Library goes to the dogs

Gibson Memorial Library’s newest employee had his first shift March 4, meeting with two clients that night. Therapy dog Flynn, a great dane and poodle mix, and owner Kristen Krakovec were available to read with children at the library for the first time as part of a new library reading program.

Library Director Danielle Dickinson Thaden said the event went smoothly and she looks forward to continuing the program.

Flynn is a member of the R.E.A.D. program, in which dogs are read to by children in order to increase the child’s reading and communication skills. Some children feel more comfortable reading aloud to a dog rather than a person. This was the case with Heather Pingree’s son, Jace.

“I saw that he was with Flynn and had a dinosaur book picked out,” Pingree said. “I was telling [Krakovec], ‘oh hey, Jace is mine,’ and he stopped reading. He wouldn’t read until I left.”

Creston’s library has joined thousands of schools and libraries around the world that utilize this program.

Flynn’s duty’s will continue tonight. Interested families can sign up for a time slot on the library’s website starting at 6:15 p.m. A sign-up sheet will also be available outside the library’s small meeting room.

In other library news...

The pavilion project has been postponed due to a delay in shipping. The library hopes to have it completed in time for Market on Maple in May. A number of grants are being looked at to fund the pavilion furnishings and add art and landscaping around the pavilion.

Dickinson Thaden said she is keeping an eye on state legislation as the 2024 session continues. A number of bills in both the senate and the house would affect library funding and the library board, though all of these are still in subcommittees.

The Iowa Library Association is collecting the names of cities and city employees who are against the proposed bills. While no one from Creston has shown up on the list yet, Dickinson Thaden said she is working to get city employees signed up.