Lauren Saeger, branch manager of Steele Memorial Library, shows Pastor Dennis Atwood, of First Baptist Mount Olive, a book that children can use to learn to write the letters of the alphabet. This book is one of many items included in the library’s new Learning Studio Resource Center, made possible by a $5000 donation from the church through its Gratitude Project. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Steele Memorial Library’s branch manager, Lauren Saeger, flips through a catalog showing all the items available in the Learning Studio Resource Center at the Wayne County Public Library in Goldsboro. A similar catalog will be created for the new resource center at Steele Memorial. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Dennis Atwood, senior pastor of First Baptist Mount Olive, and Lauren Saeger, branch manager of Steele Memorial Library, stand in the area of the library designated to hold books in the library’s new Learning Studio Resource Center collection. Establishment of the new resource center was made possible by a donation from the church. (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Branch manager Lauren Saeger demonstrates use of a ‘Mindful Maze,’one of the items in Steele Memorial Library’s new Learning Studio Resource Center. The Mindful Mazes promote social-emotional learning and mindfulness. ‘It’s calming,’ Saeger says. ‘I could do this all the livelong day.’ (Kathy Grant Westbrook|mountolivetribune.com)
Thanks to a $5,000 donation from First Baptist Mount Olive, Steele Memorial Library has almost completed the establishment of its own Learning Studio Resource Center to serve those in the community with learning differences, such as dyslexia and ADHD.
The library is stocking up on a wide variety of materials, including (but not limited to): books that read aloud, large-print books, games that help with math and reading concepts, books in which the user learns how to write letters and numbers by tracing them (using disappearing ink, so the books can be used over and over again), and pencil grips to make holding a pencil easier.
In the past, when patrons needed access to these types of materials, Steele Memorial staff borrowed them from the Wayne County Public Library in Goldsboro, which has an extensive resource center. The Mount Olive branch would not have been able to establish its own center were it not for the generosity of First Baptist Church, which has been donating to nonprofits and other qualifying organizations through its $100,000 Gratitude Project grant fund, those at Steele noted.
The library applied to First Baptist for funding and met the criteria established by the church. “We wanted to make a difference in Mount Olive, impact people here,” allows Senior Pastor Dr. Dennis Atwood. “What better work could we do than to send the library a check that would help them to reach out to kids.”
“We’re very excited and very grateful and thankful for this community and the First Baptist Church; they walk the walk,” says Steele Memorial’s branch manager Dr. Lauren Saeger. “You see the love that they have for the community.”
Saeger points out that even though patrons have previously had access to these materials via the Goldsboro library, having a permanent collection in Mount Olive will make a huge difference. Before, patrons had to flip through a catalog showing Goldsboro’s offerings, trying to determine if any items looked promising for their children. Now, Saeger says, they will be able to look at the actual items, making it much easier and convenient to see if a particular item looks promising. (Steele Memorial will also create a catalog of its materials for parents to flip through to familiarize themselves with the materials.)
To drive home her point, she holds up a Mindful Maze Set purchased by the library. Demonstrating use of one of the mazes, Saeger uses her index finger to trace the simple, 3-D image, inhaling and exhaling as guided by tactile prompts. The purpose of this activity is to promote social-emotional learning and mindfulness. “They’re my favorite thing,” Saeger notes. “It’s calming. I could do this all the livelong day.”
Atwood likens the Mindful Mazes to labyrinths (circular paths on which people walk to promote mindfulness and contemplation), though on a much smaller scale.
Upon observing their child using the Mindful Mazes (for example), parents can determine if it’s worth taking the mazes home. All materials will be available for three-week check-out to individuals and families in Wayne County.
By checking out items from the library, it’s also a way of helping parents decide which materials they may want to eventually purchase. “Some of these items can be really expensive,” Saeger notes. “Whey not come to the library, check it out here, try it with your child, see if that’s an item that works for your child; if it is, then you can make the financial investment.”
Not only are some of the items expensive, but the books that have been purchased for this collection often tend to be costly, as well, due to the technology involved with books that read the text aloud. These books, by the way, will not be interspersed with the regular collection, but will be housed in their own special section to make them easy to locate.
Although the Learning Studio is being furnished with items geared to children, adults who could benefit from the materials (those who are learning to read or are dyslexic, for instance) are welcome to check them out, too.
For more information about Steele Memorial’s new Learning Studio Resource Center, call 919-299-8105. The library is located at 119 W. Main Street.
