EKU Libraries held Big Kid Story Time as a part of the celebration of National Library Week on Wednesday.
They celebrated this in tandem with EKU Giving Day with free popsicles and exclusive stickers for a $1 donation.
One of the Eastern Kentucky University employees who read for Big Kid Story Time was Teaching and Learning Librarian Cindy Judd. She works with education students and said she’s passionate about children’s literature.
“The area of the library that I serve in really has probably the majority of the books that tend to be challenged or banned across the U.S., and I feel really passionate that I want to promote literature, children's literature, in particular, because it's so valuable and important for classroom use,” Judd said. “But it's also just really important to make things available and accessible to people, parents, EKU students, anybody who wants to access those resources. As libraries, it's our job to provide access, not to make judgments on what people decide to read.”
In her presentations on banned books, Judd said she makes the point that everyone has a right to choose books for their kids and themselves, but not for everyone else. She remembers going to the library in Orlando, Florida, where she grew up and being amazed at the size of it. Judd was also amazed she could get books whenever she wanted.
“The library as a whole is so much more than just a place to get books,” Judd said. “It's a gathering place. It's a meeting place for our students, it's a place to study, to get resources. But I think about public libraries, and they're really a place for families. They're a place to help build young early readers, and they're a place for people in the community who need to just use a computer.”
Kerrigan Haskins, a sophomore public health and emergency medical care student, came to the event to relax and “be a kid again.” She said she loves the library and would encourage people to try it if they haven’t.
“[Libraries are] a safe space,” Haskins said. “They're a positive environment. When I go to the library, it's just a sense of ‘Okay, there's peace.’”
Haskins grew up in Louisville and remembers being introduced to the "Fancy Nancy" books at the library there at an event that featured dress-up.
Christina Stallard, director of library marketing and development at EKU, said the event is used to spread awareness about the work of the library and to fundraise to support programs. She said academic libraries, like the ones at EKU, are infrastructure for successful students.
“We provide librarian support to make sure that they know how to navigate the research process and really succeed with that,” Stallard said. “We have spaces for them, whether they live on campus or they commute. They have the resources in the space that they need, as well as help, and we do all kinds of other outreach as well.”
Stallard said EKU Libraries partners with the Madison County Public Library to encourage students to get a library card, which can give them access to other books and programs, like Libby, a program for ebooks and audiobooks.
“It's not just a place for fun books — even though that is a lovely thing that we offer — but we make sure that students can learn effectively, and that they have the resources they need, no matter what they're coming from or what they're exploring,” Stallard said.
