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<br />The adult guides are now available at Campbell or Petersen Barn centers. Virtual editions of both guides are available <br />under “Quick Links” on the City of Eugene’s Adult Services website. To receive future editions of the adult guides by mail, <br />call 541-682-5318 for the Campbell Connections, or 541-682-5521 for Inside the Barn. For more information about the <br />adult guides or programming, contact Recreation Section Manager Andy Fernandez at 541-682-6307. <br /> <br /> <br />Free Books-by-Mail for Eugene’s Youngest Children <br />The Eugene Public Library is happy to announce a new service to support parents in raising “reading ready” young <br />children. Parents in the city of Eugene can sign up each of their children from birth through age four to receive a brand-new <br />book in the mail every month. The high-quality, age-specific books are free to the family and a gift for each child to keep. <br /> <br />Pictured here is a family who signed up for Imagination Library at a special Baby <br />Storytime which featured Mayor Kitty Piercy reading aloud to launch the service <br />on Friday, Sept. 5. Families of preschool-age children, including newborns, can <br />register for the program regardless of income level. Approximately 7,900 children, <br />aged birth through four, currently live in Eugene and are eligible for this service. <br /> <br />Imagination Library is an early literacy program based on a simple premise: get <br />plenty of age-appropriate books into the hands of young children on a monthly <br />basis. The goal is to help develop literacy skills before a child ever sets foot in a <br />classroom. The monthly deliveries help build excitement about reading, and serve <br />as a built-in reminder and opportunity for parents to read with their kids. <br /> <br />The Imagination Library service is made possible through a partnership of the <br />Eugene Public Library, the Eugene Public Library Foundation, and a national non- <br />profit, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The Eugene Public Library Foundation has committed to funding the local <br />portion of costs for the program through contributions from organizational sponsors and individual donors. Because of the <br />cost efficiencies built into the large-scale Imagination Library, a full year’s worth of books for a child can be provided for a <br />donation of only $25 to the Eugene Public Library Foundation. <br /> <br />According to Eugene Public Library Director Connie Bennett, “Right now, only 50 percent of incoming kindergartners in <br />Lane County meet the Oregon benchmarks for early literacy. That means those children are behind even before they start.” <br /> <br />“But the good news,” says Bennett, “is that we know ways to fix that. The research is clear: reading with your children early <br />and often is absolutely crucial to their future educational success. One of our library’s primary aims is to support Eugene <br />kids’ reading readiness before they start school. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is a terrific opportunity for our city – <br />and it’s really fun, too.” <br /> <br />For more information or to sign up, contact the Eugene Public Library at www.eugene-or.gov/library or 541-682-5450. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 <br />September 11, 2014 <br />