Come summer 2021, the best place to read a new book will be down by the river. That’s where the Soldotna Public Library is hoping to install a “StoryWalk” that will allow people to read a book while walking in Soldotna Creek Park.

StoryWalks involve taking a picture book, usually about 20 pages in length, and posting it on spaced-out signs, resulting in a roughly half-mile walk. The installations are designed to improve early literacy and to get people active, said librarian Rachel Nash.

“A family could read one page at a time, and then you walk on to the next one and you keep reading it,” Nash said. “At the end of your walk, you’ve gotten some steps in and some exercise, you’ve enjoyed the outdoors and you’ve also read a book.”

The idea of StoryWalks came from Anne Ferguson, of Montpelier, Vermont, who developed the concept in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library. Because of copyright laws, libraries who implement such programs must display the actual dismembered pages of the book, as opposed to making photocopies.

Nash said the library has been interested in establishing a StoryWalk for years, but their plans were delayed due to the pandemic. The project will be made possible by a donation of $2,500 from the Soldotna Library Friends to be used specifically for the project.

Nash said the project will be a collaborative effort between the library, the Soldotna Parks and Recreation Department, Soldotna Library Friends, the Soldotna Maintenance Department and the Soldotna Police Department.

Nash said they are tentatively planning for June 15 as the project installation date, but that it will ultimately depend on the weather and how much snow is still in the park. They’re hoping to run the pages from the playground to the river, but that route is not final.

“The nice thing is the way we’re designing it, it will be permanent but if we have to move it, we would be able to,” Nash said.

An initial sign placed at the beginning of the walk, Nash said, will also work as a sort of notice board, where people beginning the walk can catch up on news and events at the library and which will allow for greater outreach on behalf of the library.

“If someone happens to be in music in the park and they decide to go take the StoryWalk down to the river, they’ll say, ‘Oh, yeah, they have an astronaut visiting next week,’ or whatever we have going on,” Nash said. “Of course, eventually, we will be able to have more in-person programs, again, just raising awareness of, you know, early literacy of all the services we offer, and doing our best to continue to strengthen our community, even when our services don’t look exactly like they’ve always worked in the past.

Among the themes the library wants the first books displayed to address are changing seasons and Alaska culture. Their summer reading theme, Nash said, is “Tails and Tales,” and they hope to rotate a new book every week.

In addition to adding another recreation opportunity to the park, the installation is also COVID-friendly in that it is outdoors and allows for social distancing. The Soldotna Public Library has unveiled several new services over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to stay engaged with library patrons.

With the use of CARES Act funds allocated by the City of Soldotna, the library launched the “Soldotna Library Self-Checkout” mobile app last year, which allows library users to check out materials from a mobile device. CARES Act funds were also used to purchase holds lockers, which were installed near the library entrance. Those lockers allow patrons to pick up their items in a way that minimizes contact between the users and library staff. Assistant librarian Ryanna Thurman said Thursday that the service has grown in popularity since the lockers were installed in January, around when the library reopened to the public.

More information about the programs and services offered by the Soldotna Public Library can be found at soldotna.org/departments/library.

Reach reporter Ashlyn O’Hara at ashlyn.ohara@peninsulaclarion.com.