The Children’s Library at The Community Library in Ketchum is not generally a very quiet space; it is filled with enthused and happy kids—kids that are excited about reading and excited about everything else this extraordinary library has to offer. Locals and visitors frequent the library, and many kids refer to it as their favorite place in Ketchum. Some children come every day, especially over school breaks or when the weather prevents any outside fun. Many tourists from big cities use The Community Library far more than they do their home libraries because of its ease and accessibility and truly inviting atmosphere. For many summer visitors, the library is one of the many reasons they look forward to visiting Sun Valley and Ketchum.
The physical space itself is designed for young hearts and minds. The bookshelves are curved and whimsical and topped with Dr. Seuss sculptures like the Turtle-Necked Sea Turtle and Carbonic Walrus. Tables, chairs and comfortable couches make for cozy story time, and the Totem Pole (a commissioned artwork by Allan and Mary Dee Dodge) has a wide mouth with cushions that makes a great secret reading spot for kids in the know. The Toddler Room has a door to keep new walkers safe and is filled with board books and games for the library’s youngest patrons.
The Tree House is a separate space filled with bean bags and a beautiful view and is used for visiting classes and story time (every Monday morning at 10:30 a.m.) but is usually open for all to relax and enjoy. And, of course, with kids you need a designated “messy space” where they can participate in daily crafts, have a snack, and even learn how to oil paint with Judy Zimmer, one of the librarians who also heads up and teaches the weekly “Paint Club.”
Beyond Story Time and Paint Club and daily crafts, The Children’s Library also features a “Paws to Read” program allowing children to read to trained therapy dogs, a monthly day of Pretend Play which is a drop-in program with a story and a theme from 11 a.m. -1 p.m. for younger library patrons. The library also embraces each season and holiday with themed crafts and book displays. The staff even holds a much-beloved dinosaur scavenger hunt every year, which is a fun way to get kids to explore all areas of the library.
One of The Children’s Library’s most popular programs is their summer reading program, which encourages kids to read for fun. Children sign up individually and then log their reading minutes and earn prizes each time they reach certain milestones.
This year’s summer reading theme is “Unearth a Book,” with weekly activity and book ideas and suggestions that are then expanded upon by programs director Haley Christianson. Every year, 250-300 kids participate in the summer reading program across the three age groups—preschool, grades one through six, and teens (grades seven through 12.) The kids get together for a kickoff party at the start of summer and then an awards party as summer and the “competition” draws to a close.
The children’s book collection has board books, picture books, first readers, regular fiction, graphic novels, young adult fiction (housed in the main library) read-aloud books, books on CD, a great selection of Spanish-language books and movie DVDs, and YOTOs, which are very popular analog audio book players. Deann Campbell, the head of The Children’s Library for 13 years, has put together a remarkable collection. She has also assembled a staff of caring, smart and enthusiastic “reading role models” for the kids.
When we spoke, Campbell was deep in planning stages for The Sun Valley Early Literacy Summit, held in June. It brings together Idaho’s teachers around the science of reading. The group explores structured literacy, phonemic awareness and various teaching strategies around multilingual language learners and students with various learning differences.
When asked about her fundamental philosophies regarding kids and reading, Campbell notes that parents, grandparents, caregivers, and teachers should be intentional; it takes time and “mileage” meaning plenty of time spent reading to or with a child. The vocabulary of a child who has been read to will be much higher than that of a child who hasn’t, simply due to the exposure to so many more words.
Though there are computers available for independent use for older kids in “The Juice Box,” (a room near the “Teen Lounge”), there is only one computer in The Children’s Library; its sole function is to lead children to books. Whatever a child’s interest may be, whether it’s soccer, puppies, aliens, hockey, or funny stories about dinosaurs, the computer (or the librarians) can point that child in the right direction.
“The library is a magical place, and it’s a safe space,” Campbell stressed. “The layout progresses with the child … from the toddler room to the beginning readers and children’s picture books, fiction and nonfiction; to the young adult link and the adult library beyond.”
And you may have seen the colorful Book Mobile around town? This van functions as a full-service library serving more remote areas and neighborhoods to prevent summer learning loss. Driven by Lilianna Bridge, who handles The Children’s Library outreach, and hosts the mobile story time, the Book Mobile works alongside the Bloom Truck, which is run by The Hunger Coalition. The Bloom Truck provides lunches to go along with books.
“Some days are wild and crazy here,” Campbell noted. “And other days are nice and slow; but what I love to see are kids and parents being present with each other, enjoying a book together here and then taking books home to continue that quality time.”
For many families, The Community Library has become a ritual—whether weekly or monthly or even as an in-between spot after school and before ballet or soccer—it’s a place for homework, maybe a snack, puzzles, crafts, coloring, but most of all reading, whether in the mouth of the Totem Pole or lounging in the sunlight streaming into the Tree House. As Campbell pointed out, “Every kid deserves a beautiful place to read.”
The children’s collection complements what is available in Ketchum and a courier system does exist to shuttle books back and forth. “We can’t police what children read or whether they read—that’s a parent’s job—but we know that the bottom line is that the library is a positive place to visit.”
What’s Happening in Hailey …
- Lee Dabney, co-director of the Hailey Public Library, has similar views about the importance of getting books into kids’ hands—especially in the present era with the prevalence of screens in children’s lives. Dabney believes graphic novels are a great bridge for many kids as a first foray into higher levels of fiction, and she spends time trying to help kids “find what they like.”
- The New York Times publishes lists of related books just for this purpose. For example, if you like the “Dog Man” series by Dav Pilkey then you may also like “Investigators” by John Patrick Green. Dabney has these lists laminated and posted in the library.
- Dabney believes, “If you don’t like to read you just haven’t met the right book.” She knows how important the library is to a community and is happy to report that the Hailey Library continues to grow, averaging 400 visitors per day.
Hailey’s Weekly Children’s Calendar
- Baby & Toddler Story Time: Wednesdays, 10:15 – 10:45 a.m. (story time) and 11:15 – 11:45 a.m. (story time) with Community Play Time, including stories, songs, instruments and finger plays.
- Story Time: Fridays at 11a.m. and Saturdays at 3:30 p.m., includes songs, stories, and crafts.
- Reading Bridge: Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m. Designed to help foster a love of books and reading in a supportive small group environment—basic reading concepts are reinforced through fun activities designed to build reader’s fluency and confidence. The program is free and no registration is required.