HOULTON, Maine — Changes are being made to several areas of the Cary Memorial Library to draw more teens to it.
Librarian Linda Faucher said a conscious effort to revamp the teen area of the library, by bringing in new furniture and hand-crafted book cases, is meant to make the area more appealing.
“Our goal is to furnish the teen area, creating a comfortable environment for teen learning,” Faucher said.
The library was able to perform the renovations thanks to a generous donation from Charles Starkey, Faucher said. “Mr. Starkey’s thoughtful gift continues a tradition started by his parents Earle and Eleanor Starkey,” she said.
In addition to the renovations to the teen area, changes are also being made to the children’s section. Many children learn to read using phonemic awareness — the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
“Phonics education allows instruction in decoding letters and recognizing sounds, all first steps in learning to read,” Faucher said. “To help develop their literacy skills, the Rotary Club of Houlton provided a grant to the library so our patrons can choose from nine phonics kits for take-home learning.”
The Toddler Time take-home kits for preschoolers will feature 20 backpacks stuffed with an oversized board book, a music CD, a musical instrument, dancing scarfs and a lesson plan on how parents can create story time for their toddlers at home.
Additional funding from donations will be used to purchase nature explorer Audubon backpack kits, Faucher said. These will be available to check out for one week to help families explore the outdoors together while learning about wildlife and habitat.
Another grant, made possible by the Maine Public Library Fund, will allow the library to create “STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) kits,” for youths. These kits are designed at more scientific activities such as building circuits to coding, gears, science and nutrition.
Future renovations include remodeling the library’s wireless internet zone, and turning it into a reading zone with more comfortable seating, Faucher said.
For information on happenings at the library, call 207-532-1302 or visit https://www.cary.lib.me.us/.
HOULTON, Maine — April 21, 2022 — Phonics kits designed for those in pre-kindergarten to third grade are now available at the Cary Memorial Library. (Photo courtesy of Cary Library)
HOULTON, Maine — April 21, 2022 — New kits for science and nutrition are now available at the Cary Memorial Library in Houlton. (Photo courtesy of Cary Library)
HOULTON, Maine — April 21, 2022 — Maine Audubon backpacks are now available for adults and teens to check out at the Cary Memorial Library. (Photo courtesy of Cary Library)
