Carson City Library: Girl Scout's fundraiser aims high: Books, library cards for youngsters

A Carson City teen's vision to get books into the hands of young readers will culminate Saturday with a book sale at the Carson City Library.

Margaret Duvall, 13, has been collecting used books from the community this summer as part of her Girl Scout Silver Project, and she will sort and sell them during a fundraiser from 1-6 p.m. in the library's auditorium.

"As I grew up and learned to read, my parents were always ready and willing to provide me with books," Margaret wrote in her project proposal to the Girl Scouts of the Sierra Nevada. "Parents today are living in a recession, many were let go from work and ... they don't always have enough money to put food on the table or clean clothes on their backs, let alone purchase books for their children. Something needs to be done."

All proceeds from Saturday's sale will go to buy a new paperback book for every kindergartener and pre-kindergartener in the school district this fall as part of a program run by Amber Sady, the library's youth services director.

As she was looking for a project idea, Margaret reached out to Sady, who encouraged her to move forward with the project. Sady will visit classrooms to deliver the books and also present each child with his or her own library card.

The books and library cards are part of the Literacy for Life program, sponsored by the library and the Nevada Appeal.

A new book is the perfect complement to a youngster's first library card, Sady said. She estimated that more than 300 children will benefit from Margaret's partnership with the library.

"I think it's a lovely idea that she's helping the community like this," Sady said. "She's a really nice person, and she's been working really hard."

Since Sady started the library card program, youth attendance ay library programs has tripled - and the homework-help program has increased five-fold, she said.

Margaret said one in three children under the age of 18 in Nevada has an immigrant parent and may not always get the opportunity to read books in English.

"We should not limit them because of where they live," she said, "so I'm doing my part by holding a kind of literacy fair."

She said her friend Sabrina Lathrop will have other activities going on for youngsters during the book sale.

"English is much more easily learned if the child can hear it spoken at home," Margaret wrote in her Silver Project proposal. "Without this, and books, the child may not be introduced to English until they begin school."