By Linda Burns

 
I am excited about being here at the Cross Plains Public Library where there is always something going on that is very impressive for a small town. The cooperative spirit of the community volunteerism is remarkable and the library benefits from the accomplishments of the many talented people who generously give of their time and energy.

 The services provided are first-class and the programming is outstanding. The successful LAP (Learning About… Program) and Lapsit (Learning About…Program for toddlers) have been ongoing for many years and have received positive comments from attending parents and eager children. The curriculums for the little ones are designed to make learning fun and exciting, experiencing stories and songs with visual effects and hands on activities. The programs are held weekly November through April.

Summer reading programs include a week long session for ages 3 to 6 that offers stories, songs, finger-plays, crafts, snacks and prizes. To promote and encourage children to visit the library, special events for first through sixth graders include a visit from a television meteorologist, a marine biologist, and a Trooper from the Texas Department of Public Safety. There are demonstrations which include “Making Fun Foods”, “How to Paint a Mural” , “How to Shoe a Horse”, and an appearance of the Cross Plains Fire Engine and volunteer firefighters to talk to the children about fire safety.

Monthly after-school programs are presented to the children so they may have the opportunity to keep experiencing new exciting activities and to continue using the library facilities. In the month of September Grandparents are honored with a special day. The library hosts a child/grandparent activity where a simple little teddy bear is made by the grandparent and the child taking turns stitching until the bear is complete. If a child does not have a grandparent living in the vicinity, there are adoptive grandparents invited to participate in the making of the project. A variety of interesting and educational programs for the children are scheduled throughout the year.   

 The library is offering a new program, Books on Wheels, for those who are confined to their homes either permanently or on a temporary basis. After completing a form to let the library know what type reading material the patron is interested in, volunteers deliver books to their homes. The library has a sizeable collection of large print books in many categories,  as well as audio books on cassette tape for people who may find it difficult to read small print.

 Even though we have an exceptional collection of resources for a small library, our library has the opportunity to be as large as the libraries in major cities.  Patrons can ask for any book title or subject matter and by means of the Interlibrary Loan service we can provide the requested material by borrowing the items from another library. 

 You are invited to please come by and “Check Us Out!”