The last thing you\u2019d expect to find at a public library is sumac, but that is precisely what was available through the month of September at a table that offers samples of the spice, along with a recipe and a fact sheet.<\/p>\n
At the Parkland Community Library, South Whitehall, a different spice is featured each month.<\/p>\n
The library is no longer just a place to borrow books. Times have changed and libraries have changed with them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to grow the library,\u201d said Parkland\u2019s reference librarian Kelly Bower, as she walked to a cabinet labeled \u201cOur Library of Things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople can rent out items from telescopes to tents, to inflatable movie screens to Karaoke machines,\u201d she said. It\u2019s all about \u201cways to engage the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is front and center for Maryellen Kanarr, director of the Parkland Community Library for the past three years.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuseum passes have been pretty popular and so have games and jigsaw puzzles,\u201d she said, but that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n
At the Parkland Community Library, patrons can also use their library cards to borrow \u201cStay Sharp Kits,\u201d that include \u201call things that have been curated to make learning fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a really generous donation [honoring] someone who worked with seniors and they agreed the kits were a good idea so now we have 16 kits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Stay Sharp Kits are geared for seniors, to engage them and bring back memories, but kids like them too, so they\u2019re intergenerational,\u201d Kanaar said. \u201cThe memory kits have gone over pretty well.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also have STEAM kits that are geared toward children and include topics like robotics, coding and art. They\u2019re very popular,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
According to Bower, \u201cEach bag is filled with different items contributing to a theme.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, there are books for every taste and interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve whittled down our reference books quite a bit but there\u2019s been an uptick in classic literature,\u201d Bower said, who posits that the summer blockbuster The Odyssey may be responsible for the change.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had more interest in Greek and Roman tales and the culture, since the movie was released,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have new verse translations so patrons could understand what they\u2019re watching. A lot of young people were interested in Polyphemus, the cyclops [in the film].\u201d<\/p>\n
Books and research material remain the heart of the library.<\/p>\n
An hour before closing, Bower found the latest edition of an SAT prep book for one father and provided materials for a mom who \u201cneeded materials for her youngster who\u2019s missed school, to try to catch her up.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the Slatington Public Library, librarian Rosanne Pugh was busy assisting patrons checking out books, while other patrons searched the Internet, and yet another was seeking help with her cellphone.<\/p>\n
Meantime, nine community members interested in genealogy sat and chatted at the back of the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is their fourth year,\u201d Pugh said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The] Book club meets the first Monday of the month,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe have 20 members, but we also have a Zoom version.\u201d<\/p>\n
The library has seen a great many changes over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have a card catalog anymore,\u201d Pugh explained, \u201cand everything is checked out on a computer,\u201d but remnants of the past are on clear display in the historic building that was once a Ben Franklin five and dime.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe library is not just books anymore,\u201d Pugh said. \u201cIt\u2019s the center of the community. It\u2019s a safe place for people to meet. It\u2019s kind of like a community center.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the children\u2019s room at the Allentown Library, large paper dinosaurs hover above the bookshelves while children spin in colorful plastic chairs.<\/p>\n
The colorful creatures are leftover from Dig into Books, the theme for last summer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the summertime, we get about 100 new registrations a month,\u201d said children\u2019s librarian Ellen Hiotis.<\/p>\n
During COVID, the Allentown Public Library paired with local schools to issue library cards.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2021 or 2022 we distributed 18,000 library cards to all the children in the Allentown School District,\u201d Hiotis recalled.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s theme is \u201cA Library Card Hits All the Right Notes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Libraries sponsor book clubs, movie nights, crafting classes and more.<\/p>\n
According to the American Library Association. \u201cNo matter what rhythm you find yourself in, there\u2019s a seat in the front row at the library for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ALA is the oldest and largest library association in the world, founded in Philadelphia in 1876 whose mission is to support literacy and protect intellectual freedom.<\/p>\n
When it comes to books, new books are always available.<\/p>\n
If you can\u2019t find a particular title, your library will search for it and within a week or so, you\u2019ll be able to borrow that book from another library at your local library for your use.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been trying to get more people to sign up for library cards. We have something for everybody,\u201d Kanarr said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can rent the items in this cabinet for free,\u201d said librarian Kelly Bower about the Library of Things at the Parkland Community Library, South Whitehall.<\/p>\n
Library Card Sign-up Month is the perfect time to visit your library and check out everything it has to offer, and of course to sign up for a library card.<\/p>\n
PRESS PHOTOS BY ANNA GILGOFFAt the Allentown Public Library, Ellen Hiotis has been a children\u2019s librarian for over 30 years.<\/p>\n
Colorful dinosaurs promote learning in a fun way at the Allentown Public Library.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe paintings that line the library walls are leftovers. People just drop things off,\u201d librarian Roseann Pugh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been here 42 years,\u201d Slatington librarian Roseann Pugh said. \u201cI retired but came back when they needed me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Slatington Library building was built in 1897. The original tin ceiling is an architectural feature of the past enhanced by vintage artifacts still on view.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The last thing you\u2019d expect to find at a public library is sumac, but that is precisely what…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297860,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120],"class_list":["post-297859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-allentown","tag-allentown","tag-allentown-headlines","tag-allentown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297859\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}