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Palmer librarian sparks enthusiasm for reading

Sept. 16, 2005

DAWN DE BUSK\Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - With a master's degree in theater arts, Palmer resident Candy Kopperud skillfully commands story time, grabbing the attention of an audience of 4- and 5-year-old children.

Her job as librarian and reading program coordinator at Palmer City Library places her in the role of providing pre-schoolers with an early appreciation of the world of literature - one of the first steps in the learning process.

Kopperud continues pursuing education for herself. In fact, following Thursday's story-time-and-crafts session for almost 50 kids at the library, she left for Ketchikan to attend a two-day workshop on story-time reading.

"I'm always looking for new ideas on how to present story times. I think it's a great way to reach out to children and pique their curiosity. Reading helps children to develop their curiosity," she said.

Kopperud encourages parents to not only read to their child or children, but to let their offspring see them scanning books or deeply engaged in a novel.

"Children will model after them. So, children see that adults read, and that reading is a lifetime skill," she said.

She plans the themes for each month of the reading program, and chooses the books that fall into each topic. This month includes autumn leaves, apples and bears getting ready to hibernate. Thursday's theme, the full moon, precedes this month's harvest moon, the first full moon after the autumnal equinox, which falls on Saturday this year.

"I make it relevant to what is in the world around the children," she said.

A native of sunny California, Kopperud traveled to the Last Frontier in the mid-1960s to attend college at Alaska Methodist University, where she earned her bachelor of science degree in sociology and anthropology and speech and drama. Then, Kopperud pursued her master's in theater arts from Portland State University.

In 1977, she moved to the Valley with her new husband, who was born and raised here. His family owns Kopperud Transportation, a trucking and construction equipment company.

For a while, Kopperud joined the family business.

"I did the Girl Friday thing, working with the haz mat (hazardous material) sheets that are on every product, working with maps on road service, and working with fair booths,"

Kopperud Transportation assisted in moving the booths into place at the Alaska State Fairgrounds.

"It's amazing how much planning goes into where the booths go at the fair," she said, explaining she assisted with the strategy stage before the heavy equipment set up the various fair stands.

Since 1989, Kopperud has worked on and off as a legislative aide for Sen. Lyda Green and Sen. Rick Halford.

"I've had a mishmash of experiences," she laughed.

When Valley Performing Arts was located in Palmer, Kopperud invested time in several productions, helping with makeup, lighting, and also producing.

Now, Kopperud brings the universe of books alive for young minds. She passes her enthusiasm for reading and the fine arts on to others.

A trio of sisters, ranging from 8 to about 11, finished their moonscape art work and Thursday afternoon and gave Kopperud long, heartfelt hugs before leaving the library with their mom.

She waved goodbye to the young artists. Shortly after, Kopperud's ride to the airport arrived, and she departed for another story-time adventure.

Dawn De Busk can be reached at 352-2252, or dawn.debusk@frontiersman.com.