Lucas Adcock
Staff Writer
Summer is one of the busiest stretches of the year for Pocahontas County Libraries and Visitor Information Centers, and this year has been no exception. Across the system’s five branches – McClintic Library in Marlinton, and the branches in Green Bank, Durbin, Hillsboro and Linwood, staff spent the past several weeks running the annual Summer Reading Program, with a variety of events and programming for children of all ages. In addition to activities for the young ones, adults can participate in several events offered, as well.
The county system, whose roots trace back to a single room in the Marlinton mayor’s office in 1953, has grown considerably since branch libraries opened in Green Bank in 1960, Durbin in 1968, Hillsboro in 1978 and Linwood in 1979. Today the McClintic building in Marlinton – funded through a bequest from the McClintic family after the library’s previous home was condemned – serves as the system’s hub, while each branch hosts its own weekly story-time, activities and reading challenges throughout the summer.
The program has been constructed on a simple idea and a well-documented payoff: kids who continue reading throughout the summer hold onto the skills they built during the school year, while younger children who are read to aloud build the early listening and comprehension skills that make later reading easier. Prizes and incentives are typically tied to logging books or reading minutes, with participants able to track progress through the library’s online system or with a paper game board picked up at any branch.
The libraries, however, do more than run summer programs. Several branches double as school libraries for local elementary schools, and staff regularly helps residents navigate everything from technology questions to research databases and offer a wide range of books to check out.
Going on now: “Unearth A Story” summer reading program through July 31. Featuring a read-a-thon challenge, drop-in activities available at each branch, and weekly in-person programming. Contact your library for more details.
Residents who haven’t made it to a branch yet still have time before the program wraps up for the year. Hours, contact numbers and program details for all five branches are available at pocahontaslibrary.org or by calling the McClintic branch in Marlinton at 304-799-6000.
