CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING

The Youth Services Department

About the Collection

There are more than 25,000 items in the library for children and teens, including recorded books, VHS tapes, DVDs, and magazines. Some of the nonfiction collection has been chosen to help students from kindergarten through high school with their schoolwork, but most nonfiction books teach new skills, such as cooking or drawing, or provide a variety of information on favorite hobbies or areas of interest, such as dinosaurs or NASCAR.

About 5,000 of the books in the Youth Collection are "Easy," or picture, books for parents to read aloud to and with young children. There are also a large number of leveled readers for children beginning to read on their own, and "board books" for babies and toddlers. Due to space constraints, materials for young adults (YA) are currently shelved with the general adult collection. Teens may ask the Youth Services librarians for assistance in locating YA materials. Branch libraries have smaller but similar collections.

Youth Services Staff
Jennifer Gillis            774-6045 x. 203
Delisa Williams         774-6045 x. 204

Programs for Children and Teens

Story Time for Young Children
From September through the end of April, the Lee County Public Library offers a story time at the Main Library and at the Broadway and Jonesboro Branches.
Attendance is on a drop-in basis and no registration is required.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: MAIN LIBRARY
NEW!!  Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m.
Thursdays at 11:00 a.m.
Programs are 30-45 minutes long and are appropriate for children ages 2 to 4.  Activities consist of flannel board stories, finger plays, songs, and movement.  Attendance is on a drop-in basis; no registration is required. 

NEW! PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: BROADWAY BRANCH Each Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m., children ages 2 to 4 are invited to attend story hour at the Broadway branch library. Activities consist of flannel board stories, finger plays, songs, and movement. Each program lasts between 30 and 45 minutes. Parents may check out books following each program. Note that the Broadway branch is open ONLY for story time on Wednesday mornings; there is no public access to computers or the collection at that time.

Summer Reading Program
Catch the Reading Bug this summer at the Lee County Library's main branch!  This program is designed for children ages 6 to 12, or in grades 1 through 6.  Due to limited space, pre-registration is required and will begin in May.  Children wil track the time they spend reading during the course of the program and receive a certificate of completion at the conclusion of the program, which closes with a "grand finale" celebration.  Keep your antennae tuned for the buzz on this exciting program!

Teen Programs
Teen Coffee House/Open Mic Night
A coffee house and open mike is held in the auditorium at the main branch once a month.  Teens ages 14 to 18 are invited to read their own fiction or poetry (or the works of others), or perform music.  Refreshments are provided and donations are requested in order to fund future events.  Contact the youth Services department at 774-6045 x. 203 for the date of the next coffee house or watch for flyers at Java Express, Buchanan's Music, and area schools.

Quiz Bowl is a tournament of general knowledge questions for high school students. Participating high schools form teams of a minimum of four players, and practices take place between January and April. The local competition, held in February, decides which high school’s team will advance to the district Quiz Bowl.

Children’s Outreach
Lee County Library offers outreach to Headstart, Even Start, and other selected daycare and preschool programs from September to April. Centers or groups visit the library at prearranged times for special story times. Librarians can also pre-select books for preschools and daycare centers; call the Main branch to arrange for this service.