It was a packed house last week at the Oliver La Farge branch of the Santa Fe Public Library for the opening week of their Summer Reading Program. The branch was hosting the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies’ Education Coordinator, Ziggy Prothro, for a Create Your Own Petroglyph program. Patrons were invited to explore the hands-on table of artifacts while they learned about using animal tendons to construct tools, and the difference between spear points and arrowheads, among other lessons.
After showcasing historical examples of petroglyphs, Prothro invited attendees to create their own petroglyphs using sand scratch boards that mimic the process. Patrons of all ages excitedly got to work on their creations – which fit in perfectly with the art theme of this year’s Color Our World statewide Summer Reading Program.
Prothro is scheduled throughout the summer at over a dozen public libraries throughout the state. She loves working at the libraries – “Library programs are always high engagement and high quality – with good questions” from participants, she stated.
The OAS Education Outreach Program is intended to create and expand a “culture of empathy between the diverse populations of New Mexico, while improving the cohesion and stretch within the populations,” according to their website, and offers free programming all throughout the year, not just for summer. There are still spaces available for this summer for public libraries, or it’s a good time to look ahead to fall programming. Libraries can reach out to Prothro using the program request form found on the OAS website to start the process.