by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian
In recent months, the library had a suggestion box at the
front desk. A couple of people suggested
we get some kits to check out. Good
news: kits are already available to order in our library system! We don’t have them onsite because we don’t
have space to store them, but a variety of kits can be delivered here for no
charge for you to borrow.
One suggestion was for kits for preschools and families with
young children, including things like activities, music, and books. Many kits like this are available in our
library catalog. The easiest way to
locate many of them is to search for “Learning Kit” as a title. There are 56 of these! They range from “Learning Kit: ABC” to “Learning Kit: Winter.” These kits usually include
a collection of books organized around a theme, games, activity sheets, videos,
audio recordings, and sometimes toys and crafts. A number of them are older, with VCR tapes
and audiocassettes in the kits, but some are newer, with DVDs and CDs.
To find another group of similar kits, do an author search
for “Once Upon a Reader.” We have these
kits because of a statewide library program a few years ago. One kit is called “Cow’s Vacation Scrapbook,”
and it includes a stuffed animal, a copy of the book Moo by David LaRochelle,
and a binder with spots for kids to draw, write stories, and add photos of
their vacations. Another kit called
“Milk and Cookies Storytime” contains five different books, a CD, a tactile
activity, and reproducible sheets and instructions for the adult preparing the
storytime. Finally, the “Take-Home Play Kit” includes a copy of the book Moo, five toys, and information for parents
and caregivers on how to support early literacy with specific practices and
skills.
There are a few other kits that are a bit more challenging
to find in the catalog. One is “Dazzling Dave’s Tips and Tricks for Yo-Yo Play.”
It contains two yo-yos, a pack of replacement strings, a DVD, and an
instruction sheet for learning to use a yo-yo.
Another is called “Oral History Kit,” which contains two
digital voice recorders, two microphones, two pairs of headphones, and
instructions. The kit is intended for
people to use for interviewing family members and other people to record their
memories.
There is also a Zumba kit called “Zumba Fitness,” which
includes toning sticks along with DVDs and a booklet.
Another suggestion we got in the box at the front desk was
for book club kits. Our library system
offers these, too! To locate them,
search “Book club in a bag” as a title, and you’ll find 45 of them, from A Crooked Number by Nathan Jorgenson to Wide Open Spaces by Cadee
Brystal. Some are children’s books and
some are for adults, and the kits all have multiple copies for a book club to
share. Some include discussion guides.
For more title options for book club kits, search “book club
in a tub” in Plum Creek Library System’s online catalog, and then limit it to
item type “book club kit” on the sidebar.
You won’t be able to order these directly through the Plum Creek catalog
to be delivered here, but we do have a cooperative agreement with them to share
our book club kits. Talk to a staff
member if you’d like to order one.
I hope that you’ll order some of these resources if you can
use them. There’s more available than
what you see on the shelf! Our staff
will be glad to assist you.
