OPENING LINE VALENCIA LIBRARY READY TO TELL STORIES PARENTS SIGN THEIR KIDS UP FOR READING PROGRAM.Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer VALENCIA - By the time the Valencia Library opened Monday morning, about 75 moms were in line, shivering shivering /shiv·er·ing/ (shiv´er-ing) 1. involuntary shaking of the body, as with cold. 2. a disease of horses, with trembling or quivering of various muscles. shivering see shiver, stringhalt. in the morning drizzle, many with unruly toddlers in tow. It wasn't the arrival of a best-seller to the stacks or a day of amnesty amnesty (ăm`nəstē), in law, exemption from prosecution for criminal action. It signifies forgiveness and the forgetting of past actions. from library fines. It was sign-up day for storytime. Although the program has been in place for decades, library officials say it has been gaining popularity in recent months, and today is one of the largest programs in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County's busiest library branch. ``I used to be able to walk in and sign up and now I have to wait in line for over an hour,'' said Millie Smathers of Saugus, waiting to enroll her 4-year-old son in the program. ``I've definitely seen a big increase since I enrolled my 9-year-old in the program years ago.'' Bundled up and shivering in the damp damp, in mining, any mixture of gases in an underground mine, especially oxygen-deficient or noxious gases. The term damp probably is derived from the German dampf, meaning fog or vapor. Several distinct types of damp are recognized. weather, the moms tried to keep their children entertained en·ter·tain v. en·ter·tained, en·ter·tain·ing, en·ter·tains v.tr. 1. To hold the attention of with something amusing or diverting. See Synonyms at amuse. 2. until the doors opened. Some held their children in their arms, while others just tried to keep an eye on to watch. - Shak. See also: Eye them as they darted through the crowd. More than 8,000 children participated in the storytime program last year at the Valencia branch, which circulated more than 800,000 items throughout the year - more than any library branch in the county, officials say. Librarians This is a list of people who have practised as a librarian and are well-known, either for their contributions to the library profession or primarily in some other field. say the popularity of the 12-week-long storytime program is an outgrowth of the community's love of reading. ``This is a valley that reads,'' said Susan Coffman, children's librarian (1) A person who works in the data library and keeps track of the tapes and disks that are stored and logged out for use. Also known as a "file librarian" or "media librarian." See data library. (2) See CA-Librarian. at the Valencia branch. ``This is the busiest library in the county system, and parents want their kids to read. They care about education and they come to the library.'' Vicky Frangos of Valencia said she never watches television with 2-year-old Madison, but has been reading to her daughter since she was born. She added that she enrolled Madison in the storytime program so she will learn that reading is fun. ``If kids see other people reading, it makes it more interesting,'' she said. ``And I think the sooner you read to children the better because everything in life involves reading.'' Other parents said they wanted to improve their children's social skills, as well as reading ability, through the storytime program. ``I didn't sign him up for preschool so this is a great way for him to be social with other children,'' Saugus mom (1) (Messaging-Oriented Middleware) See messaging middleware. (2) (Microsoft Operations Manager) Software that monitors and captures system and application events throughout the network. Jackie Costanzo said of her 3-year-old son, Jeffrey. ``He's really learned to be a lot more focused in this program. He can sit and read to himself and not be disturbed.'' The program also provides a social outlet for stay-at-home moms, Frangos said, adding that several moms who met through the program have started a play group for their children. ``It's really sad that a lot of moms stay at home with their kids and have no idea what they could be doing,'' she said. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Iris Hwang and her daughter, Kate, 3, stand in line with other parents outside the Valencia Library on Monday to sign up for storytime. (2 -- color) Parents sign their children up for storytime at the Valencia Library on Monday. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News |
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