Both the Community Foundation of Fayette County and the Chevron Community Fund awarded the Uniontown Public Library with spring 2018 grants for the Summer Quest Program. The “Libraries Rock” theme set the tone for the program which ran from June until early August. Grouped by their ability to read on their own or not, children were given reading and activity logs to earn points for prizes.
The Summer Quest Program was available to all children up to age 14 without cost, and parents were included for activities. Dianne McFeaters, the Children’s Librarian who has been at the library for 15 years, personalizes the program each year. In addition to reading incentives, there was a treasure hunt, art contest, math contest and make-and-take craft table. The Uniontown Public Library also included STEM-related activities for the first time in 2018, including 3-D printing, astronomy, robotics, botany and acoustics.
Special Thursday Programs included visits from the Carnegie Science Center, The National Aviary, the Pittsburgh Zoo and the WQED Inquire Within program. Children learned about first aid kits, wildlife noises, seeds and more. The Children’s Scholastic Book Fair was held the last two weeks of the program, and 177 children received a $10 certificate as a prize to spend on books.
Christy Fusco, Library Director, expressed the value of involving the family with educational activities to help children explore their interests and help parents discover new ways to extend learning experiences at home. Beyond childhood, the library provides a middle school reading competition, public access computers, educational online courses, digital literacy information and more.
2019 is the Uniontown Public Library’s 90th anniversary. To learn more about the Uniontown Public Library, visit their website at uniontownlib.org. All photos were provided by the Uniontown Public Library.
