Looking at the world through the eyes of person from another culture can be surprising and informative. Patrons of Jacobs Library have been viewing the library as seen by members of the culture of childhood.
Sallee Beneke, director and instructor in the Early Childhood Education Center, said the children in the center have investigated the library and shared the results of their investigation in a display that went up in late November.
The library project began after the children toured the main campus and selected the library as a subject of study (see Sept. 30, 1999 Apache). Beneke said that since that time, small groups of children have returned to observe, sketch and ask questions.
Librarian Emily Vescogni also visited the center as a guest expert, and she was amazed at what the children were learning.
"I could see that the children were learning about all aspects of the library including the people, the artwork, the policies, and, of course, the books," Vescogni said.
As another phase of the project, Wendy Frick, a professional paper maker, set up shop in the center one morning and gave the children a chance to experience first hand what books are made of.
Beneke said the teachers and student teachers were just as intrigued by paper making as the children.
"One of the benefits of using project work in your teaching is that the teacher inevitably experiences the job of learning something new, too," she said.
It wasn't until student teacher Michelle Ramer brought in photos of library technology that some of the children became interested in that aspect of the library. Student teacher Stephanie Vickers and teacher Marilyn Worsley responded to that interest by providing materials for the children to use in building their own technology for the center's library.
The children have constructed a book drop and a computer with mouse, printer, screen saver, and keyboard.
Another aspect of the project was a survey of library patrons.
"In their world, learning is a noisy business, so the children were most surprised when one of the (college) students said 'I go to the library to study because it's quiet,'" Beneke said.
As Vescogni put it, "The library seems to be less intimidating to these young children than to many adults. Kids have a lot of questions, and libraries have a lot of answers. It's a natural mix."