Filming of Storytimes for Television

In 1983, Shaker Life (the local television program on Channel 19) videotaped a series of preschool storytimes featuring librarian Kathleen Englehart reading stories to an audience of preschoolers. This was a ‘big production,’ as written permissions had to be obtained from the publisher of each book in order to use it in the taping, and from a parent of each young participant. Sets were designed by someone from the Shaker Life program, and then constructed by the library Maintenance Department with cut paper artwork created by Susan Scheps from the rough drawings. There were three huge sets: a seal, a lion, and a castle tower. Each of the programs was shown several times during the same week, and videotapes were made available for viewing in the library and, when the library had a video collection, for circulation. TV storytimes were a big hit in the Shaker Community. It was like participating in a storytime from your own living room!
Susan Scheps, Children's Services Supervisor