Tag Archive for: #perrymemoriallibrary

Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Programs For Youth And More At Perry Memorial Library

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With National Library Week coming up, Perry Memorial Library Youth Services Director Melody Peters took some time to chat with WIZS’s Bill Harris on The Local Skinny! about the important roles libraries play in society.

Sure, they’re a place where you can go and check out books, but Peters said libraries provide so much more. And the Henderson library is ever-evolving to respond to the needs and wants of the community it serves.

“We’re meeting information needs,” Peters said, adding that those needs vary greatly from person to person. She said patrons feel they get “honest, unbiased advice when they come to the library.”

Whether it’s asking for help finding a resource or searching online for a particular document or website, librarians are always at the ready to assist patrons.

“Not everyone can do everything online,” she said. “They still need that guidance” that comes from one-on-one assistance. You know – the old-fashioned way. “You have to constantly evolve and adapt” to respond to the needs of your community, Peters added.

Perry Memorial Library offers a variety of programs for young people, including Life Hacks and Survival Skills, which offers middle- and high-school aged students workshops on everything from sewing a set of mittens to learning how poetry slams work.

And the upcoming Kids Connect session will feature a poetry workshop with Valerie Rodriguez. That program, geared for kids in grades K-5, will be held Tuesday, April 25 at 4:30 p.m.

Stargazers are invited to head out to the community house at Satterwhite Point Saturday evening for a special astronomy program that begins at 7:45 p.m. Weather permitting, there will be telescopes set up and pointed at the skies for participants to learn about constellations.

There will be plenty of activities inside, too, Peters said, just in case the skies are cloudy.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to learn more.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Upcoming At Perry Memorial Library

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Although geared for middle and high school audiences, Perry Memorial Library Youth Services Director Melody Peters said the Bull City Slam Team program on April 11 is a community program to which all are welcome.

If she were to call it a poetry reading, Peters knew she may be met with yawns of disinterest. It IS poetry, but it’s so much more, as she explained on the regular library segment on The Local Skinny!

“It’s an evening of spoken word,” Peters said, adding that she likens it more to a live performance than a recitation. “Really, it’s a form of storytelling.”

“It’s interactive, original work, (and) it’s powerful because it’s coming from a place that really matters” to the artist.

Bull City Slam Team practices their art regularly and programs like the one at the library help them be polished and ready to win the competitions they enter.

Students in grades 6-12 have another opportunity at the library to participate in a Spring Break Nutrition Camp. Cooperative Extension agents will work with campers to create healthy recipes from recipe to the plate. “It’s going to be a busy, hands-on” day, Peters said, adding that she hopes future camps can be held over the course of several days.

On April 18, the Survival Skills class continues and participants will be creating their own stuffed animal – a furry frog, Peters said. This program begins at 4:30 p.m.

An after-hours statewide Star Party is scheduled for Saturday, April 22 at Kerr Lake’s Satterwhite Point Community Building.

This program begins at 7:45 p.m. and concludes at 9:30 p.m. Participants will get to use telescopes to check out the night sky, far away from the light pollution created by urban, commercial areas. There will be lots of activities to learn more about astronomy.

No need to register, Peters said, just come on out to 269 Glass House Road and enjoy the fun.

This activity is in partnership with the Kerr Lake State Recreation Area and the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Programs For Youth At Perry Memorial Library

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If Perry Memorial Library looks more like an artist’s studio than a library this afternoon, you have Melody Peters and Alice Sallins to thank. Peters, the library’s youth services director and Sallins with the local arts council, are teaming up for the March Kids Connect program.

Kids Connect is geared toward elementary-age students, Peters said it’s fine to bring older or younger siblings. Peters has a word of warning: Kids should come dressed in “paint friendly” clothing, because there will be painting!

Today’s project involves art, and Sallins will talk to the children about art and how they can express themselves through art.

“Learning happens through play, the arts, and discovery,” Peters said on Tuesday’s bi-weekly library segment of The Local Skinny!

April’s Teen Life Hacks involves a different kind of art – poetry. But it’s poetry with a twist, Peters said. Bull City Slam Team is coming to the library on Tuesday, April 11 at 4:30 p.m. to entertain, inform and enlighten youngsters about spoken word.

“They are amazing!” Peters said. “It’s poetry, but it’s performed, it’s personal, it’s original work. It is just powerful.”

So many young people may think that poetry is boring, but Peters said the April 11 program will change their minds. “It can be lively and reflect you in a whole different way of expressing yourself,” she said. This program is geared toward tweens and teens, 6th grade and up.

And then on Thursday, April 13, students off for spring break can gather at the library from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. to get some first-hand experience with cooking and some STEM activities. Register for this activity online, Peters said. She hopes to have at least 20 participants come to the library to get some tips on cooking and proper nutrition from community partners at the N.C. Cooperative Extension.

Register for this activity here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSer-QeW_IAgx8E4Vozpx9YRYArvW-YjXxpDiDmC7blRB_oTZw/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ to find out about all its programs and services.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Upcoming Events At Perry Memorial Library

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When Melody Peters joined the staff of Perry Memorial Library back in July 2022, she was faced with the challenge of drawing teens back through the library doors. Story times are great for little ones, and older patrons were clamoring to return after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but teenagers?

What’s a youth services director to do?

So, she created a “Life Hack” series and a “Survival Skills” series.

If you’re just hearing this now at 5 p.m., you’ve still got a little time to race down to the library on Breckenridge St. to participate in a resume building session. NC Works and Vance-Granville Community College reps are on hand until about 6 p.m. to help understand the importance of resumes, and to walk through mock interviews.

The Survival Skills continues next week with a shirt-making session. Last time, the group – which Peters said included 6 guys and 4 girls – made themselves mittens out of fleece.

“I’m hoping that same group comes back – and brings some friends,” she told Bill Harris during Tuesday’s recurring library update on The Local Skinny!

Participants can either make a tank top or bring in a favorite shirt that may need some mending.

If the mitten-making workshop is any indication, the shirt workshop will be a success. “They seemed to be really enjoying the task,” Peters said of the mitten exercise.

“When you see it complete, you can feel proud of yourself,” she said.

Other upcoming events at the library geared for youth in the community include:

Saturday, Mar. 11

11 a.m. to 12 noon – FAFSA info session. Parents, bring your high school students who may be ready to complete the FAFSA document, an online document that colleges and universities use to determine financial aid eligibility.

“It can be overwhelming,” Peters said, “but you can do it.”

Tuesday, Mar. 21

4:30 p.m. Kids Connect

Local artist and Vance County Arts Council member Alice Clark will do art activities with the kids.

 

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! Perry Library Youth Services Upcoming Programs

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Students in middle or high school are invited to take part in a “survival skills” workshop at the Perry Memorial Library, but the skills learned bear no resemblance to those of reality TV shows where you have to eat weird stuff or navigate deserted islands.

No, this month’s survival skills workshop involves sewing machines, said Melody Peters, the library’s youth services director.

Last month, participants learned how to sew on a button – if you stop by the library this afternoon, you’ll see the group sewing mittens, Peters told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny!

Originally designed for youth in grades 6-8, Peters said the class is going to be opened up for high school students, too.

Next month’s project is making a shirt and then they’ll move on to making stuffed toys.

These basic skills used to be taught in home economics classes, if they weren’t taught by parents or grandparents, but Peters said offering the workshop at the library is just one way to interact with young people and help them feel successful.

“Education is your ticket,” Peters said, “but it can look differently for everybody.” Sometimes, kids just need a little help to learn those skills – like basic sewing – as they become more independent and self-reliant.

 

Next Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 4:30 p.m.,  the library programming shifts gears as it welcomes Mama Azia as part of African American History Month. This interactive event features music and storytelling, Peters said. “I’m so excited to see her engage our youth – it’s going to be amazing!”

 

Then, on Tuesday, Mar 7 at 4:30 p.m., the library will have another in a series of workshops called  “life hacks.” The March workshop will help young people begin the process of creating a resume.

“I want kids to be ahead of the game,” Peters said, to be prepared with a resume and choosing references when they go out in search of a summer job, for example.

Participants will get individualized attention from adults knowledgeable about building a resume and what it should include to be as effective as possible.

Peters said young people can have a document in their Google Drive, ready to send at a moment’s notice.

“You can do all of this mobile,” she said. So when kids are out and about and hear about a possible job opportunity, they can retrieve a resume virtually and can send it along to a prospective employer right away. The workshop will give young people a chance to practice interview skills.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ for details on all upcoming events and programs.

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Perry Memorial Library

The Local Skinny! What’s Happening At Perry Library

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Perry Memorial Library has several opportunities for patrons to observe Black History Month as they take part in interactive workshops, take book walks and go on scavenger hunts.

Youth Services Director Melody Peters ran down a list of activities that are already underway or will be presented during February.

The “pop up” story walk located right outside the library features the classic children’s book “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats, Peters told WIZS’s Bill Harris on Tuesday’s segment of The Local Skinny! This literary classic is the first children’s book that features an African American child as the main character, she said.

The story walk idea blends activity with learning, “to encourage little ones to read – and walk. When you’re walking and reading and learning,” Peters said, it builds excitement for what’s going to be on the next panel. This story walk will be up all month for families to enjoy.

Speaking of families, Peters said the next family program will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and will feature Mama Azia’s African Dance, Drum & Storytelling. This culturally immersive interactive workshop, Peters said.

Participants will have a chance to learn new things, but they’ll also have a chance to dance, Peters said. There are currently about 30 people in the ongoing family program, but Peters said there’ plenty of room for more.

Youngsters can take part in a scavenger hunt to learn more about inventions during Black History Month.

“Kids love a hunt,” Peters said. “They love to find things.” Pick up a card at the Youth Services desk, find all the items and return the card to get a prize.

Adult patrons can opt for a “Blind Date with a Book” in the Adult Services area of the library. Read the first line of novel to get a hint of what the novel may be about while also becoming interested in reading something new.

Next Saturday, Feb. 18, families are encouraged to bring the little ones for a children’s dental health workshop. The workshop will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is presented by CDA Ny’Kirah Street, a student in N.C. A&T State’s health services management program.

Kids can learn how to brush and floss and promote dental health from someone who’s not a dentist…or their parents.

“The key is learning good habits early,” Peters said.

Visit https://www.perrylibrary.org/ for a complete list of events and programs at the library.

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Perry Memorial Library

Perry Library Bookmobile Fundraiser Off And Running

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Longtime residents of Henderson and Vance County may remember seeing the old bookmobile parked under the shade of a tree alongside the old H. Leslie Perry Library. The paint was a faded blue, but the sight of that vehicle out in the county meant that if the readers couldn’t get to the books, then the books could get to the readers.

The Perry Memorial Library staff is resurrecting that concept and recently announced that it got a $100,000 grant to get a sleek, new bookmobile on the roads of Vance County once more.

The price tag for a new bookmobile, however, is $160,000. A fundraiser is going on now to make up the difference and so far, citizens, business owners and non-profits have stepped up to provide $31,000.

The base of the bookmobile is a 22-foot Morgan Olson Step Van, and the vehicle will be equipped to meet the needs of the people who will use it – all types of technology will be on board to allow for books to be checked in and out, for use of the computers located inside and new library patrons can have their library cards printed on site. There also will be a lift to accommodate handicapped patrons.

Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Michele Burgess said her group’s education division is focusing on ways to improve the county’s literacy rate, and it fully supports the library’s efforts to get a bookmobile on the road to serve the community. She noted that nearby counties have multiple branches to serve patrons and other counties already have bookmobiles to serve outlying areas, but Vance County has only the one library in Henderson.
“Having a Vance County bookmobile to travel up to Townsville, out to the Middleburg area, and over to Kittrell is going to provide a tremendous service,” Burgess said.

To learn more about how to make a donation to the bookmobile project, visit the Perry Memorial Library website at:  www.perrylibrary.org.  Or mail your check to:  Perry Library Bookmobile Fund, 205 Breckenridge St., Henderson, NC 27536.

If you have questions, contact Christy Bondy, assistant librarian at 252.438.3316 or email cbondy@perrylibrary.org.

 

Business owners can make tax-deductible donations at the following sponsorship levels:

  • Platinum – $5,000+ – your name and company logo will appear on the back of the bookmobile
  • Gold – $2,500 – 4,999 – your name/business name will be listed on the back of the bookmobile
  • Silver – $500 – $2,499 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a silver donor
  • Bronze – $250 – $500 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a bronze donor
  • Supporter $1 – $249 – your name/business name will appear on the library’s website as a bookmobile supporter.

 

Perry Memorial Library

TownTalk: Perry Library Plans Community Read Program

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The idea of a “community read” is pretty basic: Invite the community to read the same book and then come together to discuss it.

That’s exactly what is happening now at Perry Memorial Library, and Assistant Director Christy Bondy said the library has the chosen book – “The Best of Enemies” – in a variety of formats to accommodate readers’ preferences.

The book is based on a true story that took place in Durham, Bondy told Bill Harris Monday on Town Talk. The title refers to a friendship between a Black woman and a Ku Klux Klan member who found common ground against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement.

Published in 2007, the Osha Gray Davidson book was made into a movie that came out in 2019. Bondy said all are invited to read the book now and then come to the library on Aug. 23 at 5 p.m. for a discussion and then settle in to watch the movie, which stars Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell.

Bondy has read the book and seen the movie, and said although she gives the movie a “thumbs up,” she will usually prefer reading a book to watching the movie. But that’s just her bias showing – she’s been around books since she was 5 or 6 years old, helping her mother behind the circulation desk of her hometown public library. She parlayed her lifelong passion for books into a career, joining the Perry Memorial Library staff in November 2020.

The role of libraries continues to evolve, Bondy said, but she predicts that the traditional book checkout will never go out of fashion.

She said the library has a great digital collection available for patrons. The community read book, for example, is available in ebook and audio formats – in addition to the 25 physical copies at the library. She said 7 or 8 have been checked out so far, and she can access other copies from a consortium of libraries that loan books to one another.

“Most people see libraries as a warehouse for books,” she said. While patrons can certainly still come in and choose a physical book from a physical shelf, there’s access to a digital collection of materials, too.

“We will continue to have the traditional format and the digital format” for book checkouts, but there’s so much more to consider than just books.

Bondy said patrons can check out board games, sensory kits and other hands-on interactive materials – even ukuleles.

“Libraries are really transforming,” she said, adding that staff has been doing some strategic planning to be able to provide even more services, such as a podcast studio and a learning garden.

There’s a lot of grant funding to support libraries, and Bondy said grant money was used for the the community read project. Look for more community read projects in the future; Bondy said she hopes to gather feedback and information to develop a series for mid-winter to spring, including intergenerational programming that takes a common theme and chooses titles for different ages of readers.

Learn more at https://www.perrylibrary.org/ or phone 252.438.3316.

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To the Moon and Beyond: James E. Webb Program Coming To Perry Library

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The public is invited to attend a special program, To the Moon and Beyond: James E. Webb, on Monday, July 18 at Perry Memorial Library to learn more about the life of James E. Webb, a Granville County native whose role in the early days of NASA propelled the country’s race to the moon and for whom the giant telescope in the news recently is named.

Local historian and Thornton Library’s North Carolina Room Specialist Mark Pace will lead the discussion of Webb, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. The hourlong program will be held in Perry Library’s Farm Bureau Room.

Webb ran NASA from 1961-1968 and did more for science that perhaps any other government official, according to an information flyer promoting the event.

Come learn about the life and legacy of this local figure.

Sponsored by the two libraries and NASA@My Library, a program based upon work funded by NASA, but opinions, conclusions or recommendations don’t necessarily reflect the views of NASA.

Author Talk Saturday Morning At Perry Library

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North Carolina author Adrienne Barr will be at the Perry Memorial Library on Saturday, June 18 at 11 a.m. to discuss her new book, Dancing with Butterflies: Discovering Mindfulness Through Breathing.

Library Director Patti McAnally invites the community to come out and hear from the author about her book, which also is the featured book on the library’s Storywalk at Fox Pond Park Trail.

The book tells the story of Leah, who is about to perform in her first recital and is a little anxious. As the story unfolds, Leah learns about deep-breathing exercises. The book, a meditation for beginners primer, encourages readers to manage anxiety with an easy-to-read story. Designed to educate children and parents on the power of breathing techniques to overcome anxiety, this book encourages African-American children to recognize the beauty in body awareness, so they have the confidence to dance their way to their dreams, McAnally said in a press statement.