 | | | Teens and tweens had fun decorating cupcakes at the Moraga library. Photo Andrea Freyler | | | | | | Andrea Freyler is the acting librarian in Moraga - the town has had a little trouble holding on to a librarian for more than a few months since the departure of Linda Waldroup in 2011. Freyler and her team just concluded a very successful summer program for children of all ages.
"Parents tell us that it has been a life saver for them," said Freyler. "They knew that all summer long, every week, there was something fun they could count on at their library. Our program has been very diverse," she beamed. "We've had dogs doing tricks, we've had movies, we've had a story teller, puppet shows, cupcake decorating, and the game truck came back. It's been a different program every week."
The best testimony to the quality of the entertainment is when the program is full. "When we presented the new Lego Movie, we were lucky to get a copy on opening night," said Freyler. "The room was beyond capacity, parents could not sit down - they had to leave so more kids could stay. And everybody enjoyed the fresh popcorn we make with our own machine at every movie presentation!"
The numbers of kids and teens attending the library programs doubled this summer, in part because the town's summer recreation program also brought children to the library on Tuesdays, and Freyler now wants to build on the summer's high turn-out and expand services for young people, especially teens, in the fall.
"We have a great group of 15 to 20 teen volunteers helping with the programs," said Freyler, "and we have a lot of tweens coming to the teen program. So we hope that next year some of them will volunteer to help, bring their friends along and grow our reach toward teenagers." Freyler knows that attracting high school age clients is a challenge, so this fall she wants to revive the teen advisory board to brainstorm, select, and organize the activities they want for their age group. Interested teens should contact the library directly.
Freyler also anticipates a high level of participation in this fall's Lamorinda Kids Read program (read the related article on page B3). These programs, and many others, are made possible by the Friends of the Moraga Library. "They are very supportive and are giving us the ability to do what we do. Without them the library would be a very different place," said Freyler.
When asked if she would apply to fill the big chair Freyler said she would not, because her commute is too painful for a full-time schedule. In the interim, however, the library is clearly in capable hands.
For more information on library programming and support, go to ccclib.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA