Libraries in the Plum Creek Library System (PCLS) are rolling out their new Storytelling Kits this month and invite patrons to learn more about the new collection of more than 130 kits. Funded through the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund (ACHF), the kits range in subjects from ABCs to Zoos.
A year-long collaboration between PCLS librarians and PCLS staff resulted in the development of the kits. “It has been a huge undertaking and we are excited to finally make these available to parents, teachers, daycare providers, and children,” PCLS Program Coordinator Rebecca Hudson says.
The storytelling kits are now available for checkout at all Plum Creek libraries or through the interlibrary loan system, and can be found in the online library catalog by searching, “Storytelling Kits”. The initial checkout period for the kits is one week and they can be renewed twice. Each contains a variety of materials based on the kit’s theme. Some include Wonderbooks that feature a spoken narration telling of the book as well as a learning mode with open-ended questions about the story. Others have puppets, music CDs, and DVDs to accompany the storybooks. Various learning activities can also be found in the kits as well.
Patrons of any age may check out a story kit, Hudson says, noting that they will be helpful in classrooms and at daycare facilities to use in lesson planning and convenient to take along on family trips and vacations.
“The storytelling kit project would not have been possible without funding from the ACHF,” says Hudson. “Legacy funds have and continue to provide myriad opportunities for library users throughout the state and this is yet another service that we are fortunate to be able to provide to our libraries and their patrons.”
