INNISFAIL - Every January family literacy is in the spotlight.
The Innisfail Library/Learning Centre is holding the inaugural Family Literacy Festival on Jan. 27, from 3 to 8:30 p.m.
"Jan. 27 is Family Literacy Day," said Sara Kepper, manager at the Innisfail Public Library. "The library is teaming up with the Henday Association for Lifelong Learning for the literacy festival.
"We hope there's a good turnout. We want this to be an annual event."
Family Literacy Day is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999. The day is held annually on Jan. 27 to help raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in literacy-related activities as a family.
Kepper said the festival will include traditional literacy activities as well as some newer features involving technology. The children's program will provide crafts, stories and a scavenger hunt during the children's activities portion from 4 to 5 p.m.
Members of town council will be on hand providing hotdogs from 4 to 6 p.m. as well.
The festival includes a variety of literacy related activities and learning opportunities for families, Kepper noted, and kicks off with an hour-long presentation on how to use technology with the elibrary. In addition, there will be children's activities, a local author display, an interactive 3-D printer demonstration from Red Deer College, author panel discussion and a live Manga/Anime teleconference from Japan, among other items.
"We will have live teleconference with two Manga artists in Japan, Chie Kutsuwada and Sekisei Inko," said Kepper. "They are involved in a Manga university and museum in Japan as well. Manga is quite a popular artist style," she added.
Kepper said the festival will be a day for the entire family to enjoy traditional and newer forms of literacy together as a family.
"To be truly literate in this world (today) you have to have technology-based literacy as well," she said. "I still really believe in print books and print newspapers - I don't think that should ever go to the wayside, but I think you have to grow and incorporate technology as well," explained Kepper.
"I think that's the library's job, to promote literacy," said Kepper. "We have to promote all types (of literacy)."
Sara Kepper, library manager
"We hope there's a good turnout. We want this to be an annual event."
