Rock Springs, WY (9/19/18) – Something new is coming to the C Street Library in Rock Springs.
According to a press release from the Sweetwater County Library System, the library has joined forces with the City of Rock Springs, private businesses, and volunteers to launch a Children’s Discovery Center in the lower level of the building.
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The announcement stated, “The Discovery Center will include exhibits with hands-on exploration and an environment rich in materials that inspire imagination. Younger children will be able to play in stores and offices in a miniature town. Older children will be fully immersed in science, technology, and building activities.”
Libraries across the nation are rethinking library space looking to provide new and different learning opportunities for children. They are now and will continue to be more than just a place for books. They are a place to learn, to play, and to grow.
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“The library system has been trying to come up with something for a while,” said Library Director Jason Grubb. “The recently remodeled Louise Wesswick Learn and Play Room at the Rock Springs Library was a small attempt. This room is regularly open for free play. When longtime resident Jana Pastor approached us about setting up a children’s museum at the library we knew there was an opportunity – and it’s a great opportunity. Not to lose a library or replace a library, but to follow a national trend and offer additional services. The Children’s Discovery Center is the perfect concept. It weds traditional library services with new and interesting ways of learning. We are very excited.”
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“Play, especially constructive play, is particularly important for the future of programming,” said Andrew Medlar, a librarian and former President of the Association for Library Service to Children. “The esteemed Mr. Rogers said that play is the work of childhood and just as libraries help adults with workforce development, this is the way we help children with their work.”
The library staff is currently working to rearrange the space with hopes of opening the Discovery Center in the summer of 2020. “But don’t worry, we will continue to provide books, DVDs, and other services at the library — the space will just look different,” Grubb said.
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