A neighborhood mainstay for more than sixty years, the Potrero Branch Library has literally measured its popularity over the decades, celebrating its one millionth patron in January. One barometer of the branch’s enduring attractiveness is the heavily attended, bi-weekly storytime sessions that the library offers for free.
Every Tuesday and Thursday youth services librarian Jenny Scholten and branch manager Mary Ellen share a small collection of children’s books with children, parents, and caregivers. The sessions are highly interactive. They open with a sing-a-long song, followed by a forty minute mixture of stories – such as One Gorilla by Anthony Browne – dances –“Popcorn in a Pan” – and songs – “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” – accompanied by musical instruments. The gatherings are designed to entertain, engage, and cater to the short attention spans of the Hill’s littler people, though, as one attendee put it, storytime is “appropriate for all age groups.”
According to Deb Lahidji, a grandmother from Ann Arbor, Michigan who was visiting her son and grandchildren, storytime is of vital importance to her family’s daytime activities. “This is typically their fussy hour,” she explained, but being in an environment where other children are focused and enjoying the stories “encourages good behavior.” “Kids need an outing; we plan our day’s schedule around storytime. An early breakfast before, and a late naptime after. It’s really great.”
On a recent Thursday morning storytime had attracted 24 grownups and 26 children, ranging from less-than-year-old babies to walking, talking toddlers. Scholten, who was running the session, said that attendance levels are “consistently 45, to 60, to 70,” with “a lot of regulars.” Bilingual – Spanish – readings have been offered since the branch’s inception.
The Potrero Library offers storytime twice a week, totaling three sessions: Baby Bounce, on Tuesdays at 1:15 p.m. and Thursdays at 11:15 a.m.; and Family Storytime on Thursdays at 10:15 a.m.
