LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield Library has found how to offer residents a way to combine some much-needed exercise and fresh air with books.
StoryWalk®, an initiative created by Anne Ferguson of Montpellier, Vt., is popping up at many libraries, recreation departments, and schools across the country and has now landed in Lynnfield. StoryWalk® gives families an opportunity to take a walk and read a book at the same time.
“I think we may have had a StoryWalk® a few years back with MarketStreet, but I believe this is the first one we have done at the library,” said Head of Youth Services Lauren Fox. “It will run for at least a week more or so. The plan is to be able to switch out the displays for other featured books. We are still working on choosing the next title, but so far the response from kids and their parents has been very positive, so we are happy about that.”
Fox said the program is suitable for children of all ages.
StoryWalk® works this way: Pages from selected books are mounted on the tops of posts driven into the ground. Books are typically placed at child-friendly heights.
The pages are displayed in sequence, allowing readers to read a page and then walk (in many cases, run) to the next station to read the next page.
This month’s selection is “A Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats. The display starts in front of the library at the corner of Summer and Arlington streets, and extends along the sidewalk to the entrance of the parking lot at the back of the building. All posts are at least six feet apart to allow for safe social distancing for safe viewing.
The first StoryWalk® was held in 2007. Ferguson developed the program in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and with the help of Rachel Senechal of Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk®s have been created in 50 states and at least 13 countries.
For more information on StoryWalk® or other family programming at the Lynnfield Library, contact Fox at [email protected] or by calling (781) 334-5411.
Fox reminds residents that the library continues to offer enhanced hours for its front door pick-up services five days a week. Limited appointments for computer use are available and the library offers a wide variety of online programs and services.
“We continue to offer lots of virtual programming opportunities for people of all ages, which can be found on our calendar on our website (www.lynnfieldlibrary.org),” said Fox.
The library’s front-door service “has been very popular for people of all ages,” she said, adding that the library hopes to have its February vacation programming in place soon.
Fox said the library also offers an added benefit with its front-door service.
“Parents and kids can call or email me if they don’t know what they want, so it’s really nice for people to have options to have help to choose and some flexibility,” said Fox.
