Office of Archaeological Studies Offers Hands-On Activities at Farmington Library Night

An 8-foot "touch and feel" tabletop and pieces of turkey-feather blankets will give Farmington children hands-on access to artifacts when the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies visits the Farmington Public Library for Night at the Library on Thursday, Feb. 26, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages.

Ziggy Prothro, education coordinator for the Office of Archaeological Studies, said, "The night will teach kids about archaeology and the study of the past." Prothro will be on site to answer questions from children and to guide handling of artifacts and replicas brought specifically for the program.

Prothro said the OAS aims to move items out of display cases so young visitors can make tactile connections with regional history. "We’re going to have the kinds of things that you normally would see in museums behind glass, but the reason we bring them is so that the kids can touch them, come up, handle them, and explore them, and have that tactile interaction," she said, describing the tabletop and the selection of replicas and artifacts to be available.

Among the objects noted for the evening are pieces of a turkey feather blanket and portions of blankets made from turkey feathers woven with rabbit fur. "That’s a really neat thing that people don’t get to see that often, and usually don’t get to touch at all," Prothro said of the feathered blanket pieces. Prothro also said, "I will bring portions of blankets made out of turkey feathers and woven rabbit fur."

Night at the Library is a recurring family-oriented program at the Farmington Public Library. Library programming during the 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. block will also include science experiments, snacks, and games alongside the OAS activities, giving families a mix of hands-on archaeology and other interactive offerings in a single evening.

The free event makes a point of mixing museum-quality material with family programming: Prothro said she enjoys connecting with library families because those parents and caregivers "tend to mean that we’ve got kids who are curious and really want to learn things, are interested in learning more about the world." Families planning to attend can expect a 90-minute session where OAS staff will supervise handling and answer questions about the regional archaeology on display.