by Kelly McCabe, Youth Services Coordinator
It was a beautiful summer day when we visited Shuter Library of Angel Fire, tucked into the Southern Rockies in Colfax County. The Shuter Library of Angel Fire serves a population of just under 2,000, and has both seasonal and year-round patrons. This year’s Summer Reading Program followed the Adventure Begins at Your Library theme by focusing on adventures in Science. The 8-week program included STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) Tuesdays for elementary age children and their caregivers, as well as the Angel Fire Littles interactive storytime. Library Director Melody Costa says that for the most part they keep the library programming consistent throughout the year – just changing the timing to accommodate school versus summer schedules.
When I visited for a STEAM Tuesday in July, attendees were creating ping-pong ball obstacle courses with recycled materials. Groups worked for almost an hour an their creations – in a sunny outdoor space – before each group ran a time test guiding their ping-pong balls through their maze with the aid of air blown through a straw. Groups were able to make and remake their creations as they discovered the best ways to achieve their goal. Once completed, the creations could be saved by the children, or taken apart and added back to the library’s collection of recycled materials.
Also on my visit I took note of the new dedicated space for the library’s used book sale and signage around the city of the annual Trash to Treasure flea market. Both of these activities provide supplemental funding for the library while encouraging the practice of re-use. Given the beautiful setting of the library, it makes perfect sense that Shuter Library of Angel Fire would model this type of environmentally-friendly practice.