"Play is the work of children." - Jean Piaget
"... Listen to the children, learn about them, learn from them.” - Mr. Rogers
“I don't want a valuable life lesson, I just want an ice cream” -Bluey
Welcome to our Official Youth Services Blog! We're happy to have a new space where we can connect with you and share a bit more about our programming, our ideas, and other weird or interesting thoughts from The Children's Room.
We thought this might be a good time to introduce (or re-introduce) ourselves and our space to you.
We have a fantastic team of folks who are passionate about early literacy and serving YOU. Our goal is to create a welcoming, enriching, safe space filled with books, music, movies, games and more for kids and their grown-ups. All of the materials in the Children's Room are selected by our expert staff who understands the developmental needs of children. Most of our materials are geared for children from birth through approximately fifth grade (although we know that our books are the BEST in the world and encourage EVERYONE to read them!)
The Children's Room is filled with items that spark imagination and encourage exploration of the world around us. Our preschool area features an Imagination Station that transforms into all sorts of cool things - from a bakery to a train station to a vet clinic - to whatever else we dream up. Sometimes kids even use our play bookmobile as a mobile imagination station, we've seen a mobile vet, food trucks, a train, and of course a bus! The KidSpace area is intended for our school-aged friends up to age 11 and you'll find computers and games geared for tweens and pre-tweens. We also have a number of tables perfect for spreading out projects, games, books, cards ...
Now, without further ado - meet the Children's Room Staff:
Children's Room Staff
Elizabeth Matson, Head of Youth Services.
Elizabeth is a professional storyteller and often shares her talents with our community. She is a part of our Campfire/Storytelling team.
Julie Westby, Children's Librarian
Julie is a very musical person who shares her talents not only at the library, but in both a local choir and band. She is a part of our Wiggle & Rhyme storytime team.
Mariah Smitala, Children's Librarian
Mariah loves to travel the world, which helps inform her programs and book selection too! She is a part of our Fridays with Friends storytime team.
Jamie Swenson, Youth Services Associate
Jamie is a traditionally published author; you can find her books on our shelves! Her book BIG RIG is even dedicated to the readers of Hedberg Public Library. She is a part of our Wiggle & Rhyme storytime team.
Camille Rammer, Youth Services Associate
Camille's background includes engineering and coding - she loves sharing her tech skills with our families. She is a part of our Babies in the Library storytime team.
Shannon Murphy-Tollefsrud. Youth Services Associate
Shannon is a gifted knitter and overall crafty person - our room benefits from her artistic skills daily! She is a part of our Babies in the Library Storytime team.
Karin Timmermann, Youth Services Associate
Karin brings a lot of experience with youth education, including 4-H, to her role at the library. She also coordinates our fun and active P4J activities. She is part of our Fridays with Friends storytime team.
Mary Westness, Youth Services Associate
Mary started her career as a P4J teacher and brings that enthusiasm and expertise to our department. (You may also notice her love of polka-dots!) Mary is part of our Wiggle & Rhyme storytime team.
OUR OTHER V.I.P. STAFF:
Layne, Youth Services Clerk/Shelver
Without Layne we wouldn't be able to find anything! Layne often helps out as needed with our bigger programs.
Jamilla, Spotty & Mosi - our giraffe mascots!
Jamilla and Spotty greet you as you enter our space. Mosi is often out and about at local events like the Farmers Market or the Jolly Jingle parade.
Please say hello to our staff if you're in the Children's Room (or if you see us out and about!). We love our library friends!