Monterey Bay Girl Scouts Troop #3473 of San Juan Bautista camped
out over the weekend at the San Juan Bautista Library as part of
earning their book badge.
Monterey Bay Girl Scouts Troop #3473 of San Juan Bautista camped out over the weekend at the San Juan Bautista Library as part of earning their book badge. During the course of Saturday evening, about 17 young girls learned about the Dewy decimal system, how to find books and made posters for the library. They held a talent show and a treasure hunt, made book markers and had relay games outside on the lawn.
Troop leader Brenda Weatherly said the experience would be something the girls would remember the rest of their lives while leaving behind a legacy.
“We thought it would be fun, a memorable event for the girls, and it makes the branch more personal – this is their library, ” she said.
The girls also shared in some quiet time, reading a chapter from “Octavia,” a story about one girl’s journey in scouting.
“This is a first,” said Pat Larkin, SJB’s librarian. “I don’t know of any other girl scout troop that has ever stayed in a library.”
Weatherly said that when they first proposed the idea to the librarian, that she was not thrilled about the idea at all, but, after giving it some more thought, changed her mind.
“First, I asked what for – that it was not feasible,” Larkin said. “I can’t have kids locked in here at night then I thought why not? I remembered we did have a second exit door and we had a lot of outside lighting.”
Library rules were set up and the girls knew what they could or could not do while at the library. Larkin said the parents were very organized and very capable leaders.
“They did a wonderful job putting this together,” Larkin said. “Our little library is also hopping with excitement.”
