Read to a furry listener!
The mission of the PAWS To Read program is to improve the literacy skills of children with the assistance of registered canine reading companions in a fun and relaxed environment. The PAWS To Read program is designed to attract children from every reading level. Research with therapy animals indicates that children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than another person. Even more, they are inclined to forget about their limitations.
Children involved in PAWS To Read programs nationwide have experienced:
– Improved reading skills
– A sense of pride in their accomplishments
– Willingness to become involved in other positive activities
– More respect and kindness in their interaction with animals
– More enjoyment in reading
– An increased number of books they borrow from the library
For more information, contact the Children’s Department at 330-832-9831, x317.
In 1897, local public servant and storekeeper George Harsh willed $10,000 for “public library purposes.” The funds purchased nearly 10,000 volumes for Massillon’s first public library. Also in 1897, J.W. McClymonds announced his gift of an endowment of $20,000 for a library. The Russell sisters, Flora and Annie, who married the McClymonds brothers, donated the Nahum S. Russell home, located on Prospect Street (now Fourth Street NE), in memory of their parents. The McClymonds Public Library opened on January 1, 1899, and was funded by private subscriptions and an annual disbursement of city funds. In 1922, the McClymonds Public Library became the Massillon City School District Library and was now funded by tax revenue.
In 1930, Annie Steese Baldwin willed her home “as the site for a new public library.” Built around 1835, the brick home overlooking downtown Massillon from Hill Street (now Second Street NE) was first the residence of the city’s founder, James Duncan.
The current Massillon Public Library (Main Location), located at the corner of Lincoln Way East and Second Street NE, opened in 1937. Designed by Albrecht & Wilhelm and funded in part by a Works Progress Administration grant, the Duncan/Baldwin home was connected by a Jeffersonian portico and rotunda to a west wing Reading Room and Children’s Room. The Massillon Museum was also housed at this location until 1996 when it moved to its present location at 121 Lincoln Way East.