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The Friends
supports many different projects and services at the Saint Paul Public
Library. For years, The Friends has supported many on-going activities
and services, such as the Summer Reading Program and the purchase of
new books and other materials. Support for these projects comes from
government and foundation grants, member and contributor donations,
corporate and business supporters, endowment funds, and other Friends
fundraising activities.
Current Saint Paul Public Library projects supported by The Friends include: Saturday LIVE! at Central Library Live Homework Help™ at Tutor.com Summer Reading Program - A St. Paul Institution "Place two grumpy turtles in a room, stir in three curious lizards, whisk in five jaunty snakes and what do you have? A recipe for summertime fun!" Meet James Gerholdt and his Remarkable Reptiles as he captivates kids with live reptiles, animal artifacts, and a peek into the reptilian world. Reptiles not exactly your cup of tea? Find out more about your world and about chemistry. Volunteers from the American Chemical Society visit Saint Paul Public Libraries to provide real, hands-on activities in chemistry for children. Kids LOVE these programs recommended for 8 years and older!! Watch for the chemists in Library open-house-style workshops at a branch near you this summer! These activities are just a small part of the Summer Reading Program each year. The Summer Reading Program also includes storytimes, lunches with librarians, online book reviews and a read-for-rewards program, guaranteed to whip kids and teens into a reading frenzy. Research has shown that kids who actively read between school terms grow up to be better readers and learners.
In 2005, over 10,000 children and teens registered to win prizes in the Reading Program, and almost 16,000 people attended the 149 free events offered over the summer. The Friends and Library are grateful to the numerous business and organizational supporters of the 2006 Summer Reading Program, including:
The 2006 Summer Reading Program runs from June through August, and a full slate of exciting programs are sure to attract record numbers of active readers. Visit the Library's website or any Saint Paul branch library for information on reading rewards and events. Saturday LIVE! at Central Library Get ready for music, puppetry and animal fun at Saturday LIVE! More than just a storytime, the Saturday LIVE! performances offer children a fun learning experience every Saturday at 11:15 a.m. in the Children's Room at Central Library. Do the Wiggle, Jiggle and Jam with Wendy and her guitar. March along with Puppets on Parade. Enjoy the fascinating, living creatures of the Minnesota Zoomobile. Your kids will love Saturday LIVE! programs, but the exciting events can be enjoyed by the whole family. In 2003-04, Saturday LIVE! has been funded by The
Friends through a grant from the City of Saint Paul's Cultural STAR
program. Students of all ages may drop in to the Homework Centers for assistance, to use dedicated computers for homework, or to work with peers. Community volunteers, trained by the Minnesota Literacy Council, are available to help students, and enjoy serving as informal mentors. In 2002, the first Homework Help Center, SWAMP (Schoolwork and Mentoring Program) opened at the Lexington Outreach Branch Library. Since then, four additional centers have opened: SunSPOT (Study Place Offering Tutoring) at the Sun Ray Branch, the SHAC (Student Homework & Activities Center) at the Riverview Branch, STARS (Students Together After-school at Rice Street) at the Rice Street Branch, and The ZONE at the new Dayton's Bluff Branch.
The Friends has been instrumental in providing support for the Homework Help Center program. Private and government support for the Centers recently has come from the Xcel Energy Foundation; the St. Paul Companies Foundation; the federal government through the support of Representative Betty McCollum; and the federal Library Services and Technology Act, through the State of Minnesota Office of Library Development Services. In 2001, the Centers were established with the support of The Saint Paul Foundation, the F.R. Bigelow Foundation and the Mardag Foundation. For more information on the Homework Help Centers, or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Library's Outreach Office at 651/642-0343. Live Homework Help™ provides students in grades 4 through 12 with free access to thousands of expert tutors, seven days a week, for one-on-one help in math, science, social studies and English. Every day, between 3 and 10 p.m., library card holders can access real-time tutoring services from any Library online computer, or from anywhere on the planet via www.sppl.org using their library card. The service provides instant messaging and interactive links through Tutor.com, a New York-based provider of online tutoring services. It screens, hires and trains teachers, college students and professors to provide online homework assistance. The Friends of the St. Paul Public Library raised nearly $40,000 in corporate and foundation contributions to fund access to online tutoring through Tutor.com over the next year, according to Peter Pearson, president of the St. Paul-based library organization. An Internet interface lets students find subject- and grade-level-appropriate help from 3 to 10 p.m. every day. Spanish-language assistance is available from 3 to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. David Ziembiec, a Tutor.com company representative, said the service provides several hundred online tutoring sessions a day from California to Florida, linking students with home-based tutors over the Internet. The company runs criminal and academic checks on its tutors, he said, and archives each session to monitor quality and assure appropriate contacts between students and tutors. |
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