In addition to their bi-weekly Highline Reads sessions for adults (https://library.highline.edu/highlinereads), the Highline library is also holding virtual Highline Storytime read-aloud sessions on the alternate weeks for children in the community to enjoy.
“A lot of people don’t realize this, but our collection includes a good number of Children’s picture books, and we wanted to share these stories,” said Samantha Sermeno, a Highline reference librarian.
“Highline Storytime started in Fall of 2020 and is still going strong, coordinated by lead outreach librarian Monica Twork. We wanted to highlight our growing children’s literature collection and invite colleagues to kick back and relax in the (usually quite hopeful and delightful) world of children’s books.”
At the Storytime sessions, community guest readers as well as Highline faculty, staff, and students can choose the books and themes they’d like to share.
“We market it as open to all ages, and we especially enjoy when parents and their young ones join us to chat,” Sermeno said. “Most of the children’s storybooks we feature focus on ages 2-8 overall, though.”
“Library Director Gerie Ventura provided the original inspiration for developing a regular series of virtual library events. Our colleagues at Pierce College developed a well-received Storytime series for the children of faculty, staff, and students, and we knew that we wanted to create something similar at Highline.”
The next session of Highline Storytime will be today, March 18, at 10:30 a.m., featuring Highline Spanish language professor Illiana Villanueva reading The Day it Snowed Tortillas by Joe Hayes, https://highline.zoom.us/j/4063049250. The book is a collection of stories from New Mexico and will be the program’s first bilingual storytime.
They also plan to host a collaborative session with the Marine Science and Technology Center on May 5 at 2 p.m., which will feature a sea-creature theme.Like the Highline Reads series, Highline Storytime will continue through Spring Quarter and beyond in hopes of bringing the community closer together and creating connections under the social limits of the pandemic, https://library.highline.edu/storytime. Any students, staff, faculty, or other community members who are interested in reading aloud for either program can email Sermeno and Twork at refhelp@highline.edu.