Local children now have a more interactive space to read and play at the Old Town Newhall Library thanks to a donation from the Friends of Santa Clarita Public Library.
The city of Santa Clarita held a ribbon-cutting Monday to commemorate the Friends’ donation of new furniture for the library’s children area, which includes some of the most circulated materials in the entire system.
“When the library was first built, it was a charming, wonderful library — but every time we had storytime, people were sitting on top of the bookshelves and trying to find a place to sit,” said Mayor Marsha McLean.
The new furniture consists of curved shelves that can be wheeled around to create customized seating arrangements for events, adding about 80 feet of shelving space for more books. The area also includes flower-shaped hangout spots, each of which consists of five seating pods and one shareable table in the center that doubles as a whiteboard for collaborative projects.
The donation was in memory of the Friends’ former board member Robert E. “Bob” Thompson, who was active from 2012-17.
About a dozen children also gathered for the event, many of them picking books and sharing among their own friends at the new seating areas.
“We want to make sure that it’s a welcoming atmosphere and I just love seeing all the kids that come in,” said Candace Ford, a member of the Friends. “I hope this incites more to stop by.”
