Throughout the summer, the Johnsonville Public Library will be hosting an assortment of rappers, magicians and puppets, all in the name of reading.
As a part of the library’s Summer of 2012 reading program, Melvil Dewey, the stage name of the self-proclaimed international library hip-hop superstar Scooter Hayes, showed that books are always deserving of a second look… and possibly a rhyme as well.
Dewey entertained nearly 50 children at the library on Tuesday, June 19 as the second of six events planned by the library over the summer.
After his performance and a whirlwind tour to other libraries in the Florence County Library System, Dewey left children with some words of wisdom when entering a library.
“The library is a great place to be,” Dewey said. “It’s a great place to come and have fun.”
Donna Tanner, the library’s branch manager, has had a hand in creating summer reading programs for the facility for the past few years and believes they are a big part of keeping reading relevant during the summer.
Tanner said events such as the performance by Melvin Dewey are great ways to bring kids into the library and bump up the circulation numbers during June and July, when kids are out of school.
“Things like this really get kids excited about the library,” Tanner said. “It really helps out with circulation, too, so this is really a win-win for everyone.”
While libraries of the past may have had a focus on quiet time and had a constantly reverberating, “shhhh…” throughout the facility, the Johnsonville Public Library is quite the opposite.
Tanner said the loud performances that get kids singing and dancing are a great way to exhibit how libraries have changed and what they have to offer the younger generations.
“They love it,” she said. “It shows that libraries have changed and does a good job of bringing in more people.”
This article originally appeared on SCNow.com.
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