This year the Mary H. Weir Public Library was awarded an Library Services and Technology Act Grant from the West Virginia Library Commission for the purchase of two Early Literacy Computer Workstations.These computers come preloaded with over 30 different entertaining and educational programs designed to support the development of children ages 2 to 8. There are programs based on children's book characters like The Cat in the Hat and Stellaluna and programs based on popular television shows like Sesame Street, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Between the Lions. Many of the programs loaded on these computers come from companies like Reader Rabbit and JumpStart that have been creating educational programs for children since these programs first came on the market. Designed to keep the interest of children, these programs are filled with color, movement and music.
One of the computer stations is bilingual. There are flags on the corner of the screen of this station. When the flags are clicked, the programs change to either English or Spanish. Children whose first language is Spanish can become more fluent in English by using these programs and children who speak English can learn some Spanish words from them.
The Early Literacy Stations have an index in the corner so that parents can see which programs are appropriate for their child. The programs are divided by age group and the skill that is being developed. In addition to the Reading and Writing skills that have traditionally been seen as literacy skills, these stations also include programs for developing skills in Math, Music, Art, Social Studies, Geography, and Computer Use.
In addition to the Early Literacy Stations, the library still maintains three workstations for older children that give them access to Microsoft Office products for Word Processing and Internet Access so that they can access the library catalog, our subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica, and the databases available at WV InfoDepot.
