It was the first trip to the Evanston Public Library for a bunch of kindergartners from Kingsley Elementary School, who skipped and wiggled their way through the maze of books Wednesday afternoon on a field trip. “For many kids, this is their introduction to the library,” said Randy Heite, who has been teaching kindergarten for 31 years.
“Reading is everything,” he said. “I tell the kids, if you want be a dancer, a doctor, a musician, a teacher, whatever you want to be, the key is reading.”
About 50 children from three classes took buses to the library at 1703 Orrington Ave. Librarian Laura Florian said she invites all of District 65’s kindergarten classes to the library every year. “We want to introduce them to the space,” she said. “We want them to know this is a friendly place. We want them to see and meet the staff.”
The students were given a tour of the children’s room, where they learned about the difference between fiction and non-fiction (hard to tell these days). They got a chance to read books on their own or with their teacher, or join a librarian for story time. And they were taught how to make flower necklaces.
They also looked at the tiny books they previously designed in class that were placed in the library’s north windows. “We put them in the window so they can feel proud and show their parents,” said Florian. “We want them to come back with the families.”
But best of all, they got library cards. Before the big day, the families of students who do not have cards filled out the forms and dropped them off at school. The paperwork was left at the circulation desk when the students arrived, and the cards were ready for their teachers to take back to Kingsley before the kids headed back to school.
“That’s the biggest treat of all,” said Heite.
So this is a library! is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.