Liberty’s Curriculum Library reaches Lynchburg community at Summer Story Times

“I have something in my library bag that is the shape of a circle.”

Dozens of children sat around Curriculum Librarian Lyn Mathews as she showed them her “library bag” of the week, holding inside a mystery item that would introduce the theme of the weekly Summer Story Time.

After many children tried to guess the object and failed, Mathews pulled out her wedding ring and told them it represented the promise she and her husband made to each other when they married.

“This week’s theme is promises,” she said.

This is the sixth year the Curriculum Library in Liberty University’s Jerry Falwell Library has offered Summer Story Time for children ages 4-10 in the Liberty and greater Lynchburg community, and it marked the largest turnout yet, with one week having 124 children.

Story Times were held weekly in June and July at 10 a.m. Each week had a theme, and participants learned a Bible verse related to the theme, listened to children’s stories, sang songs with hand motions, guessed the mystery item of the week, and completed a craft.

This summer, themes have ranged from love to gifts, service, courage, and more.

“Summer Story Time is an opportunity to bring awareness of the Curriculum Library and the resources it has for the Liberty and Lynchburg communities,” said Mathews, who leads the event. “It also provides Christian outreach, providing children an activity with a Christian worldview.”

On July 18, the theme centered on the importance of promises. Mathews read two stories, “A Promise is a Promise,” written by Knister and illustrated by Eve Tharlet, and “Quinn’s Promise Rock,” written by Christie Thomas and illustrated by Sydney Hanson. She related the stories to when God told Noah He would never destroy the earth by flood again, sending a rainbow to symbolize His promise.

“I love that it is very family-oriented, that there is a Bible time and songs. It is very well-rounded,” said Kate Frye, who brought her children to the event. “The reading is really well done, and I notice that the people who come all value the same thing (family and the Bible).”

Many of the parents who bring their children to Summer Story Time are Liberty alumni who have not visited the library in several years.

“Alumni are always really excited to rediscover the library resources,” Mathews said. “We are also building relationships because a lot of these families will come back throughout the year, either with their LU Alumni Card or a community library card.”

Throughout the school year, the Curriculum Library primarily serves students in the School of Education, providing an abundance of Pre-K through 12th-grade children’s literature and teacher resources.

“We are designed to look like a school library in the environment of it as well as our resources,” Mathews said.

The Curriculum Library is open to all Liberty students, staff, and faculty, as well as the community. Community members can purchase a $10 annual library card. The Curriculum Library is open during the summer 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Mathews said many homeschooling families, as well as students from hybrid and private schools, use the library’s resources.

Hannah Lowder, outreach librarian, said the Curriculum Library has free supplies for Liberty students to use, including a Cricut machine, paper cutters, die cutters, and other items.

“We have a lot of the things that students who are becoming teachers might use, and other students can use them more creatively for other things too,” she added, noting that many students use the items for residence hall projects.

Mathews hopes to continue providing Summer Story Time every year so Liberty can reach the children and parents in the community.

“We have seen a 400% increase in children since 2021 for Summer Story Time,” she said. “2024 has been our biggest year yet, and we receive tons of comments of people’s thankfulness for the opportunity to share the Gospel with their kids.”