Library hosts ‘Adulting’ series for everyday skills

MADISON – For the second consecutive year, Madison Public Library is hosting the “Adulting” series to introduce or refresh skills for everyday tasks.

“Last summer, we hosted a series of educational programs at the library geared toward new and young adults that focused on the drudgery of adulthood, like laundry, social media, home maintenance and personal finance,” Melanie Thornton said. Thornton works as Director of Public Relations for Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.

Thornton defines ‘adulting’ as “any task or activity that holds a feeling of weighty responsibility or drudgery … any task that someone who has their life all together might find easy.”

“In addition, anyone can consider ‘adulting’ as the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks,” Thornton said.

The Adulting series is an example of the library’s ever-expanding role as the purveyor of information and not just for research projects but also for hobbies, entertainment and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics or STEM. “Why not also provide information for young adults who want to be successful in life outside of school?” Thornton said.

“‘Coming of age’ looks different now than it did for previous generations,” Adult Services Librarian Michelle Brightwell said. “Instead of scoffing, we need to embrace that (fact). As long as there is an interest, we will keep offering these classes.”

“On June 17, Madison Public Library is hosting two sessions. The first session, ‘Laundry 101,’ will help attendees learn tips and tricks when it comes to keeping their clothes clean and in good shape,” Brightwell said.

“The second, ‘Personal Finance 101,’ is taught by financial educators from Redstone Federal Credit Union and will focus on topics relevant to young adults and those just starting out like savings accounts and building credit,” Brightwell said. “We hope these sessions will help emerging adults navigate the ever-complicated landscape of life outside of school or college and hopefully make coming of age easier.”

The Laundry session on June 17 will start at 4 p.m., followed by Personal Finance at 6 p.m. On June 24 at 6 p.m., participants will learn about “Local Government and Civic Engagement.” On July 15 at 6 p.m., the topic will be “Home Maintenance 101” for tips on tackling common household projects.

In 2018, the target-age audience was pleased with the sessions, whether as a refresher course or to learn new procedures.

These sessions will run for one hour in the library’s auditorium 2.