March “A Reading Season” Blog

 

In Reading Challenge terms, March 1^st  kicks off a new season: Spring. We don’t know about you, but we’re ready for Spring right now. We’d like an end to the wet and cold and to move straight to warm and sunny weather going forward from now until summer.

No matter what the temperature outside, come visit us at DPL and check out the “Military Service: A History in Postcards” and “Honoring Military Service: Morgan County and Beyond”. These two displays are on view through Monday, March 28^th during Library hours: Monday through Thursday 10am until 6pm, Friday 10am until 5pm, and Saturday 10am until 4pm. The “Military Service: A History in Postcards” is displayed in the main sitting area and is on loan from Troy University Libraries Humanities Project which is supported by a grant from the Alabama Humanities Foundation. The “Honoring Military Service: Morgan County and Beyond” is displayed in the glass cases in the main area and was provided by courtesy of the Kennedy-Nicholas-Ragland Collection.  Be sure to fill out a postcard while you are here and let us know your thoughts on the displays. There is a box on the front plug in bar to turn in comment  cards.

The March task for the ARC is to read a book set in Boston, Massachusetts. Are you wondering why Boston for the month of March? It’s because Boston has a lot of ties to the month of March and the Irish. There is a thriving Irish community in Boston, so much so they have an Irish Heritage walking tour year-round, not just in March which is Irish Heritage month. March 5, 1770, was the date of the “Boston Massacre”. Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17^th)  is an unofficial city holiday, as it falls on Evacuation Day-the day the British were expelled from the city after a successful siege by Patriots in the American Revolution. The city throws one of the best Saint Patrick’s Day parades in the United States. So, if you can’t get to Boston in person this month, make the trip through the pages of a good book set in Beantown.

Happy Reading!

 

February “A Reading Season” Blog

 

The 10^th Annual Adult Reading Challenge follows the seasons during a calendar year. If you’ve already signed up we appreciate it and if you haven’t signed up but are curious, please come by the Marketing and Outreach office to talk to us. Our job takes us out of the building, so call or email to make sure what days/hours we will be available to talk with you.

There are 2 book displays in the Library right now that will help you with 3 of the clues on the Reading Log. One is in the Young Adult section and contains 2 displays: one for fairy tale retellings and the other for Black History month. 

The other display is in the kiosk and it has Romance paperbacks.

                                                                                       

     

February 1, 2022 was the Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year is determined by the Lunar calendar and so is a different date each year. This year is also known as the year of the Tiger. To celebrate, the February task is to read a book by or about a Chinese or Chinese-American person.

Happy Reading!

 

 

November’s “Cast of Characters” Blog

We are excited to say that in November we have a couple of Youth Services Story Times scheduled that are meeting in the building. We have had Outdoor Story Times and Pop-Up Story Times in the last few months, but are ready to host small programs indoors at the Library again. We are starting with Story Times and will see how it goes before adding more programs to the mix.

The one adult program that is scheduled is our Book Club!  The Adult Reading Challenge Book Club’s November meeting will be Thursday, November 4^th from 12 noon to 2:00 pm in the Community Room. This is great news because it will also be the last regular meeting for this year’s Challenge. We will discuss the wrap-up meeting for December and go over turning in Reading logs to make sure everyone who qualifies gets their name in the drawing for prizes.

If you cannot make the November meeting please make note: the last day to turn in reading logs is Tuesday, November 30^th by 6:00pm when the library closes. If you bring in your reading log and there is no one in the Marketing and Outreach office, please make sure your name, DPL card number and a phone number is written on your reading log and slide it under the office door. We want everyone who played to turn in logs, so we get accurate statistics for this year and a fair prize drawing.

The last task is a treat, no trick!  The last task for this year is to read a book with a character that did not fit anywhere else on the Reading Log. This is your easy, no challenge to it, task for the year. We have heard from almost every person who is participating about that book they really liked but could not find a place to list it on their Reading Log. Hope this helps you finish the Challenge and hope to see you Thursday.

Happy Reading!

October's "Cast of Characters" Blog

 

October at Decatur Public Library means the library is draped in beautiful quilts for the 40^th Annual Quilt Show. The quilts will be on display from Friday, October 1^st, through Saturday, October 30^th, during regular library hours. There are 47 entries this year and we challenge you to come in and choose  just one favorite. You can find more information about the quilts here.

Another reason to come to the Library in October is for Outdoor Story Time  for kids. The first two Story Times are planned for Wednesday, October 6^th, at 10:00am and Thursday, October 7^th, at 10:00am on the lawn on the Cherry Street side of the Library. If you want to get emails about these and all other kids’ activities at DPL, sign up for our Youth Services email list here.

We will also host the Book Club for the Cast of Characters Adult Reading Challenge on the lawn on Thursday, October 7^th, from 12noon until 2:00pm. Bring your chair or blanket to sit on, information on all of the books you’ve read for the Challenge since we last met, and join us outside to talk books. We have missed seeing your faces and talking books!

The October task for the Adult Reading Challenge is to read a book with a ghost as a character. It is that time of year when shivers should come from the weather and the spooky. Or, if you prefer, read a non-spooky story with a ghost as a character. Just one more task to go and this year’s Challenge will be finished. Thanks for playing; we hope you are enjoying the Cast of Characters Challenge!

Happy Reading!

 

September's "Cast of Characters" Blog

 

We looked at the calendar and could not believe that it’s September! Where did the summer go? Why are we still dealing with rising numbers of COVID cases and deaths? We had such high hopes for life going back to normal this fall, and those hopes included in-person programs for all ages in the Library.  Unfortunately, that will have to wait a little while longer. In place of programs that call for patrons to be in the same space at the same time, we are trying something different.

For children, the Youth Services department has come up with daily reading-at-home suggestions that pair with take & make crafts.  We hope to make it easier for parents and other adult caregivers to add early literacy training, which is critical for the younger ones. The calendars can be picked up from the Youth Services department or printed from here. A different craft will be available for pick-up in the Youth Services department each week.

For adults, DPL is hosting September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World, a poster exhibition from the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.  Fourteen posters – covering the events of the day, the origin of the attack, the effects afterward, and 20 years later – will be on display through September 29^th.   We have a reading list in the DPL catalog, a guest book to sign, activities for the kids to make and turn in to be part of the display, and postcards for adults to record memories or thoughts about 9/11/2001. There are many online resources available to learn more about the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the victims and the survivors (linked from https://mydpl.org/9-11/ or directly at https://www.911memorial.org/.)

Finally, if you are in the Library on Friday, September 10, 2021 or Saturday, September 11, 2021 there will be a film playing near the display that is geared toward educating younger generations about September 11^th, but is appropriate for all ages. Stop and watch a portion or all of the film if you are visiting the Library those days.   Please take the time when you come into the Library to view the exhibition and sign the guest book. We will be providing feedback on how the display impacted our patrons to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and we need your thoughts to do this.

For all of the tragedy and death that happened that day there was an abundance of heroism and love that followed. One of the main reasons to commemorate 9/11 is to remember the victims, and all of the amazing everyday heroes who gave their lives to save others. Some were first responders and some were just people who went to work like normal in the twin towers and Pentagon, or boarded a flight then found themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack. Most of them did what they could to help their coworkers and random strangers evacuate or take down a plane. For the September task, read a book about a hero. We all need more heroes in this crazy world.

Happy Reading!