Dowagiac District Library overhauling children’s section

Perusing through one of the shelves in the children’s area located in the upper level of the Dowagiac District Library, Director Jacob Munford pulled out a nonfiction book about Chinese Americans, aimed at elementary school students.

Flipping to the first page of the book, he read off the date the book was published in — 1987.

“This is probably the newest book we have on this shelf,” Munford said.

Unfortunately, this problem isn’t isolated to just this particular set of books, Munford said.

While the section may be the most popular among patrons of the institution, the Dowagiac library collection of children books are becoming a bit long in the tooth. Between years of accumulated damage and outdated subjects and contents, a portion of the 13,000 lining the shelves have outlived their usefulness to the area’s children.

“A lot of kids need books like this for school projects,” Munford said. “When you have an older collection of books, it becomes a roll of the dice whether or not the materials will be able to serve their needs.”

Last month, though, the library board began an effort to inject some new blood into the collections. Reserving $20,000 of surplus funds from the prior year’s budget, the library has begun purchasing new books, aimed at kids 13 years old and younger, Munford said. The local Ladies Library Association have also pitched in additional $2,200 for the project.

Their goal is to add between 4,000 and 6,000 books by the end of November, adding them to the circulation while removing older ones.

The first batch arrived last week, containing everything from picture books aimed at toddlers to informational ones aimed at preteens and up. For the first few shipments, the library is focusing on nonfiction titles, particularly in areas where they’ve been lacking, such as books on sign language, Munford said.

“We want to make our books more attractive to kids, while also allowing parents to see the practicality of them,” he said.

They will also be adding less serious kinds of books, such as graphic novels for teenagers and board books aimed at infants and toddlers.

“A lot of stuff that kids read today is part of a larger series, so we’re also using the funds to keep those up to date as well,” Munford said.

For Munford and his fellow librarians, this investment is just the latest demonstration of their commitment to the city’s youngest readers. The library regularly offers activities aimed at instilling a love of reading in children, including weekly book readings and special game nights.

“[Literacy] affects everything in a person’s life, from the moment they are born until the day they die,” Munford said. “The library is the place that makes that happen for kids; it will always be there for them.”