Lots of new children's books!

Beardstown Houston Memorial Library has just added $1,053 worth of new children’s books to its shelves thanks to community donations and a grant. Director Cate Parish applied for The Libri Foundation grant to purchase new children’s books at the beginning of the year.

The children’s library was in desperate need of new materials, since more than two-thirds of the books on the shelf were over twenty years old. At the time the grant was written, circulation of children’s materials accounted for only 21 percent of the total number of books checked out.

The library has had 1,501 visits from children in the last two months and with the addition of the new books, Ms. Parish hopes to see more children checking out books.

It took a lot of hard work on the part of many people to get the new materials. The Libri Foundation requires that the participating library conduct a fundraiser to raise matching funds. The Libri Foundation then matches the funds 2-to-1.

Project Next Generation, a teen program at the library, took on part of the responsibility for fundraising by asking for donations outside of Wal-Mart in June. In addition, library staff distributed collection bottles to several community businesses. Between the two efforts, the library raised enough money to request the maximum number of books allowed through the grant.

The books arrived just a few weeks ago and staff members have worked diligently to prepare them for checkout. They are now on display in front of the main circulation desk and are ready to be checked out. Parents and children are encouraged to stop by and browse as many of the books are part of the Accelerated Reader program and have won awards for literary excellence.