Local youngsters will have more literary adventures to enchant and delight them because of MTSU’s Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center.

Throughout the month of November, the center is collecting new and gently used books appropriate for ages 3 through 5 for presentation to the MTSU Child Care Lab. The goal is to collect 600 books by Wednesday, Nov. 30.

“A great need exists because … day care programs … have a limited number of books and need a variety of books for young children,” said Dr. Bené Cox, center director and an MTSU English professor.

Dr. Bené Cox

The MTSU Child Care Lab provides child care for small children whose parents are either working for or attending MTSU as students. The lab’s student workers also gain valuable experience outside the classroom.

The lab is located on Alumni Drive in the middle of MTSU’s Womack Lane student housing.

“We are developing a partnership with the University Writing Center and the MTSU Child Care Lab to help these children develop a love of reading, an enthusiasm about learning, and to increase literacy,” said Dominique Chessor, a graduate student originally from Montgomery, Alabama, who works at the center.

Donations are being accepted at the Writing Center, which is located on the third floor of the James E. Walker Library, during the following hours:

• Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Fridays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Sundays, 2-7 p.m.

For more information, contact the center at 615-904-8237 or uwcenter@mtsu.edu.

— Gina K. Logue (gina.logue@mtsu.edu)