At 3:30 pm, Monday the 25th, in the conference room of the Albany Public Library an enthusiatic and colorfully outfitted group of children gathered around to watch a Halloween themed marionette show about a horse and a clown who were being haunted by a goulish spirit. After the show chairs were scooted to the side and replaced with Halloween themed game stations and arts and crafts tables.
If you are looking for something fun to do on a budget look no further than our Albany Public Library. Heather Doan, mother of two girls, said that she likes it because there aren't many actvities for children after school and that are in a safe location."The kids really enjoy it," Doan adds.
"It's not as much fun as I thought it would be," said Abe Peterson, age 10. When questioned why, he responded looking forlornly at his zombie mask: "Because I couldn't wear my mask; it's too scary for the little kids." Though Peterson later said that he would like to come to more of these events.
All events and activities are free of charge; likewise, if you are interested in holding an event or activity there is no cost to use the conference room. The only limitations are that your event must be open to the public, and you may not charge admission, nor make a profit in any way from it.
The Albany Public Library is big on community outreach, especially youth outreach. Doris Hicks, Young Adult Librarian, and Scott Keeney, Children's Librarian, are the leaders of this event and many others like it. "I was very fortunate to come into a tradition of outreach to the schools," Hicks said.
Their main objective is to promote art and literature in the community. "We're a staging place for culture in our society," said Keeney.
They offer these programs in order to bring people in, people that may not usually go to the library and don't know about all they have to offer. You can check out more than just books, you can also borrow movies, audio books, magazines and even CDs. It is also a great place to kick back and read a book on one of their comfy chairs, or do your homework using one of their computers.
The Halloween Arts & Crafts activity was just one of many events they do. This December 5th they are having a historical program on early settlers that will include stories and songs by a costumed story teller. For young adults the library also hosts clubs, such as their anime club.
For those considering themselves a little too old for puppet shows they also have book clubs and events for you. For instance, they once had a Hollocaust survivor come in and speak, attracting an audience of around 200.
The Albany Public Library is working hard to encourage everyone in our community, especially the children, to become more involved in art and literature and they are well on their way. Keeney said with a look of triumph: "It's amazing, every story-telling at least 10% of the people are new."
At a Glance:
Location & Hours:
Main Library
2450 14th Avenue SE
541-917-7580
M-W 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Th-F 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sa 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Su 1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Carnegie Library302 Ferry Street SW
541-917-7585
M-F 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Contacts:
Doris Hicks: doris.hicks@cityofalbany.net
Ways To Get Involved:
Volunteer forms can be located at the front desk
Calendar:
Open the Adobe 'Calendar of Events' located on the right hand side: http://library.ci.albany.or.us/
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