Muhlenberg Community Library (MCL) is excited to announce the opening of the Muhlenberg StoryWalk®! The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. A StoryWalk® is a fun activity that engages families in literacy and getting active. Pages from a children’s book are printed and placed in displays along the Muhlenberg Rail Trail which runs parallel to Rosedale Avenue in Laureldale Borough on the former corridor of the East Penn Branch Railroad. The StoryWalk® begins at the Mount Laurel Road Trailhead and ends at Hay Road.
The community is invited to the unveiling of the new installation on July 29, 2023 at 10:00 AM. (Weather Permitting.) Meet at the Mount Laurel Road Trailhead to participate. Attendees can enjoy a ribbon-cutting ceremony, bubbles, storytime, beverages and crafts. This event is free.
MCL’s new Directress, Melissa Carroll, would like to extend “a special thank you to Samson Evans and Boy Scouts from Troop 155, as well as, Muhlenberg Township for making this project possible!” Ms. Carroll has served MCL as the Youth Services Coordinator since 2021 and has a rich background as the former Director at East Hounsfield Free Library in East Hounsfield, NY. She has already made her mark on MCL with her engaging programs and by making the StoryWalk® possible with her grant application. This project is made possible by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Office of Commonwealth Libraries.
The Muhlenberg Rail Trail StoryWalk® will benefit the community and its needs, such as basic literacy and wellness. Basic Literacy and Health Literacy are two of the five literacies recognized by the Pennsylvania Library Association’s (PALA) initiative, PA Forward which seeks literacy progress that will move Pennsylvania forward! According to PALA, “Libraries can push Pennsylvania to achieve one of the highest literacy rates in the country, a better trained and more skilled workforce, and a growing tax base, economy, and population.” Join MCL in moving forward! Visit the library website for the full schedule of programs at muhlenbergcommunitylibrary.org and meet us on the trail!
StoryWalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.
The mission of the Muhlenberg Community Library is to promote lifelong learning opportunities by offering free library services to all who seek to change, improve, enrich and enjoy their lives.
More about the Pennsylvania Library Association’s 21st Century Literacies Initiative– PA Forward® was conceived to give voice to what the library community already knows, and what other states throughout the nation are also recognizing:
With the right support, libraries are ideally positioned to become the community centers of information, technology, and learning that will fuel educational and economic opportunity for all of our citizens.
Libraries have moved far beyond just being book repositories. They’re agile institutions serving real-life needs. Libraries are the key to powering progress and elevating the quality of life in Pennsylvania by fueling the types of knowledge essential to success: Basic Literacy, Information Literacy, Civic and Social Literacy, Health Literacy, and Financial Literacy.
