of September 11
explained the roots of bitter
ness people in some countries
feel against the United States.
A lecture series begins in the
fall and will feature poets.
Shepard-Pruden has 11 com
puters and seven of them are
connected to tne internet, i ne
computers stay busy after
school and during summer
months, giving youth without
computers a chance to inter
act with new technology. The
Gates Foundation donated two
computers to the library, both
loaded with the latest software
programs.
To give working families
more access, Shepard-Pruden
Memorial Library is open
from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Monday and Thursday and
three hours Saturday morn
ing.
“We have heavy traffic Sat
urday mornings, during the
school year especially, with
parents coming in with their
children.”
Boyd said there is no way
the library could offer so
many diverse programs with
out support of a strong and
committed group known as
Friends of the Library.
“We have a very strong
Friends of the Library group
and they are such good sup
port, I don’t know what we’d
do without them,” Boyd said.
About 170 families are mem
bers and provide funding for
such things as food and mile
Book club members discuss The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Clockwise, from the top are: Hannah Kelsey and her
mother, Hannah Winslow, Shelby Bollner, Daeza Riddick and Naomi White, assistant librarian at the Shepard-Pruden
Memorial Public Library in downtown Edenton. (Photo courtesy of Glenda iakubowski, Edenton-Chowan Schools)
Youngest readers form book club
with help from public library staff
BY GLENDA JAKUBOWSKI
Edenton-Chowan Schools
Oprah’s Book Club might
be more famous, but the book
club begun in White Oak
School teacher Elizabeth
Hathorn’s first-grade class
may end up with more stay
ing power — with the help of
the Shepard-Pruden Library,
the book club is going strong
even through summer vaca
tion.
Whether school’s in or out,
Chowan County’s public li
brary is never at a loss for
young readers, according to
librarian Rosalie Boyd. More
than 200 children, for ex
ample, signed up for the
library’s summer reading
program this year.
The book club is something
new.
Hathorn started the book
club in her classroom last year
after noticing how much her
students loved discussing the
books they read.
“I thought the book club
would be a way to develop that
interest and camaraderie,”
Hathorn said. “It could develop
into something that could last
forever.”
The interest has certainly
outlasted the school year. As
the summer drew near,
Hathorn approached Boyd
with the idea of continuing the
book club at the library during
vacation. The dynamics of the
club are similar to that of an
adult book club; each child Has
a copy of the same book, which
they all read together. Children
who aren’t readers yet can still
follow along as the book is read
out loud. After reading the
book, the children are asked
questions to stimulate discus
sions, and they also have the
chance to make a written or il
lustrated response to the story.
“Rosalie just took the ball
and ran with it,” Hathorn said.
“I’m impressed with how she
reaches out to the community”
During one such gathering,
“community” was the apt
word for the book clubbers.
Some were former students of
Hathorn’s. Others heard about
the club and decided it was just
the thing. One child, as eager
a participant, as any, officially
joins the Edenton-Chowan
Schools family for the 2002-03
school year, when she starts
kindergarten.
The book of the week on this
day was The Three Billy
Goats Gruff. Assistant librar
ian Naomi White read the
book out loud while the book
clubbers followed along. They
then discussed important as
pects of the story such as the
merits of the billy goat strat
egies for crossing the bridge,
which character they liked
best, and whether or not the
troll got what he deserved.
They also discussed what
might happen after the last
page had been turned.
“The troll drowned,” said
one child. “He was eaten by a
great white shark,” said an
other. All agreed that the Billy
Goats Gruff did indeed live
happily ever after.
And all agreed they would
be back next week to discuss
another literary masterpiece.
i .I ■■INI l ■
The Balloon Lady is one of the Summer Reading Program's most popular (and colorful)
attractions. Sessions take place in the waterfront park across the street from the Shepard
Pruden Public Library. (Chowan Herald file photo)
age for visiting authors. Boyd
said the group fills in many
gaps not covered by regular
funding.
Friends of the Library’s lat
est bi-annual fundraiser gar
nered $10,000 to revamp the
children’s section of the li
brary. The group has under
written programs and pur
chased computers, book racks,
blinds and audiotapes, which
Boyd says are especially help
ful for children who don’t read
well.
A conversation with the
county librarian shows that
she and her staff want the
These youngsters show off colorful ensembles during a
visit from the Balloon Lady during the Shepard-Pruden
Library’s Summer Reading Program. Other services offered
by the library for area children include a preschool story
hour every Wednesday for the younger children. The li
brary also offers a number public workshops and book
signings featuring North Carolina authors. Librarian Rosalie
Boyd credits the Friends of the Library's strong support with
making many of these activities possible.
public to share every resource
Shepard-Pruden has to offer
and she believes work with
children is very special.
“It might be our most impor
tant thing,” Boyd said. “Any
one who reads early will con
tinue to read.”