The Durham Public Library is pleased to announce that they have been awarded a $2,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County/Herb and Ellen Patterson Memorial Fund/Mary Ann Lambert Random Acts of Kindness Fund for the library’s Reading Readiness Project.
This grant will enable the Durham Public Library to further develop the picture book collection and to reorganize the children’s room to better support the developmental needs of preschoolers. This program will involve purchasing additional concept books (alphabet/colors/numbers, etc.) and moving high-interest books to bins to encourage browsing and foster early literacy development. Additional funding is provided from donations to the library.
“Preschool children are developing their autonomy,” says Children’s Librarian Christine Michaud, “and they like to pick out their own books.” Currently, she said, the shelving arrangement places many of the books out of direct sight lines from the children’s play area and out of the reach of preschool children. This discourages children from browsing for books that meet their interests. “These funds will enable us to open up the preschool area of the children’s department and encourage children to browse for books that engage their interests, which in turn helps children to develop a love of reading,” Michaud concluded.
The Middlesex County Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for the people of the County, now and in the future, by developing endowments, making grants that have impact and assisting donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives. Since its founding in 1997, the Community Foundation has awarded 850 grants totaling over $2.5 million for the arts, cultural and heritage programs, educational activities, environmental improvements and for health and human services.
