Baby Boomers came into a world that was completely different than their parents who suffered through the Great Depression and World War II. Travel became easier as automobiles became more affordable and the road system improved. Home entertainment became possible with television and radio. One of the unfortunate side effects of these new experiences was that people began reading less. So it was in 1958 that National Library Week was initiated to encourage more people to read which would get them to use, and thus support, their local libraries. For sixty years now this tradition of the second week in April for National Library Week has been kept, continually pointing out the importance of reading and stressing the necessity of libraries.

Coincidentally, a longitudinal study was begun in England, Scotland, and Wales in 1958 relating to reading. The results were recently published by two scientists, Timothy Bates and Stuart Ritchie, from Edinburgh University in Scotland. They analyzed the relationship between early reading skills at age seven and later socio-economic life, following more than 17,000 people in England, Scotland and Wales over 50 years from 1958. The results showed that reading well at age seven was a key factor in determining whether people went on to get a high-income job. Reading level at age seven was linked to social class even 35 years on. “Children with higher reading and maths skills ended up having higher incomes, better housing and more professional roles in adulthood,” the authors concluded.

This research is confirmed in other studies. They show that it is not so much social and economic advantages as much as reading advantage that gives a boost in life. For example, John Guthrie from the University of Maryland did a study of 4th graders and discovered that engaged readers could come from any strata of society. It turns out that this is the great equalizer, as literacy is the key to economic and social power, regardless of socio-economic class.

There was an old saying that the first three grades were to learn to read, and then a child would read to learn. It seems there is something special about 4th grade. A study from the US Department of Justice shows that two out of three students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will sometime in their life be incarcerated for a crime. The Department of Justice states, “The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence, and crime is welded to reading failure.” Obviously, getting young people to read, the earlier, the better, should be a high priority for everyone.

Which brings us back to libraries — particularly the local public library. Fortunately for residents of Lycoming County, there is a very strong library system, which offers every parent an opportunity to keep their child engaged in good literature. The system is anchored with the James V. Brown Library, located on 4th and Market streets in Williamsport. For nearly fifty years, the library has served as one of the Commonwealth’s 28 District Centers and has played a pivotal role in delivering library service throughout North Central Pennsylvania.

Networking with the James V. Brown Library are the other libraries in the county, located in Hughesville, Jersey Shore, Muncy, Montgomery, and Montoursville (Konkle Memorial). The great feature of this system is that each of the libraries get to share resources with one another, which includes early childhood literacy. The StoryMobile visits childcare facilities across Lycoming County, providing hundreds of children in these centers with carefully selected, and age-appropriate books that enrich their early learning experiences.

For the past thirteen years, the Commonwealth has featured the Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child Program. A book is selected appealing to children ages 3-5, and made available to all the local libraries. This year the featured story is My Cousin Momo by author-illustrator Zachariah OHora, which tells the story of a squirrel who visits his cousins but is so contrary, he does not even fly, even though he is a flying squirrel. It is all part of highlighting the importance of early literacy development in preschoolers and the significance of reading early and often to children, as well as engaging them in conversation and other activities around books.

There is currently an advocacy campaign being conducted by the Lycoming County Library System to encourage the county government to increase their support for this valuable community resource. Write the County Commissioners at 48 W. 3rd St, Williamsport, PA 17701 or call 570-320-2124 or write to Chairman, R. Jack McKernan (jmckernan@lyco.org), Vice-Chairman, Tony Mussare (tmussare@lyco.org), Secretary, Rick Mirabito (rmirabito@lyco.org), and tell them that we need our libraries for the children’s sake!