The 2010 Class of Leadership Chattanooga will unveil its second Common Shelf Community Bookcase at Creative Discovery Museum on April 29 at 11 a.m. One of two bookcase locations, the Common Shelf located at the Museum will be dedicated to housing children’s books.
Community members and guests of the Museum are invited to bring a book to fill the shelves, take a book to read, and enjoy complimentary refreshments as art of the ribbon cutting celebration.
The 2010 Leadership Chattanooga class designed the community bookcase to encourage literacy, art and community building in Chattanooga. The premise of the Common Shelf is to “Take a book. Leave a book.” and is open for participation to anyone who enjoys reading and wants to help open the world of literacy for others.
The bookcase at Creative Discovery Museum will be located just outside the Museum entrance, making it easily accessible to anyone interested in participating in the program.
The goal is for Museum members and guests to help the Leadership Chattanooga class keep the shelves filled with a variety of interesting and age-appropriate books to support children’s interest in reading.
“Even for excellent readers, it is important to spark an interest in books, and summer is the perfect time for children to find enjoyment in reading what they like while continuing to improve their skill level,” said Lu Lewis, a leader in Early Childhood Education and the role literacy plays in child development. “Research from several studies concludes that children lose two to three months of their reading ability if they do not continue reading during the summer. So, it is good for children to adopt and maintain an excitement for reading at an early age.”
The Common Shelf at Creative Discovery Museum will be accessible throughout the summer months. The bookcase’s building materials were donated by Collier Construction, and the design and construction was completed by Museum staff and Collier Construction. Children from Northside Learning Center contributed their artistic talents to paint and decorate the bookcase.