Photo By Senior Airman Katharine Winchell | A letter board for the Chièvres Trunk or Treat event is displayed at the entrance of...... read more read more
When walking through the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe International Library’s doors, people are transported into a place of endless exploration. In a room stacked to the brim with books, movies, and games, the library’s patrons have everything they need to unleash their inner creativity.
Lara Harrison, a public services librarian at the SHAPE International Library, can be seen around the library helping patrons discover new books and hobbies.
“Reading and learning is such an important thing for opening doors and minds,” said Harrison. “The more kids read from a younger age ... you see demonstrated differences in how they can think critically and problem solve and think outside the box.”
This is exactly what the Army Morale Welfare and Recreation libraries aim to do with a multitude of programs and opportunities. There are workshops like LEGO education, the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program, and the Young Adult Book Club to name a few. An array of kits are available for checkout such as collections of baking pans, robotics kits and even musical instruments.
“Libraries help provide opportunity and access to things. Not everybody has the same opportunities when it comes to robot coding for example,” said Harrison. “There are programs that even if you might not have something at home, you might be able to experience it at the library.”
The SHAPE International Library also puts on annual events such as “Dinovember,” an interactive event where community members send in photos of their toy dinosaurs getting into mischief. Another annual event is the Stuffed Animal Sleepover. Children drop off their stuffed animals at the library for a slumber party. They pick them up the next day along with a collection of photos documenting what their stuffed animals were up to through the night.
The vast variety of resources and activities can come as a surprise to many when they see all that the library has to offer.
“Libraries are so much more than a dusty set of encyclopedias,” said Harrison. “We want [our library] to be a welcoming place where whatever you're interested in, we can support that and open the doors to it.”
Harrison has personally felt just how important MWR libraries can be to their communities. As a military child and then later a military spouse, Harrison has always found the library to be a welcoming resource.
“I like working with the MWR system because I've been on bases where we depend on it,” said Harrison. “They're tiny. They're isolated … if it's not MWR, or base support, you're an hour plus from the nearest base or nearest town, so this is your community.”
The SHAPE community is unique in that it boasts members from 30 NATO countries. The library services all SHAPE ID card holders who walk through the door. They have resources in 17 languages including children’s storytimes in German, French and English. Every nation may have their own idea of what a library is, and though the international library may not meet them all, there are traditional aspects it does have that parallel through each culture.
“Yes, it's still quiet,” said Harrison. “Yes, it's a great place to come and do work or study or something, but you can ask questions; you can get excited about something.”
The library at SHAPE is an active one and the staff strives to keep it that way. With so much to learn and experience, Harrison hopes each person can take something special from their visit.
“Whatever you’re interested in reading, it's okay to be excited about that. It's okay to be completely dorky about things,” said Harrison. “You don't have to be the very extroverted class leader type. You can be the quieter kid and still have a place and feel comfortable.”
The SHAPE International Library is about self-discovery and the library team is there to help make that happen for everyone who walks through the door.
| Date Taken: | 10.29.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.05.2021 09:05 |
| Story ID: | 408757 |
| Location: | SHAPE, WHT, BE |
| Web Views: | 52 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The SHAPE of learning, by SrA Katharine Winchell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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