StoryWalks uniquely blend exercise with children’s stories

East Carolina University’s main campus library is partnering with the Greenville Recreation and Parks Department and the Friends of Sheppard Memorial Library to produce StoryWalks that will promote physical activity and feature bilingual children’s stories related to inclusion, nature relationship and health.

This is a $50,000 project as part of 2024-25 Library Services and Technology Act grants awarded statewide. The State Library of North Carolina determined awards to 41 libraries for a total of $2,527,641 in grant funds to support new or expanded library programs and services, as well as limited ongoing projects.

Grant co-principal investigators are library employees Laura Bright, collection strategist and assessment librarian, and Eryn Staib, student engagement and outreach specialist. Children’s librarians at Sheppard and the Farmville Public Library will assist in achieving goals of the StoryWalks to promote physical activity and education through unique community-based opportunities.

The SLNC noted this aligns with ECU’s motto of Servire, “to serve,” and the university’s 2023-28 strategic plan — Future focused. Innovation driven. — based on student success, public service and regional transformation.

This program was supported by grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provision of the federal Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Natural Resources. The StoryWalk^® Project was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier Vermont. Storywalk^® is a registered service mark owned by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.