Bingo, a 2-week-old pig owned by Georgia Starr of Courtland, recently visited W.C. Rawls Library in Courtland for story time.

“Having animals at the library serves many different purposes,” said Senior Library Assistant Amy Lehman. “First, kids love animals. Second, many children will not otherwise have the opportunity to see or touch a real pig.”

Pigs was the theme for story time that day. Children did “This Little Piggy” finger play, read “If You Give A Pig A Party,” and Amy told the story of the three little pigs with the help of the Big Bad Wolf puppet.

Amy reminds parents that Winter Reading begins Tuesday, Feb. 1. Story time is held 10 a.m. Tuesdays.

• Speaking of hedgehogs, youngsters at Texie Camp Marks Children’s Center and Franklin Early Head Start were recently visited by one.

Lauren Lombard of the Ruth Camp Campbell Memorial Library in Franklin brought “Hedgy” to the center to promote the library’s winter reading program.

• Dr. Paul Conco, president of Paul D. Camp Community College, spoke about the school during Monday night’s Southampton County Board of Supervisors meeting.

Conco, who came on board nearly seven months ago, shared some interesting facts about the two-year college, which is the second fastest growing of 23 institutions in the Virginia Community College System.

Enrollment for the recent fall semester was the highest in the history of PDCCC, which opened its Franklin campus 40 years ago. The college had 1,656 students, an increase of 10.4 percent over 2009.

PDCCC five years ago employed 183. Today, it employs 151.

Twenty-six percent of its students are 17 and under thanks to a program that allows high school students to take college courses. Another 11 percent of the students are in their 40s.

Forty-one percent of Southampton County residents who go to college attend PDCCC.

And if you’re hoping your son will meet a nice girl, PDCCC might be the place to go. The school has twice as many female students as male students, Conco said.

• Chowan University President Dr. Chris White has released his latest album of piano hits, entitled “Because of You: Love Songs of the Forties.”

Proceeds from the sale of CDs will be going to teacher education scholarships.

White’s sixth CD varies from his solo piano series, with a focus on popular music from the 1940s, marking the rebirth of Chowan after World War II.

“Most people think all I play is the sacred hymns,” White said. “But this CD is all secular music, originally copyrighted in the ‘40s.”

Songs included are from Broadway productions like “South Pacific,” “Carousel” and “Brigadoon.”

For more information, contact administrative assistant to the president Portia Davis at (252) 398-6221 or davisp@chowan.edu.

GWEN ALBERS is managing editor of The Tidewater News. Her email address is gwen.albers@tidewaternews.com.