A carefully curated collection of picture books, board books, early readers, series, chapter books, graphic novels, and YA must-reads, as well as the classics, await discovery downstairs in the Children’s Room at the Norman Williams Public Library. Audio books, DVDs, reference and non-fiction, and books with companion audio CDs are also available. The area also hosts a dedicated section of parenting resources.

With a plethora of educational games, puzzles and toys, the Children’s Room is a wonderful meeting place for friends of all ages and a great place for families to spend quality time together playing and reading.

Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the NWPL, there is an electric keyboard available to play in the Children’s Room. Headphones must be worn when playing and are available at the circulation desk.

The youth services division offers programming for children throughout the year with weekly “Baby” story time for birth through age 2, “Toddler” story time for 2 to 5 year-olds, and outreach programs to local nursery school/child care centers (Woodstock Nursery, Rainbow Playschool, and Woodstock Christian Childcare). These activities promote early literacy among our youngest citizens and a comfort and familiarity with the library and its staff.

The Children’s Room is a vibrant and active community resource that many families rely on for educational and social purposes.  The library provides a safe and engaging place for children to go after school to be with friends, do homework, and pursue special interests. During the summer, the library hosts a Summer Reading Program to sustain childrens’ reading engagement.

The Children’s Room at the Norman Williams Public Library was created as part of the library’s major renovation in 2000. Named for Mary Hitchcock French, a granddaughter of Frederick Billings, the space occupies about one-third of the buildings overall square footage and accounts for nearly half the library’s circulation.