Holding true to the belief of freedom in reading, learning, imagining, discovering and creating, the Maynardville Public Library has three events on the fall calendar that students do not need to miss.
Providing an opportunity for independent education for our community since 1959, the Maynardville Public Library is continuing that through library card month which is currently taking place.
Library card month is a nationwide initiative to remind parents and students that obtaining a library card is the first step toward academic success and learning.
Throughout the summer months and after school hours, students do not have access to their school’s library and the Maynardville Public Library is a great place for them to visit.
Students and community members do not only have access to hundreds of books, but they also have access to computers and programming during certain days of the week.
Kim Goforth, a 2nd grade teacher at Big Ridge Elementary School, has seen firsthand the impact that the Maynardville Public Library has had on our community as she has worked with elementary aged students for over 15 years.
“The Public Library provides much needed resources for students with needs such as computer and internet access,” Goforth said. “They also have a great summer program that promotes love of reading and provides fun and engaging activities while giving families with children something fun and educational to do.”
Along with this, the library will also be celebrating banded book week form September 20-25. Banned book week is a time where libraries across the nation celebrate the freedom to read classic novels that have been a part of our nation’s literary history. Along with this, banned book week is a time where libraries speak out about censorship in schools, bookstores, and libraries alike.
Savannah Jones, now a sophomore at the University of Tennessee remembers reading numerous banned books throughout her four years at Union County High School. She recalls their importance in our society as well as her own life.
“Banned book week is very important to our public school system because the children and young adults in our community can become comfortable with learning about the not so pretty parts of life,” Jones said. “Banned books are among some of the most amazing and my favorite stories.”
Banned book week was started in 1982 at a time when there was a surge in banned books. Some of the books included on the banned book list are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Fine, Of Mice and Men and Animal Farm.
These classic that many of us have read in high school English classes are strongly suggested to not be added to school curriculum or even be available in libraries across the nation.
The Maynardville Public Library stating on their website that they do not censor the books you read as they leave that decision up to the parents and what they believe is best for their children.
Community members can celebrate banned book week through breaking out their favorite classic novel and reading it for the first time in a while. Readers can also share that book on social media and tag the Maynardville Public Library on their post.
Another way that the Maynardville Public Library is working toward pushing literary material to the community is through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
This program mails free books to children from birth until five years of age. These books allow for all children to get an opportunity to read quality books that are age appropriate, no matter the household income.
The Maynardville Public Library will be having Imagination Library sign-ups in October. Last year this program reached its 150 millionth book being mailed out to children across the world.
“I still have a library of books that are very dear to me that I will pass on to my children because of the Imagination Library,” Jones said.
This program is one that would be great during this time of uncertainty of school and daycare closures as it gives your child a start to their own at home library.
For more information on these events and the Maynardville Public Library readers can visit https://www.maynardvillepubliclibrary.org/.