When Flenniken Public Library in Carmichaels celebrated its 60th anniversary on the first of May, I was one of the many visitors who stopped by for custom cupcakes and a chance to be thrilled by all the services this library and community center has to offer. I already knew this was the place to get fingerprints taken for clearances – library staffers are trained by Identigo and can schedule you any time during the library day. What I didn’t know was how many 21st century skills can be learned here, by kids of any age.
Library Director Nicole Mitchell, who will be finishing her master’s degree in library science in November, was glad to take me back to the future that is tucked away on the enclosed front porch where the 3D printer and a scattering of computer stations hold court. Here’s where library cardholders come to turn their writings into bound books and there are stations for using the virtual and augmented reality headsets. Want to build a robot? Lego Mindstorms is waiting to be assembled. Want to build a computer from scratch? Arduino, an electronic platform for creating interactive products allows you to build a motherboard and make it work.
When it comes to learning anatomy at an early age, there’s Parker, a cuddly Augmented Reality bear that shows preschoolers the layers of the body on a tablet or a phone, from circular to skeletal, depending on which blanket he’s snuggling under.
When COVID-19 ended face-to-face library time, children’s program coordinator and long time story teller Norma Kelley put her imagination to work to bring story time and craft classes to the community via social media. As lockdown began loosening, “We were able to bring in one child for story time the others could watch along at home.” For Crafternoon classes with Grace Bradmon, paper bag craft kits can be picked up at the library and taken home to be done anytime while watching the prerecorded classes. Now with COVID-19 restrictions lifting, and summer on the horizon, library life will be getting back to face-to-face programs and activities as soon as possible.
Today’s libraries are geared to meet the educational standards that prepare kids from the earliest years to be successful in school. Story hours for preschoolers give parents and grandparents a chance to be part of the curriculum – as kids grow into science, music and the arts they and their families can both find programs and activities there to expand their learning curve. Many adult learning classes are free for cardholders, and Nicole tells me the library has plenty of regulars who come here to read the paper and browse the ‘net with their morning coffee.
Flenniken Library has that Cheers “where everyone knows your name” kind of feeling that invites you in and makes you want to stay awhile. The stately elegance of the community room with its fireplace, comfy chairs and a coffee bar is more than inviting. At the anniversary open house, a couple new to the area got the tour with docent for a day Emma Bates, 14, who is already a published author. She showed me the special book section devoted to local authors and introduced me to Cecil the literary leopard spotted gecko. County commissioner Blair Zimmerman stopped by for a tour of the 21st century gadgets that funding from EQT has made possible over the last five years and Nicole shared one of her future dreams with me.
“We’d love to have a sensory room for children with Autism. At this point it’s a matter of finding space.”
Library hours are Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Friday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
