CHIÈVRES, Belgium -- The New Year is the most important holiday in China, and it is celebrated by more than 20 percent of the world. On Feb. 16, the SHAPE International Library staff celebrated the holiday by decorating the library with lanterns, dragons, books and accessories in addition to organizing activities for children of all ages.
Lingse Wang, who is currently studying to become a librarian, volunteered to help with the event. She read stories to the children and explained the traditions of the Chinese New Year, the origins of the Chinese zodiac signs and other cultural topics. Children then participated in a zodiac sign hunt around the library.
"The purpose of that game is to introduce children to the different sections of the library," said Wang.
Each activity had an educational purpose. Younger children, for example, made dragon masks and lanterns with the help of Marie-Laure Desmanet, a library technician. It was the first Chinese New Year event organized by the library. However, the library staff members are no strangers to event planning. Last year, they hosted special events such as Halloween, Dinovember and Space Day.
According to the staff members, these events are a great way to make children love libraries and learning.
For those who missed the event, the scavenger hunt activity is still available until the end of the month. In addition, the library has online resources such as CultureGrams, where people can learn about cultural information on different countries around the world. These resources can be accessed at home if the person is registered with the library, according to Lisa Steinacker, SHAPE International Library director.
February is National Library Lovers ' Month, and the SHAPE International Library has special activities throughout the month. From now until Mar. 31, the library is hosting a Harry Potter Quiz, which gives people a chance to win prizes. The quiz is held in conjunction with the Harry Potter movie screenings held on Tuesdays until mid-April at the SHAPE Cinema.
For more information about the SHAPE International Library ' s events and online resources , visit www.chievres.armymwr.com/programs/shapelibrary.
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