Where can

children read their favorite books, surf the web and get

homework help?

Where can

parents get a list of the nearest day care centers, plan

a family vacation or obtain the latest tax information? A

good bet is their local library.

National

Library Week, April 9-15, celebrates how children and

families can "Read! Learn! Connect! at the

Library." The annual event is sponsored by the

American Library Association and library supporters

nationwide.

The

Peachtree City Library also has planned a full slate of

activities to celebrate the week.

Library

boosters will kick off their events Saturday with

"Connect for Kids@the Library Day." Libraries

everywhere are hosting the event, sponsored by the ALA

and the Benton Foundation. Families also can check out

the Benton Foundation's "Connect for Kids" web

site ( www.connectforkids.org )

with links to more than 1,000 sites and organizations

working on behalf of children.

Jill Kuhns,

the Peachtree City Library's technology/training manager,

will host a program called "Internet Safety for Kids

and Parents" at 10 a.m. Saturday. The program will

help attendees learn the Internet basics, tools that

promote on-line safety and information about good,

quality content.

At 2 p.m.

Saturday, Mother Goose will arrive and entertain children

with her famous stories.

The

festivities for National Library Week will continue

Monday, April 10 with the opening of the new parenting

section at the library. Molly Kinney, library consultant

for children, parents and family literacy from the Office

of Public Library Services, will speak at 11:15 a.m.

A Parenting

Resource Forum will be conducted concurrent with the

opening of the parenting section. At 11 a.m. Tuesday,

April 11, Ann Ricker of the University of Georgia

Cooperative Extension Services will present "better

brains for babies."

Tuesday

also is a big day for the Peachtree City Library, because

"Gone With the Wind" expert Herb Bridges will

speak about his new book, "Gone With the Wind: The

Three-day Premier in Atlanta", at 7 p.m.

An

investment counselor will be on hand Wednesday, April 12

at 10 a.m. to explain the use of investment materials

found in the Peachtree City Library. The final program

will be presented by the Rev. Jeff Lowe, who will talk

about letters from the Civil War that are in his book,

"Letters to Amanda," Thursday, April 13 at 7

p.m.

"Libraries

build community," says Sarah Ann Long, president of

the American Library Association. "Among the ways we

do this is by connecting parents and children with

resources that can enrich their lives. We hope `Connect

for Kids Day' will remind families how libraries do this

every day."

According

to Long, one of the most important ways libraries serve

the community is by making information and technology

accessible to people of all ages. The American Library

Association estimates more than 90 percent of public

libraries, including branches, offer public access to the

Internet. In schools and colleges, librarians teach

students information literacy skills they need to succeed

in school and throughout life. Many libraries also offer

classes for parents and children on how to navigate the

Internet.

"For

many families, the library is their first hands-on

experience with a computer," adds Long.

"Librarians are a wonderful asset because they know

how to find the best source of information and can assist

in funding a good web site just as they do a good

book."

Long also

says that libraries are providing more programs and

services than ever for parents and children, including

family literacy programs, after school activities,

musical performances, art projects and computer training,

just to name a few.

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