HABLAMOS ESPANOL? NORFOLK PUBLIC LIBRARY LAUNCHES SPANISH STOYTIME SERIES IN RECOGNITION OF HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Norfolk, VA (September 1, 2005) – In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, Norfolk Public Library will launch a Spanish storytime series beginning at 10:30 a.m. on September 10 at Kirn Memorial Library. Children ages 2 to 6 years old will enjoy a gentle introduction to Spanish through stories, songs, and simple conversation.

The Library will offer a Spanish storytime once a month through December. The dates and readers are as follows:

Date	Guest Reader(s)
September 10	Noemi Lopez
October 8	Christine Martinez
November 12	Hilary Crusemire & Stephanie Driggers
December 10	Hilary Crusemire & Stephanie Driggers

Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico declared its independence on September 16 and Chile on September 18. The term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race.

Kirn Memorial Library is located at 301 E. City Hall Avenue, in downtown Norfolk. To receive 3 free hours of parking, park in the MacArthur Center South Garage and bring your ticket to the library for validation. For more information on this program or other children’s programs at the library, call the Youth Services Department at 664-7323 ext. 43748.