'A GREAT ADDITION'

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W.TERRY SMITH

December 9, 2009

Cummins gives library new resource

W. TERRY SMITH

If you are interested in the environment, you will want to visit Edgecombe County Memorial Library at 909 Main St. in Tarboro.

Thanks to Cummins' Rocky Mount Engine Plant in Whitakers, there is a new carrel in the children's section that will appeal to youth and adults alike.

"We're focusing on the environment," said Gloria Wiggins-Hicks, the plant's community relations manager.

Cummins had similar carrels installed at Braswell Memorial Library in Rocky Mount and at Halifax Memorial Library in Roanoke Rapids. The plant's1,178 employees come from the three counties, including 488 from Edgecombe.

Cummins also is partnering with the City of Rocky Mount to pay for 150 energy audits.

The carrel has a new computer with a 19-inch flat screen with direct links to the N.C. Office of Environmental Education, EPA Kids Club and EPA Kids Game Room that offer information and "eco-friendly activities."

On the outside walls are blocks that tell how to "Be Waste Wise" and information about air quality and water conservation, complete with a map of the state's `17 river basins.

In addition, there are two dozen non-fiction and story books.

"We're very pleased to have this free resource about our environment and how to preserve it," said Library Director Roman Leary.

"It was completely unsolicited. They met with us and we responded with enthusiasm.

"It is a great addition to the children's department."

The carrel costs about $3,000 each, Wiggins-Hicks said.

The Cummins plant began production in 1983.

In other library news:

• The children's department "Branching Out for Creativity" fund-raising effort has brought in $905.

• The "Twelve Days of Christmas Raffle" has sold $450 worth of tickets. Chances are $1 each or six for $5. The drawings begin today (Dec. 8) and continue until Dec. 23, 12 business days.

• The library will be closed Dec. 23-26, reopen Monday, Dec. 28 and close early Dec. 31, close Jan. 1 and reopen Saturday, Jan. 2.