West Davidson library utilizing grant for summer film festival
LEXINGTON — As reported earlier this year, West Davidson Public Library was selected as one of 300 libraries to participate in Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries, an American Library Association (ALA) initiative that helps library workers better serve their small and rural communities.
The competitive award came with a $3,000 grant that has been used to procure equipment and materials to provide family movie showings in two film festivals planned for this year, featuring movies based off classic children’s stories with important lessons about kindness. Originally there had only been one festival planned later in the Fall, but with a return to indoor, in person programming, there will now be a Summer and Fall Film Festival.
“As the various COVID restrictions were lifted, it occurred to us that we were no longer limited to just the outside, socially distanced program we had planned for the Fall,” said Young Adult and Family Programming Coordinator, Bryan Keith Younts. “We were now able to end our Summer Reading programming with this Film Festival, inside, in the Summer and then have the original one we had planned ever since we made our proposal for the grant in the Fall, outside, getting even more programming and a greater variety of movies, all still within the budget for the grant funds.”
The Summer Film Festival will be inside, but the library has used the grant funds to obtain the necessary projector, screen, and sound system to view family movies outside on the lawn of the library in the Fall.
WDPL staff will host a conversation with residents about lessons in kindness before and after the movies. These last several years have shown the importance of fostering kindness towards one another, especially during trying times. At its heart, this program was inspired by that need for kindness towards our family, friends, neighbors, and strangers. In that spirit, the library is also hoping to collect food donations for a local food pantry at the showings. Details are still being ironed out, so patrons are encouraged to check West Davidson Public Library’s Facebook for details as they become available. Also, families that attend will receive a copy of the work each movie was based on as a keepsake and reminder of the lessons learned.
Seating for the movies will begin at 5:00 p.m., with movies starting at 5:45 p.m. Including conversation times, each evening’s festival showing is expected to end by 7:30 p.m. or earlier. The first movie, on July 29, will be “Paddington,” based off the Paddington Bear series written by Michael Bond. Its sequel, “Paddington 2,” will be shown the next week on August 5. The Summer Film Festival will end on August 19, with a special double feature of “Ferdinand the Bull” and “Ferdinand,” a short Disney film and the feature length film that were both based off The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson, respectively.
At all three showings, the library will be accepting donations for the West Davidson Food Pantry. Items needed include:
Canned Pasta
Nabs, Lance crackers, and other individually wrapped snacks
Individual serving packs of oatmeal
Individual Juices
Ramen
If you have any questions about the program, contact Bryan Keith Younts at (336)853-4800 or Bryan.Younts@davidsoncountync.gov, or visit https://www.facebook.com/westdavidsonpubliclibrarync for more information.
Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff.
“Libraries Transforming Communities: Focus on Small and Rural Libraries is an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).”
