After winning more than 10,000 Lego bricks through an Association for Library Service to Children grant program, the Haines Borough Public Library will host a new program called “Future Engineers of America” starting in December.
The afterschool series will begin at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, and will take place every Friday.
Children’s librarian Holly Davis came to work recently and discovered the large box of multicolored plastic bricks already delivered to the library, though she applied to the program Oct. 24.
Twelve Alaska libraries won the “Junior Makers Program” award offered by the LEGO Foundation and Association for Library Service to Children. The program was announced in June at the first White House Maker Faire, which President Barack Obama launched “to celebrate America’s students and entrepreneurs who are inventing the future with these new technologies and techniques,” according to the White House’s website.
Davis said the program will be open-ended and won’t make children follow a plan with concrete steps and a predetermined finished product, like some Lego projects.
“I think the idea behind it is when the kids are working with the Legos they are being creative and problem-solving,” Davis said.
The library was also recently recognized for the sixth year running as one of America’s Star Libraries by the Library Journal. The journal compares public libraries based on circulation, visits, program attendance and public Internet use.
Seven other Alaska libraries received the recognition.