MTSU’s Walker Library launches family-friendly Spring Festival of the Arts March 7

To welcome the anticipated return of nicer weather, green grass and flowers, the James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University will host a family-oriented celebration Saturday, March 7.

The MTSU library’s inaugural Spring Festival of the Arts is set for noon to 4 p.m. March 7 in the library at 1611 Alumni Drive in Murfreesboro. A campus map is available at http://bit.ly/MTSUParkingMap.

Students relax in the quad outside MTSU's James E. Walker Library in this file photo. The nearly 255,000-square foot facility is celebrating its 20th anniversary this fall and conducting a special fundraiser, the "20 for 20" campaign, to expand services for the university community. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)

Students relax in the quad outside MTSU’s James E. Walker Library in this file photo. The nearly 255,000-square foot facility, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary during the 2019-20 academic year, is launching its first Spring Festival of the Arts for the community on Saturday, March 7. (MTSU file photo by Andy Heidt)

MTSU faculty and students will read literature during the event, and alumni art will be available for sale. Two food trucks also will be on hand outside.

Family Frolic, an interactive dance demonstration, will be part of the entertainment, along with Latin dance demonstrations, musical performances, a book art activity and storytelling featuring MTSU adjunct School of Music professor Susan Ramsay.

Dr. Jason Martin

The Spring Festival of the Arts is free and open to the public, and donations are welcome. Suggested donations are $10 per person or $20 for a family; all proceeds go to MTSU’s Library Textbook Program.

The Walker Library launched its Library Textbook Program in fall 2019 to purchase textbooks used in MTSU’s high-enrollment general education courses. Students can save money by checking out 21 different textbooks and other reading materials to review in the library for three hours at a time.

“This fundraiser is a great way to not only to raise support for the library’s student success initiatives like the Library Textbook Program but to bring awareness to all the things the library does for the MTSU and Murfreesboro communities,” said Jason Martin, interim library dean.

A donation from EBSCO, which specializes in library resources for academic, medical, K-12 education, public library, law, corporate and government markets, also provides partial support for the fundraiser.

For more information, visit http://library.mtsu.edu/springfest. Donations to Walker Library can be made at http://library.mtsu.edu/give.

— Gina Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)