Colfax Public Library is pleased to introduce “Library of Things” a collection of kits & fun
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FIRE SAFETY — Jordan Logslett, on left, who is married to Colfax firefighter Noah Logslett, suggested the idea of fire safety kits for the Colfax Community Fire Department to donate to the Colfax Public Library and then donated the backpacks. One fire safety kit is for older children, and the other kit is for younger children. Next to Logslett is Lisa Bragg-Hurlburt, director of the Colfax Public Library, and Gary Hill, Colfax fire chief. —photo submitted
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — Have you ever wanted to test your water?
Or maybe you want to try using a metal detector.
Or perhaps your children or grandchildren are curious about playing a keyboard.
The Colfax Public Library is pleased to announce the addition of The Library of Things, which includes a variety of kits for children and for adults.
“We started getting into kits with the children’s kits a while back. Those are a big hit,” said Lisa Bragg-Hurlburt, director of the Colfax Public Library.
The Library of Things includes useful and interesting items in “kits” that come in sturdy canvass bags for easy carrying, she said.
The Library of Things was developed to promote the emotional, mental and physical well-being of the community and includes a water testing kit, a soil testing kit, a metal detector, a digital projector, a meditation kit, a sleep kit, music therapy kits for children and adults, a healthy heart kit and a reading pen for the visually impaired, Bragg-Hurlburt said.
Women’s Giving Circle
“Last year, I had the opportunity to get involved with the Women’s Giving Circle for the Welcome Families Program. That ended up being such a hit. They gave us $3,000 for new furniture, so we reconfigured things in the library to make more space. People have been spending more time at the library, attending more programs and staying longer,” she said.
“This idea for the Library of Things will hopefully draw new people to the library. Maybe people who do not think of themselves as regular readers but have a use for some of these items,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
“All of these kits came to us through the Women’s Giving Circle grant of $1,500, which is a fund of the Community Foundation of Dunn County,” she said.
“We do so enjoy working with that group … they are the nicest group of ladies who really want to help women and children in Dunn County. Their support of us is their effort to connect with rural Dunn County. So many times, Menomonie or more populated areas get the help. This project appealed to them because they felt they were helping rural people,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
Health and wellness
“We went with a health and wellness theme. Some are intended to promote the physical health of people. With the metal detector kits, people will be walking around outdoors, so that would be good for physical activity. We have a healthy heart kit with a blood pressure monitor, and it has a healthy heart cookbook and other books on the topic,” she said.
“We are thinking these items can potentially enrich and improve people’s lives. We selected items that people might be interested in trying out before actually buying for themselves,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
“The sleep kit has one of those alarm clocks that gives off a light that gradually gets brighter. It also has a white noise machine and three books about sleep-related topics like good sleep habits and dreaming,” she said.
“Also your physical health is related to the environment, so we have a water-testing kit that people will be able to use. It comes with strips. So each time someone checks it out, we will put new strips in the kit so they can have their water tested. We have a soil-testing kit so you can test your soil for gardening purposes,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
“Then we also have things for emotional and mental well-being. In addition to the sleep kit, we have the meditation kit, and music therapy kits, one for adults and one for children. These are really cool. They have some unique instruments,” she said.
The children’s music therapy kit has a child-sized keyboard.
“We did make an effort to label the keys, and there’s an easy keyboard music book in there. There’s a rainstick. And we have little percussion instruments. There’s even a little microphone so the kids can sing along with the keyboard,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
“We want to get the word out that we have the Library of Things. You can check them out with a library card and keep them for a week. You can renew if you have to. We do not want people to be afraid of using the items,” she said.
“We are not going to punish people with huge bills if something happens to the item. They are meant to be used. We do not want people to be afraid to use them. We understand there is going to be wear and tear,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
Firefighter kits
In addition to the Library of Things, the Colfax Public Library has added two firefighter kits that were donated by the Colfax Community Fire Department.
“They found some cute firefighter backpacks, and there is a bundle of items that include games and books about firefighters and fire safety,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
One of the kits is geared toward older children, and the other kit is geared toward younger children, she noted.
“It is so great to have a partnership with the fire department to help educate children on fire safety,” Bragg-Hurlburt said.
