Wolves, soul food, and literacy. These are all subjects of programs here at your local library! While these are things you might not expect at your library, unique ‘out of the box’ programming is what we pride ourselves on here in Seaside. Our goal is to try and provide something for everyone at the Seaside Public Library. The rich variety of programming at the library helps keep folks entertained while learning new things right here in Seaside.

The Seaside Public Library has a rich history of programming stretching back to its days in the previous location at 60 N. Roosevelt in what is now Cleanline Surf. Back in the old library, baby chicks and librarians dressed as Beavers leading reading programs outside on the lawn were normal, and we have the pictures to prove it. Nowadays, you will still find librarians dressing up but it might be as Obi-Wan Kenobi leading story time, or with “a bad case of the stripes,” when our children’s librarian dressed up like a picture book with that same title. Over the past five years we have hosted miniature horses, the 234th Army Band, turkey bowling, giant lawn games, movies, jewelry making, and countless other events right here at the library. Our goal is always educational, literacy based entertainment that educates or brings arts and culture to our library. This includes library art shows that showcase local artists, including Seaside High school students, and we host eight different artist shows every year thanks to the library’s volunteer art committee. One thing the library continues to do over the years is develop more programs than ever before. In 2017, the library hosted over 252 programs for kids, teens, and adults. Many of the adult programs were author talks or trivia events but we also had cooking classes, the most recent of which was on soul food, drawing classes, and many other events.

Coming up this summer, “Libraries Rock!” will be the summer reading theme for all ages so expect a lot of fun and engaging music themed programs all summer long.

Preschool story times and other early literacy programs will always be a staple here at the library and there is a very good reason why. Brain development for little kids from a very early age is incredibly important. Studies have shown that the best way to develop brain function in babies and toddlers is through interactive vocabulary building. Parenting classes constantly encourage parents to interact with infants and toddlers to increase the words of the child. The more input in, the more output. Each child’s brain starts growing and developing long before they are in kindergarten and this early development sets the child up for success in school and life. Perhaps you have heard of the 32 million word gap. A study done by psychologists Betty Hart and Todd Risely in the 1980s demonstrated that children who are raised in poorer homes are exposed to far fewer vocabulary words, approximately 32 million words of “gap” between poor children and their peers, and by the ages 3- to 4-years-old these children are already at a clear disadvantage to their peers. Further studies have confirmed this and shown the importance of the parent and child interaction. The more children are exposed to words the better, and story time is a prime example of helping this vocabulary building process. We want all young toddlers to have success in future years both at school and in life.

Story time also typically incorporates six early literacy skills. Four of these skills are: first, children enjoying the feel of books and being surrounded by books, second, children starting to realize words are all around them, everywhere they go, third, seeing the letters that make up a word, and fourth, the ability to sound out words which helps with reading skills later on.

Children also have social interaction with their peers at story time since most story times have a build in play time. This is in addition to interaction with parents while being surrounded by millions of words for vocabulary building right at their fingertips. Seeing children leave story time with stacks of picture books is the best thing a children’s librarian can experience, knowing parents will be reading books at home with their child and building their brains for future success.

Programs at the library, while they may seem fun and fluffy, actually have a not-so-hidden agenda. We want kids and adults in Seaside to enjoy their library and reading and we also want to educate folks while entertaining them. We are in the business of growing brains both young and old. Perhaps the best part of all to most, is that every program here at the library is free thanks to the support of the Friends of the Seaside Public Library.