Literacy foundations can be laid at birth, and the New Orleans Public Library is here to help parents and caregivers encourage early literacy through free programming and resources.
Every Wednesday in February, Algiers Regional Library is hosting “Artsy Baby: Hands-On Fun.”
Designed for ages 0-2, this playtime program features sensory activities and crafts designed to engage all of your child’s senses to help them learn and grow.
The library is at 3014 Holiday Drive.
The library also hosts three weekly baby storytimes designed for newborns to pre-walkers and their caregivers.
Storytimes encourage bonding through books, rhymes and songs in these events, which introduce early literacy skills and encourage language development.
Baby Storytimes are Mondays from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Alvar Library,913 Alvar St.; the Nix Library, 1401 S. Carrollton Ave.; and the Smith, 6301 Canal Blvd. They are sponsored by the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library.
Visit nolalibrary.org for more information about how the library can help you raise your little reader.
BLACK WOMEN’S MAGIC: Feminist philosopher Dr. Lindsey Stewart will visit the New Orleans Public Library via Zoom at 1 p.m. on Feb. 12 for a virtual author talk about her book, “The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women’s Magic.”
The book tells the stories of the mammies of slavery; the Voodoo queens and blues women of the Reconstruction Era; and the granny midwives and textile weavers of the Jim Crow era.
These women courageously continued their practices and worship for centuries and passed down their traditions.
Stewart uses as sources letters from the enslaved, dispatches from the lore of Oshun and other African mystics.
“The Conjuring of America” has been called a love letter to the magic Black women used, their herbs, food, textiles, song and dance, to offer freedom and hope.
Visit nolalibrary.co/conjuring to register and submit your questions for the author.
INCOME TAX HELP: The library is teaming up with AARP to offer free tax assistance at the Algiers Regional Library, 3014 Holiday Drive, and the Milton H. Latter Memorial Library, 5120 St. Charles Ave.
Assistance will be offered in Algiers every Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April 1.
Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome if space is available. Visit nolalibrary.co/tax-help or call the AARP at (504) 408-2041 for appointments.
Assistance at Latter Library will be offered every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through April 7. Help is given on a first-come, first-served basis; no appointments are necessary.
Those seeking help should bring:
- Previous year’s tax return
- Photo ID for taxpayer and for spouse, as applicable
- Social Security cards for every individual on tax return
- IRS Personal Identification Number(s) – required, if applicable
- Paper copies of all your tax documents
- Banking information for direct deposit or debit
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nola.com ’
