June "REaD, White, and Blue" Blog

 

June is always a busy month at Decatur Public Library and 2023 is no exception. Friday, June 2^nd, we start the Summer Reads season with a drive-thru Kick-off event. We are striving to make getting involved in our Summer Reads program easier than ever. All you have to do is drive through our circle driveway off Cherry Street, on Friday, June 2^nd between 10:00am and 2:00pm, with your children who are 12 and under in the car. We will give you their “Summer Reads prize” immediately. Then all you have to do is download the REAsSquared app on your phone to record all of the books they read this summer. The prize bag will include the directions for downloading the free app, a schedule of all of the fun programs and events we are hosting this summer for little ones, and a book that is theirs to keep forever. It will also include some coupons for free treats from our local partners!

We have some fun,  book-related programs for adult readers too, this month. The Adult Reading Challenge Book Club will meet on Thursday, June 1^st in the Community Room from 12noon to 2:00pm. If you haven’t tried the challenge yet but want to know more, join us for a fun and lively discussion of what everyone is reading to meet the challenge. Then on Saturday, June 10^th, we will host the 2023 Readers and Writers Jubilee from 10:00am to 5:00pm. This year there will be 24 authors in the building hosting classes/panels for readers and writers, as well as selling, signing and discussing books with patrons. The featured speaker this year is USA Today Bestselling Author and NAACP Image Nominee  Beverly Jenkins,  who writes historical fiction, contemporary romance and women’s fiction. Complete details for the program are available at www.myDPL.org/jubilee. We hope you can join us in this FREE celebration of books, reading and writing!

The task for this month is in honor of the Summer Solstice-the longest day of the year. This year’s solstice falls on Wednesday, June 21^st. The June task is to read a book that takes place in one day. It doesn’t have to be the longest day of the year, but all of the action of the book must happen within 24 hours.

Happy Reading!

May "ReAD, WHITE, & BLUE" Blog

 

We stay busy at DPL!  In the last 30 days,  things have gotten a lot brighter in the library. The old light fixtures have all been replaced with LED and the difference is amazing. Come see for yourself.

This next month is packed, too!  We have school tours the first 2 weeks, getting ready for Summer Reads programming, lots of outreach, and final preparation for the Readers and Writers Jubilee on June 10^th.  We hope you can join us for some of the fun in the library this May.

While you are here check out the new non-fiction books in juvenile and adult categories. New materials were made possible in part by Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) funds awarded to the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and in part to the Friends of Decatur Public Library. Topics in the adult area include: health and wellness, entrepreneurship, careers and vocation, government and civics, personal finance, family and parenting, and world religions. These new materials are on the shelf on the elevator wall facing the public computers. In the Youth Services department you will find new books on these subjects: health and wellness, animals, folklore, and reading skills-including new fiction readers.

This month is a race to get everything ready before the library’s biggest season begins. In keeping with that analogy, the task for the Adult Reading Challenge for May is to read a book that features the Kentucky Derby. The Run for the Roses will happen for the 149^th time on Saturday, May 6^th. The longest continuously running sporting event in the United States, it has something for everyone-beautiful horses, underdogs, gambling, mint juleps and fashion. You can choose to read a non-fiction book and learn about the history of the event or read a fictional tale set at the Derby.

Happy Reading!

April "ReAD, WHITE, & BLUE" Blog

April is the perfect time to get outdoors and enjoy a good book at the same time. If you have little ones or just like to read children's books, we encourage you to take the StoryWalk® on display at Delano Park through April 14th. We also offer eAudiobooks you can download from Libby or hoopla to listen to as you spend time outdoors. If you prefer text, you can download from either of the apps or come browse the stacks to find a great book to enjoy in the sunshine. 

If you are looking for something different from your normal reading, April is National Poetry Month. You can find poetry on Libby, hoopla, and on our shelves in the library, in the 811 and 821 sections of non-fiction. In the display case on the 6th Avenue side of the library, a poetry display with an activity for adults (based on BINGO) will help you explore poetry.

The April task for the Adult Reading Challenge is to read a book of poetry by an American author. There are lots of possibilities, from old standards like Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Walt Whitman to new voices like Amanda Gorman, Ocean Vuong or Poet Laureate of the United States, Ada Limón. We hope you find a poet whose voice speaks to you and makes you glad you picked up a book of poetry this month.

Happy Reading!

March "ReAD, WHITE, & BLUE" Blog

 

March has come roaring in this year with wild winds and hot and cold temperatures.  Hopefully, it will soon even out and not be so unpredictable.  Monday, March 13^th we are hoping for nice weather , as we have Day in the Park planned at Delano Park from 10:00am until 1:00pm that day.  Come join us for story time under the large oak on 8^th Avenue at 10:30m, games, a scavenger hunt, and free books for the kids. If the weather does not cooperate, and it is raining we will hold the story time and other activities that can be done inside in the Youth Services room at DPL. We hope everyone can join us for some fun in one of Decatur’s finest parks.

The theme for this year’s Adult Reading Challenge is all things about the United States. Is there a place you haven’t been but would love to visit in our country? Maybe an event that happened in our country’s past, like one of the World’s Fairs.  Perhaps you would like to have seen huge herds of bison roaming the plains with no roads or cities around.   While you may not be able to visit physically every place you want to see or travel back in time to experience a different way of life, reading allows you to do just that.  The great thing about books is you can go there through another person’s thoughts and observations.  

The clue for March is to read a book that provides you with a clear picture of an American place or event that you have not experienced first-hand.   The place must be one you have not been to but want to see; the event can be a specific event or just a time in the past. The book can be fiction or non-fiction.  Please write what the place or event is on your reading log along with the title and author of the book.

Happy Reading!

February "ReAD, WHITE, & BLUE" Blog

  

The theme for the 11^th Annual Adult Reading Challenge this year is the United States of America.  The REaD, WHITE, & BLUE challenge will encourage you to read about the people, places, and things that make up our country. In a time when it seems no one in our country can agree on anything (or even respectfully disagree), we want to celebrate the positive about our country. We will do so by reading and discussing books that represent all aspects of life in the U.S.A. If the February Book Club was any indication, it will be a lively and fun year, even if we don’t all see the issues in the same way. We would love to have you join us in the challenge and at book club if you are interested in looking for the positive in our country, love reading good books, and having lively discussions. You can join the fun by stopping by the Marketing and Outreach office, Monday through Friday, 10am to 5:00pm to sign up or just learn more about the Annual Adult Reading Challenge.

This year we will host the 2^nd Readers and Writers Jubilee on Saturday, June 10^th. This is an all-day event where we invite local and other authors to sell their books, host panel discussions, and have workshops for readers and those who aspire to be writers. We will be partnering with the Heart of Dixie Fiction Writers and the Friends of the Decatur Public Library and the Decatur Public Library Foundation. With their help we are proud to announce that the featured speaker this year will be Beverly Jenkins! All updates will be posted to https://mydpl.org/jubilee/ .  The complete list of authors, panels, and workshops will be there as soon as details are finalized. Mark your calendars to join us for this literary festival.

February is Black History Month and the task for the Adult Reading Challenge is to read a Black American author.  If you are interested, Beverly Jenkins is a great author for this task, because she usually has a bibliography in the back of her historical romances. You will read a great story and learn more about the history of our country at the same time  You will see why we are so excited she is joining us this summer!  If romance is not your genre of choice, there are hundreds of great books by Black American authors, find the one that appeals to you.

Happy Reading

November "A Reading Season" Blog

 

November is here and with it we come to the end of another year’s Adult Reading Challenge. We appreciate everyone who signed up and read with us this year. If you signed up, but didn’t read as many books as you thought you would, or fill in as many clues on the Reading Log as you wanted to, please consider turning in your reading log anyway. We use the statistics and feedback to plan and produce the next year’s challenge. The final day to turn in the logs is Wednesday, November 30^th, by 6:00pm. The finale party and awards will be held Sunday, December 11^th, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. You must have turned in your Reading Log to attend the finale.

The last Thursday book club will be held Thursday, November 3^rd, from 12 noon until 2:00 pm in the Community Room. There will also be a program Thursday night. Author Walter Green, will be here  to discuss his book The Nashville and Decatur in the Civil War: History of an Embattled Railroad at 6:00 pm. He will be selling and signing books starting at 5:30 pm. Please make plans to join us.

National Novel Writing Month is a non-profit organization that encourages people to write and finish a novel of 50,000 words during the month of November. Several books you will find on our library shelves started life as  NaNoWriMo works, such as Water for Elephants, The Night Circus, Fangirl, and Cinder. The last task for this year’s challenge is to read a novel. It doesn’t have to be one that was written during the month of November-any novel/work of fiction-will do. So, if you have that one book you read and loved, but couldn’t find a place to use it on the Challenge; this is your chance.

Happy Reading!

October "A Reading Season" Blog

 

October is a great time to visit Decatur Public Library. This year we host our 41^st Annual Quilt Show from Monday, October 3^rd, to Friday, October 28^th. We invite everyone to come in and vote for your favorite quilt in this year’s show by Thursday, October 20^th. We will pin the ribbons on the winning quilts Friday, October 21^st, at 2:00pm. Enjoy the colorful artistry of local quilters inside the library this month, while Mother Nature shows off her best seasonal colors outside.

DPL Outreach will be out of the building several times this month participating in Fall events around town. Join us Saturday, October 1^st,  from 9:00am til 2:00pm at the Touch-A-Truck event at Ascend Performance Materials. We will be at the DYS Fall Festival at 1404 6^th Street, NW on Thursday, October 6^th, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm. Visit with us at 3^rd Friday Downtown on Friday, October 21^st, from 4:30pm to 7:30pm in front of Casa Grande Park.  On Sunday, October 30^th, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm we will be in Delano Park for their Spooktacular Afternoon in Delano Park.

We will also host a poetry reading and discussion with Harry Moore and Nancy  Owen Nelson on Thursday, October 20^th. The authors will be available starting at 5:30pm to sell books and meet patrons; the program will begin at 6:00pm.

And if that’s not enough bookish fun, join us in the Library on Monday, October 31^st, for our 2^nd Annual Gothic Gala. This year’s theme is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The fun will kick off with Story Time at 10:00am for the little ones with a Trick-or-Treat Parade around the library immediately after the story. There will be a costume contest for school-age through adult at 4:00pm and lots of activities, puzzles and crafts throughout the day.

We hope you can join us for one or all of the fun events DPL is hosting or attending this month!

The Adult Reading Challenge task for this month is to read a book with a school teacher to celebrate World Teachers’ Day (October 5^th) . The purpose of this international day is to appreciate, assess and improve the educators of the world. So read a book about a teacher who helps shape the next generation this month.

Happy Reading!