Children's Services

The role of Children's Services is

• to provide a wide variety of materials, services, and technology to meet the informational and recreational needs of children and of adults who work with children
• to stimulate and encourage reading through creative programming, reference services, and reader's advisory
• to promote library services and activities for the children of our community

The primary audience for Children's Services is birth through grade six. Services and materials are provided for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school aged children. In addition, we provide for people who function at the reading or developmental level of children, parents, educators, caregivers, students of children's literature, and other adults, agencies, and organizations who serve children.

Information services provide children with answers to their questions and curiosities using both print and technology. Children's Services programming is recreational, cultural and/or informational for children and adults. These programs are sponsored by the library to introduce and extend the use of the library collection, publicize the library and attract new users, create an inviting atmosphere where both learning and enjoyment can occur, and expand cultural awareness.

Special events and activities in Children's Services include:

• Storytimes for babies, toddlers, and pre-schoolers that bring the child and adult to the library at regular intervals to share resources and to form the habit of library use.
• Annual Summer Reading Program that encourages the independent reader to continue reading during the summer and exposes the pre-schooler to the richness of children's literature by having books read aloud to them.
• Storytelling that exposes children to the oral traditions and to folklore
• Book talks that foster interest in reading
• Annual Author/Illustrator program that offers children and adults the opportunity to hear authors read from their works and discuss how they came to write/illustrate for children.
• Project Card that encourages first graders to use their newly acquired reading skill, get their library cards, and use the library's resources.
• Class and Group visits that introduce students to the library, its staff, services, and materials.
• Arts and Crafts Programs that introduce children to a variety of handicrafts and the books that will help them develop life long hobbies.
• Cultural Programs that introduce children and adults to premier artists from around Louisiana, storytellers, musicians, dancers, theatre artists, and more.