Union County Library System

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Library Association (PaLA) granted Best Practices in Early Learning Awards to The Public Library for Union County for its “Down on the Farm” program on May 29, 2009, and to the Union County Library System (UCLS) for its participation in the “National Night Out” Lewisburg police event that was held on Aug. 4, 2009.

The Public Library for Union County’s “Down on the Farm” program was selected as a best practice in the seventh annual PaLA’s Best Practices Awards for Programming and Services to Children under the Age of Six, Their Families and Caregivers in the category of “Programs for Children Between Four and Six Years of Age” from among libraries across the state.

The Union County Library System’s participation in National Night Out was selected for recognition in the category of “Programs that Showcase Community Collaborations.” The UCLS is one of PaLA’s first-time best practices award-winners.

This year, 21 awards were presented to 17 libraries at the Hilton in Harrisburg on Wed., April 14, at the Pennsylvania Libraries: Learning Starts Here! Early Learning Forum and Best Practices Luncheon. This statewide educational symposium was attended by several hundred librarians, advocates and policymakers.

The Best Practices Award celebrates public library programs that are especially creative, innovative, and effective in serving young children, their families and caregivers. They were presented by illustrator and author, Will and Jane Hillenbrand, whose book, “What a Treasure,” is this year’s selection for the “One Book, Every Young Child” initiative.

Mary Harrison, head of the Children’s Services department at The Public Library for Union County, developed the “Down on the Farm” program as a way to show preschoolers how food begins its journey to their tables.

As former 4-H kids, Harrison and Mende Croll, Children’s Services Assistant at The Public Library for Union County, went to work bringing a “farm” to the library. They especially wanted to attract families unable to attend the regularly-scheduled story time programs.

“We had a great turnout,” Harrison said. “We read books and introduced activities that showed the shapes of different vegetables and how they grow. We made a barn out of cardboard boxes and put puppets in it. And we made a sawhorse ‘cow’ for the children to milk.”

To add to the fun, the women led the crowd in a simple square dance.

Harrison is pleased that the Best Practices Award provides an opportunity to share this lively approach to early literacy with other libraries. She said, “We had so much fun, and everything we did can be replicated easily. The kids loved milking the cow, and it can be adapted for any space. The cardboard barn was such a hit that we put it in the library’s play area – with puppets – for the kids to enjoy for months.”

National Night Out – America’s Night Out Against Crime – takes place every August in more than 15,000 communities nationwide. The effort is sponsored by citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 15,000 communities in all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canada and military bases worldwide. In 2009, more than 36 million people participated in National Night Out.

When the Union County United Way asked member agencies to participate in Lewisburg’s National Night Out, Harrison worked to make sure that the Union County Library System had a booth. “It’s a wonderful opportunity – an informal summer evening in the park, with lots of other things going on,” Harrison said. “We gave out information about all of our libraries and our reading programs.”

Activities were offered based on Read Across the Valley’s “One Book” selection, John Grogan’s book “Marley and Me,” and included a dog puppet craft. Library staff also gave away bags of popcorn and copies of “If You Were a Penguin,” the 2009 One Book, Every Young Child selection.

“National Night Out offers tremendous community exposure for libraries in the summer – the time of year when new families are moving into the area, just before school starts,” Harrison said. “It’s a great way for people to get to know us when we’re in a relaxed atmosphere, instead of standing behind the circulation desk.”

For more information about The Pennsylvania Library Association, visit http://www.palibraries.org/