“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” — James Allen
For many, summer begins Memorial Day weekend— when we remember and honor the American men and women who have served and lost their lives in wars throughout history. That somber, important, and often overlooked, holiday marks so many family transitions. School is out, graduation events are in full swing, children are out of school, and summer is considered officially begun. And, breathlessly, now what? Your library is ready to step in to help with summer reading challenges to keep the kiddos reading and may encourage you to read a bit more too. Summer programs provide fun activities that will nurture learning for a variety of ages. With all that rushing around, summer is also the perfect time to try audiobooks—you can listen as you relax, garden or drive. We celebrate audiobooks in June because they are a way of reading that is widely accessible to those with poor vision, attention span issues, low literacy levels, busy schedules, and more…plus they are fun. It is easy to pick up from where you left off and different settings ensure a comfortable listen. The library may have audio books on CD; and there are thousands of titles available for checkout with the free Libby application- downloadable audio delivered through your smartphone or tablet. About 40% of all audiobooks are consumed through public libraries. According to Mark Haddon, author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, “I haven’t read a book properly until I’ve had it read to me.” If you need help getting started with Libby, come on into library, we can get you started. While you are there, ask about all the great summer reading programs for you and your family. All you need is curiosity and your library card.
“One benefit of Summer was that each day we had more light to read by.” ~ Truman Capote, Summer Crossing