Forest Mayor Nancy Chambers officially proclaimed National Library Week, April 8-14, as the Forest Public Library begins a week-long celebration. The theme of this year’s event is “Libraries Lead” and the library is leading the way with community programs. “The Central Mississippi Regional Library System considers National Library Week as one of the biggest promotions of the year,” said Librarian Dianne McLaurin. “Many of the libraries within the system schedule special programs for every day of the week, and Forest is one of those libraries. We consider public libraries as champions of community spirit, and we promote this attitude with week-long activities for all ages.”
On Monday, April 9, the library is hosting a MEGA BLOK party for preschool age children from 11:00 a.m. until noon. The pre-lunch activity features building fun with oversized blocks that the library received through a grant.
Tuesday, April 10, the public libraries of Scott County are planning a collaborative event by hosting Pascagoula photographer Jeff Baldock, Creative Visions, at the Forest Public Library. The photography exhibit begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a presentation at 6:00. The program is sponsored by the Friends and staff of the Forest, Lake, Morton and Sebastopol libraries and Forest Community Arts. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the evening. “We are so excited about this program. Our Scott county libraries individualize programming throughout the year; however, this event is an opportunity for our library employees and Friends’ groups to show community spirit that extends throughout the county. I spoke with Mr. Baldock this week, and he is bringing ten prints to give away as door prizes, plus he is revealing the newest edition to “Downtown by Night” series – the town of Morton!” McLaurin explained.
On Wednesday, April 11, the library is focusing on the week-long passive activities that take place inside the library. The first activity, sponsored by the Forest Friends of the Library, targets grades K-6 and is entitled Draw Your Dreams. Each student is asked to draw a picture of his or her perfect job on a piece of cardstock, which is provided at the library. The original drawing, accompanied by the name, age, and phone number on the back, must be submitted at the circulation desk by Friday, April 13. The drawings will be divided into two groups for prize selection: K-3rd grades and 4th-6th grades. The winning artist of each group will receive a $25 prize. The Dream drawings will decorate the library throughout the month of April!
The other passive activity includes residents of all ages and is part of the national promotion. Patrons are asked to complete the following statements and post them at the library: The library led me to… or Our library led the way to...the rest of the story being the best part. According to McLaurin, the responses to these prompts are as different as the people who visit the library. “The library leads people to new authors and different countries and amazing discoveries. Our library also leads the way to diplomas and new jobs and better grades. We are excited to see what the end of each sentence reveals!”
On Thursday, April 12, the library shows appreciation to the city employees of Forest. “All across the country, this day is designated as Take Action for Libraries Day. The city employees of Forest serve the library throughout the year, so we are serving them lunch.
The final program on Friday, April 13, partners with the Mississippi Tobacco Free Coalition to provide information on the health risks of tobacco usage. The teen program starts at 4:00 p.m. and is part of the Forest library’s focus on health literacy. The library has presented programs from pediatric wellness to blood drives to family fitness as part of the Healthy Hometown agenda over the past year. This program targets the 13-18 age group for the purpose of prevention and education.
For more information on any of the National Library Week programs, please contact the Forest Public Library at 601-469-1481.
