BELEN — The staff at the Belen Public Library is excited to show visitors some innovative new updates at their open house next week.
“Especially if you’re somebody that hasn’t been to the library before, this is a really great time to come,” said Belen Public Library computer specialist and teen librarian Jessica Rodgers.
Image courtesy of Belen Library.
The library will be debuting some new assistive technology at the open house that will make the area and amenities more accessible for everyone.
The open house will be held from 4-6 p.m., Wednesday, May 1, at the Belen Public Library, 333 Becker Ave., Belen,.
There will also be lots of family fun, including a photo booth, a variety of games and activities, food trucks and a special performance by local dance group Cisne De Nuevo México.
Rodgers said they will be handing out door prizes to the first 10 families or groups that attend the event. The prizes will be one-use passes to the Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum and Albuquerque BioPark, which includes the zoo, aquarium and botanic gardens with each pass covering admission for up to four people.
The assistive technology being demonstrated at the event was made possible by a $30,000 grant from the American Library Association dedicated to improving accessibility to library services in smaller, more rural communities.
Through the grant, Belen library was able to purchase a ClearView+ machine that hooks up to a computer to enlarge text on the screen and it can be used to enlarge text in physical materials, too.
Kathleen Pickering, director of Belen Public Library, said the machine also allows people with dyslexia to read more easily as the user can experiment with different colored backgrounds and fonts to find what combination works best for them.
They also purchased book-sized and shaped Magnipro magnifying glasses that are equipped with a light to help readers with low vision read easier and with less hassle.
Felina Martinez | News-Bulletin photos
Danny Garcia, assistant director of Belen Public Library, demonstrates the library’s new Clearview+ machine that magnifies text of physical and digital materials. The machine also allows the user to change the color and contrast of the background and font to assist people with low vision or dyslexia.
“One of the things that we’re really excited about is that we got a C-pen reader that you just press along the page, and it reads (the text) out loud to you. It does it not only in English, but also in Spanish and there are other languages available, too,” said Rodgers. “We also purchased some software for our computers that will read out loud to you for anybody that might have a processing disorder or things like that.”
Rodgers said the open house will be a good opportunity for people of all ages to register for the summer reading series and see the many other programs and resources the library has to offer.
This year’s summer reading theme is “Adventure Begins at Your Library,” which runs from June 10 to July 26 and is open to all ages.
Rodgers said they will provide some ideas for books that fit within the theme, but participants are welcome to choose whatever they would like as the main goal is to get people reading and find something they enjoy.
“What we’ve aimed for in the past is reading 20 minutes a night, but that will look a little different for everyone,” she said.
The library will even provide weekly prizes for all age groups if they show progress in their reading log.
Another recent addition sure to excite many families is Belen Public Library recently bought passes to Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum that can be checked out by patrons allowing for free admission for up to four people.
Belen Library’s new C-pens, pictured, scan text on a page and read it aloud. The C-pens can also translate text into a few languages.
“I think we will definitely have the passes for at least a year, but who knows after that so you should definitely take advantage of it because it’s not very often that you can treat four people in your family to something fun that’s completely free,” said Rodgers.
To check out passes, you must have a library card, available free of charge, with the Belen Public Library and have a circulation history.
“We’re asking people to have three months of records, just so we can be sure that our passes will come back to us,” Rodgers said. “People can check it out at any time and if you’re wanting to use the pass and it’s checked out, you can call us and ask to be put on a reservation list for a pass.”
The Belen Public Library also has a family pass from the New Mexico State Library that patrons can check out, which provides free admission for up to six people to any of the 15 Department of Cultural Affairs museums and historic sites including the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, New Mexico Museum of Art and more.
If you do not yet have a library card, Rodgers said the open house will also be a good opportunity to get one. If you can’t make it in-person, you can apply for a library card online at belen-nm.gov/belen-public-library. You can also find their calendar of upcoming events and programming on the website.
Felina Martinez was born and raised in Valencia County. She graduated from the University of New Mexico in 2021. During her time at UNM, she studied interdisciplinary film, digital media and journalism. She covers the village of Los Lunas, Los Lunas Schools, the School of Dreams Academy and the town of Peralta.
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May 2, 2024
