If you’re friends with a gardener, you’ve probably heard them praise the physical and mental health benefits of gardening. If you’re a gardener, you may view gardening as a form of artistic expression and self-care. However, did you know that horticultural therapy is widely used in physical and vocational rehabilitation and improves memory, cognitive abilities, language skills and socialization?

The terms “Horticultural Therapy (HT)” and “Therapeutic Horticulture (TH)” are often used interchangeably. However, the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA) provides these distinct definitions:

• Horticultural therapy is participating in horticultural activities facilitated by a registered horticultural therapist to achieve specific goals within an established treatment, rehabilitation or vocational plan.

• Therapeutic horticulture is the process through which participants enhance their well-being through active or passive involvement in plant and plant-related activities. (AHTA Definitions and Positions, n.d.)

In the 19th century, Dr. Benjamin Rush, regarded as the “father of American psychiatry,” documented the positive effect working in the garden had on individuals with mental illness. In the 1940s and 1950s, horticultural therapy gained credibility and recognition for its treatment applications to a broader range of diagnoses. As a result, the American Horticultural Association was founded in 1973 to support horticultural therapy practitioners’ professional development, education and expertise.   And each year, the third full week of March has been designated as National Horticultural Therapy Week.

In 2020, Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed the third week in March as Horticultural Therapy Week in North Carolina. The proclamation cited the benefits of HT for all the populations served, including children, youth and adults with disabilities, mental illness or abuse trauma; veterans; persons with delinquent or criminal convictions; seniors and the terminally ill; and patients, staff and visitors at medical facilities.

This year National Horticultural Therapy Week is March 20 through 26. On Monday, March 21, 2022, Myers Park Library and Matthews Library will co-host a virtual program with Mecklenburg Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Rita Stanley on Therapeutic Horticulture: Plant-People Connections -- exploring nature-based therapies’ history, psychology and practicality. 

Rita completed the Master Gardening training program in 2017, and then the first Therapeutic Horticulture Certificate Program offered at UNC in 2019.  She states that the knowledge regarding the power of therapeutic horticulture has changed her perspective.  She enjoys sharing what she has learned with others in hopes that they will also find ways to incorporate it into their lives.

Horticulture Therapy might sound like a weighty topic, but it’s very down-to-earth. You probably already practice a few of these strategies and don’t realize it.  To learn more about this program or register, click here.

For this presentation, a suggested companion book is Therapeutic Gardens: Design for healing spaces by Daniel Winterbottom and Amy Wagenfeld - ISBN 9781604694420. Copies are available at the Library here.

If you’re interested in visiting a local therapeutic garden, visit The Polly Rogers Memorial Sensory Garden located in the Van Landingham Glen of the UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens. The Polly Rogers Sensory Garden engages and stimulates all the senses through plantings and interactive elements. The designers wanted to create a magical space that is both contemplative and peaceful and colorful, whimsical, and fun (Botanical Gardens | Polly Rogers Memorial Sensory Garden, n.d.).

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This blog was written by Pamela Kemp, Library assistant at Myers Park Library

Footnotes:

AHTA Definitions and Positions. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.ahta.org/ahta-definitions-and-positions

Botanical Gardens | Polly Rogers Memorial Sensory Garden. (n.d.). Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://gardens.charlotte.edu/polly-rogers-memorial-sensory-garden/

Our hearts and thoughts are with the people of Ukraine who are in the middle of unfathomable crisis. We offer our support to those on our staff and in our community who may have family, friends, and loved ones in Ukraine.

While Charlotte Mecklenburg Library celebrates and supports the joy of reading and learning, fosters exploration and personal growth, and connects individuals to each other, the community and the world, it can be difficult to locate resources when conflict and humanitarian crisis arise in our local and global community. We’re here to help.

We hope the resources below help provide insight to what's happening in Eastern Europe.

Ukraine: A List for Understanding the War 2022 

Real Talk for Teens & Middle Grade: War & Ukraine

Ukraine and Talking to Your Kids about War

Kanopy list: Conflict in Ukraine | Kanopy

To provide further context on Ukraine and its tense history with Russia, we’ve carefully curated a collection of documentary and narrative films focused specifically on this country and region. Find these helpful resources below:

• Support Ukraine with hoopla Digital. This list includes books and audiobooks by Ukrainian authors, music by Ukrainian artists, and the Oliver Stone documentary, Ukraine on Fire.
• Better understand the Crisis in Ukraine with this OverDrive collection. These titles will help you understand the history of Ukraine and the current invasion from Russia.

When the Academy Awards airs its “In Memoriam” segment this year, it will include Sidney Poitier who was the first Black actor to win the award for Best Leading Actor in 1963.

Poitier, who passed away earlier this January at the age of 94, was a role model for Black performers for years, and that legacy continues to this day. Two current Academy Award nominees for best actor, Will Smith and Denzel Washington have expressed such to the public with Smith sharing the following message on Instagram:

"An icon, legend, visionary, and true pioneer. Thank you Sidney Poitier for breaking down barriers, creating the path and making it possible for there to be a Will Smith!" 

Washington also reflected on their longstanding friendship stating, “He was the one we all followed and it was an honor to be able to call him a friend.”

The longevity of Poitier’s impact on Hollywood is undeniable. The New York Times reported that his “portrayal of resolute heroes in films like To Sir with Love, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (all films released in 1967) established him as Hollywood’s first Black matinee idol and helped open the door for Black actors in the film industry.” 

What’s more, the newspaper reported how Poitier shaped his extraordinary film career. It stated the actor’s characters often simmered “with repressed anger” and “responded to injustice with quiet determination.” Overall, Poitier portrayed restrained and calm individuals. That typecasting calculation by Poitier led to success as white viewers were pacified by his work. Conversely, some Black moviegoers came to expect more aggressive behavior and emotion on the screen. To partially explain his plight, Poitier once wrote “I felt very much as if I were representing 15, 18 million people with every move I made.”  

Entertainment Weekly Columnist Mark Harris wrote, “Famously, he refused to play bad guys, even those that would have allowed him to challenge himself and stretch his talent. Near the height of his success, he even turned down the chance to star in a film version of Othello, unwilling to risk playing a Black man inflamed by sexual jealousy over a white woman. ‘If the fabric of the society were different, I would scream to high heaven to play villains,’ he said at the time. ‘But…not when there is only one Negro actor working in films with any degree of consistency.’”  

In the early 1960s, after years of acting on the stage, in television and in movies, Poitier reached the pinnacle of entertainment honors with the Oscar award for “his performance in the low-budget Lilies of the Field, as an itinerant handyman helping a group of German nuns build a church in the Southwestern desert.”  During that time, Poitier also quietly helped in the Civil Rights Movement. The result was an on-screen persona buttressing his stance. “His roles tended to reflect the peaceful integrationist goals of the struggle,” wrote the New York Times.

In the decades to follow, Poitier worked as an actor, director and producer in films, and for a period, skipped onscreen work until the late 1980s. His last roles were on television and included portraying Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and the imprisoned Nelson Mandela in South Africia.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has a variety of Poitier’s acting work in major roles as in The Defiant Ones (said to be one of his favorite movies), To Sir with Love and his more recent in The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn. Better yet, read about his life and more in the booklist entitled Sidney Poitier: a selected retrospective.

Access the booklist

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This blog was written by Lawrence Turner, an adult services librarian at South County Regional Library.

Libraries reach beyond walls, and on April 6, 2022,  Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will celebrate National Library Outreach Day for that very reason.

We are joining the American Library Association, or ALA,  as they recognize the amazing work of library staff who meet the needs of customers where they are. Outreach services are essential to the community. Services cover all topics and support all ages. This includes virtual and in person outdoor programs, traditional programs, community festivals and events; and now we can add our Mobile Library to the list of services.

National Library Outreach Day is an opportunity to recognize and thank library staff for bringing library services to the community.  Below, you'll find a fews ways we recommend celebrating the day:

• Organizations and individuals are encouraged to write a letter or send an email to their libraries voicing their support and sharing how the library makes a difference in their lives and the people they serve.
• Use the hashtags #cmlibrary and #LibraryOutreachDay to talk outreach. Tag @cmlibrary when you visit branches or our Mobile Library, MoLi.
• Voice your support of the Libary to community leaders.

Please join us in celebrating National Library Outreach Day and help us recognize the staff and work that goes beyond the library buildings.

April is Autism Acceptance Month and the Library has an array of resources to explore as we work towards developing a more inclusive community. I have had the privilege of learning how to facilitate meaningful programs for neurodiverse populations, which is by far my favorite part of my job. Neurodiversity is defined as “the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits, regarded as part of normal variation in the human population” and a term that reflects personal preference. To me, neurodiversity is when we value and accept (not tolerate) the many ways we can process life.  

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has dedicated its mission to developing inclusive services, and talented staff have pioneered Library services that are now replicated around the world – and the ripple effect of that sharing of knowledge has started to close the gap on inclusion. From increasing accessibility in our branches, developing an accessible digital collection, procuring adaptive technologies and facilitating adaptive & sensory programming, we strive to be an agency that serves with intention. Through a partnership with The Autism Society of Charlotte, the Library has developed a robust Autism Resource Collection located at the Spangler Library in ImaginOn.  

The biggest byproduct of our mission is the countless opportunities we, as Library staff, have to celebrate neurodiversity. The Exceptional Experiences team identifies areas of advocacy and develops programming partnerships that extend the reach of the Library beyond our walls and increase inclusion in our community. We have had the utmost pleasure of developing partnerships with the Autism Society of North Carolina, Greater Down Syndrome Association of Charlotte, Parks & Recreation Therapeutic services and many other agencies. Our desire, joy and goal is developing strong connections with the community-at-large, housing resources that can serve everyone and making sure our program participants know they are valued stakeholders.  

For information relating to adaptive & sensory programming at the Library, see below: 

Adaptive & Sensory Programming

Children’s Book Recommendations and Resources for Autism Acceptance Month:

View Booklist here

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This blog was written by Amrita Patel, outreach specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Calling all readers! Did you miss National Read Across America Day on March 2? Don't fret, we still have a list of recommended reads to get you through the months ahead. Before we share the titles, let's explore a bit about the history of National Read Across America Day.

The holiday, launched in 1998 by the National Education Association, commemorates the birthday of beloved children’s book author, Dr. Seuss, and celebrates the joys of reading. It’s a special day set aside to “stop, drop, and READ.” Dr. Seuss was well known for his love of rhymes and rhyming is one of the building blocks to learning how to read. Although the day has passed, we always encourage reading as literacy is a building block to a life well-lived. Be sure to grab your favorite Dr. Seuss book and snuggle up for an adventure.

With younger readers doing a read aloud, or taking turns reading aloud, or having  dedicated Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) time is beneficial. While you can employ these techniques at any time, we hope you'll get the chance to participate in the next National Read Across America Day! It’s a day for modeling, discussing and connecting with others over a shared love of reading. You could even be playful (like Dr. Seuss)! Serve green eggs and ham or dim the lights and read with a flashlight! If you have a reluctant reader, think outside of the box (like Dr. Seuss)! Instead of reading a book, try some of these interactive alternatives:

• Recipes
• How-to-manuals
• Cartoons or comic books
• Page-a-day calendars
• Children’s magazines or newspapers
• Reader’s Theater

Looking to expand your reading horizons? You could also branch out and try some Dr. Seuss-like children’s books. Here are some popular classics and contemporary options:

1. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon

Originally published in 1998, “A Bad Case of Stripes” follows Camilla Cream, a young girl who loves lima beans but refuses to eat them in order to fit in with her fellow classmates, who don’t like them at all. But all that worrying about fitting in causes her to develop a case of the stripes, with her body covered in different colored stripes. It’s recommended for children between the ages of four to eight.

2. Tiara’s Hat Parade by Kelly Starling Lyons

“Tiara’s Hat Parade” is centered around young Tiara and her mother, who gives up her dream of owning a hat shop when another hat shop opens up nearby with much less expensive hats. Tiara ends up helping her mother in this illustrated children’s book that’s recommended for ages five and six.

3. The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Another classic, “The Rainbow Fish” follows one fish who has glittering scales and learns how to be less selfish and share with others. Throughout the story, the fish ends up giving away his famous scales and gaining friends. The book was first published in 1992 and is recommended for 4- to 8-year olds.

4. Don’t Touch My Hair! by Sharee Miller

 In this picture book, Aria deals with strangers and strange creatures like mermaids and aliens always touching her curls until, one day, she decides that she’s had enough of it. The book is recommended for children who are 2- to 5-year-olds.

5. A Light In The Attic by Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein is well-known for his poetry, including collections like “Where The Sidewalk Ends.” Characters like Sourface Ann and Exactlywatt could keep kids entertained for years to come. Another classic that kids might love from Silverstein’s is “The Giving Tree.”

Happy reading!

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This blog was written by Elizabeth Willen, library assistant at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

This promotion has ended.

It’s National Library Week and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library wants to celebrate by giving you access to e-books and audiobooks with no waiting! We are gifting our customers a small collection of e-books and audiobooks that will be available instantly with no waiting in our OverDrive/Libby resource. This collection will be available April 4-9, 2022.

This week only the below titles will be available to check out with no holds. If you currently have one of these titles on hold, your hold will be immediately filled! You can check out up to three of these titles. Enjoy!

Adult selections:

• The Maid by Nita Prose (e-book)
• Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (e-book)
• Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear (audiobook)
• It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey (e-book)
• The Overnight Guest by Heather Gundenkauf (audiobook)

Youth selections:

• The Good Egg by John Jory (e-book)
• Dino-Easter by Lisa Wheeler (e-book)
• Big Nate in a Class by Himself by Lincoln Pierce (e-book)
• Each Tiny Spark by Pablo Cartaya (audiobook)

Teen Selections:

• I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (e-book)
• They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (audiobook)
• Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (e-book)

Promotion ends April 9, 2022 at 11:59 p.m.

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This blog was written by Amy Richard, library collections manager at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Since 1976, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has been partnering with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) to introduce as many children in grades K-5 as possible to the artform of oral and traditional storytelling. A team of Library staffers across all 20 Library branches raise their hands each May to become the Frontline Storytellers, heading into CMS partner schools to tell stories from all over the world to thousands of Charlotte school children in a single day.

Last year this special event transitioned online to our whole community (not only students in CMS) for a full day of traditional oral stories and this year it returns bigger and better than ever!

On Thursday, May 5, 2022 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., there will be more than 10 different storytellers sharing traditional tales on the ImaginOn Facebook page and Library's YouTube channel every 30 minutes from Africa, Ukraine Panama, Bali, Japan, China, The Middle East, Italy, Appalachian and Native American traditions, and more! 

DOWNLOAD OUR CALENDAR FOR A FULL SCHEDULE OF STORIES AND VIEWING LINKS

If you’re a teacher or educator who would like to celebrate with us, we’ve created a interactive and educational activity HERE to learn about each story’s country of origin.

On behalf of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, we invite you to join us for this full-day digital storytelling experience!

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This blog was written by Elyse Barrier, library program coordinator.

Join us in April for Día, a celebration of children, reading and culture.

Get ready to celebrate El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) in April 2022 with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Also known as Día, this initiative emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This year's Día programs are virtual and children and families can experience cultural programs from the comfort of their home. 

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is proud to present, Sonia Manzano as our featured Día guest. Sonia has inspired and educated children and families as "Maria" on Sesame Street for many years. She has been named among the “25 Greatest Latino Role Models Ever” by Latina Magazine.  Manzano contributed to diversity on television and in the educational realm. She is the author of numerous children and adult books including her memoir, Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South. She recently created a new television series for PBS titled Alma’s Way. Don’t miss this presentation on April 20^th at 6:30 p.m. Register on the Library’s website.

 

Other Dia programs include an ASL (American Sign Language) storytelling program provided by the Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a special story time program presented by, I Can Read Black Stories Día edition.  Each of our locations will host a special Día program and beginning April 18^th, Día @ Home, take home activity kits, will be available at our locations while supplies last. On Saturday, April 30^th Join Mr. Nigel’s Music and Criss Cross Mango Sauce for our grand Día finale!

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library celebrates Día as part of its commitment to connecting children and their families to multicultural books, bilingual services, and educational resources.  Learn more about the services provided by the Library's Outreach Department.

For more information or booklist about Día and information on our branch programs visit Día 2022.

Día is a celebration every day of children, families and reading, that culminates yearly with celebrations held across the country on or near April 30th. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Learn more.

Grateful is an understatement. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library wouldn't be as great of a Library without our wonderful volunteers. 

When we closed our libraries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, we felt it because we have to say "see you later" to our volunteers, too.  Over the last two years, our limited service capabilities allowed us to only bring back a handful of volunteers for special projects.  And, while we were thrilled to work with those we could, we missed all of our volunteers - human and canine alike.

This year, for National Volunteer Week (NVW), which runs April 17-23,  we'd like to recognize  some of the hands - and paws - that use their special gifts wand talents to help us carry out our mission to improve lives and build a stronger community. Thank you for inspiring us and encouraging us to take action, work together and creatively meet our communities challenges.

From all of us at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, thank you Volunteers and Happy National Volunteer Week!

Charlie, a Library volunteer for nearly 10 years,  serves at SouthPark Regional Library. Charlie says, " I love what public libraries stand for and what they provide. The library and its wonderful staff provide a welcoming environment that allows me to be of some service and to remain involved in a small way in the library's mission."

Teen volunteer Alexis, loves that libraries can be treasure troves. She enjoys finding adventure at every turn on Library shelves. 

Julie, a 30-year volunteer loves the Library and has volunteered at both SouthPark Regional and Myers Park Libraries. Julie loves shelving books and magazines. Why does Julie loves volunteering ? " Because I enjoy BEING there, and doing what I am expected to do there."

Nancy enjoys books and organizing.  What has been her experience with the Library? She shares this story: "We moved to Charlotte in May 2011. In July 2011, I started volunteering at South County Regional Library. At first, I shelved holds and then I checked in holds sent from other libraries. I must have volunteered there for about 8 years. I started volunteering at SouthPark Regional Library around 2019 until it was closed due to COVID. Just started back up March 15, 2022."

Dylan, a Davidson Library volunteer, loves helping with storytimes and dressing up as characters to bring joy to younger storytime attendees.

Time flies when you're having fun! Don, a SouthPark Regional volunteer,  says he enjoys shelving books and showing patrons how to use search portals. He's been a Library volunteer for about five (5) years.

Pretzel Sufnarski has been volunteering with the Library more than 10 years. She started in January 2012 and, since then, has made over 100 visits to the Matthews Library. She has visited along with her owner Tonya Sufnarski, and Tonya’s children, Morgan and Mason. Pretzel patiently listens to many stories from many different children. She also has been involved with some special programs that her owners have implemented at her home branch. This year, Tonya’s youngest son, Mason, will be going to college and Pretzel will retire from her years of service with the library. She and the family will be greatly missed. We so appreciate the dedication of this family in helping the library meet its main goal to build a stronger community.





 

The highlight of volunteering for Elizabeth? Leading and assisting story times. "Listening to the stories, laughing, and being taken into a whole new storybook world were some of my favorite childhood memories and I am so glad that I got to share it with the next generation. I can't wait to volunteer in person again!"

Rosemary is an avid volunteer, donating her time to community service even while employed with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). After retiring from the school system in 2007,  she began volunteering at Atrium Pineville  and SouthPark Regionalto keep busy with meaningful activities. 

She enjoys searching for "lost" books, shelving holds,and pulling holds. 

A retired librarian, has been a Library volunteer since 2019. Susan started volunteering as a Reading Buddy. She paused in 2020 when branches closed as a result of COVID-19 and has looked forward to returning. Is it true that librarians never retire? Susan returned because she wanted to give back to the community and instill a love of reading and curiosity  for knowledge in young readers.

Sneha enjoys volunteering as a math mentor. The heartfelt and warm thank you note she received from one of her youngest students made her realize the impact she can have on the lives of others with helpful interactions. And she still has the note!

From the beginning, Sherri has been enthusiastic about the Library and Paws to Read. Sherri and her dog Rudi (therapy dog) began volunteering for Paws to Read at the beginning of 2020. Mountain Island Library is grateful to have them both volunteer. Seeing a cute furry friend like Rudi brought so much excitement and joy to the branch! 

Mountain Island thanks Sherri and Rudi for being phenomenal, and for giving time to the library and community even when the world seemed uncertain. Sherri and Rudi toughed it out and continued volunteering virtually for two years.

Susan is a 13-year Library volunteer who currently gives her time and talents to Mint Hill Library. Described by Mint Hill staff as "a treasure," Susan has lived in cities across the nation from Minneapolis and Chicago to Los Angeles, and now calls Charlotte home. Susan's favorite thing about volunteering? Interacting with staff and being able to help her library and city.

As she's doing in this photo, Loren is always reaching to new heights to help at South County Regional Library. With her infectiously positive attitude, Loren is a dedicated volunteer who never hesitates to step in wherever needed. She always asks, “what more can I do?” and always wants to learn new tasks to better assist us. The team at South County feel grateful to have her as one of their volunteers.

Judy jumped right in at Independence Regional Library when she saw help was needed. A 26-year Library volunteer, Judy pulls holds, helps with shelving materials, and got her start when she saw we were short-staffed and wanted to improve our work process. For that, we're forever grateful.

Lance has enjoyed volunteering at the Library for 9 years. Described by the team at Mint Hill Library as "thorough," Lance is a wonderful circulation volunteer, ensuring the community gets its hands on requested items in an efficient manner.

A 12-year volunteer, Patty is described by Mint Hill staff as a "Jack of all trades!" She assists at Mint Hill Library by shelving books, pulling books for reports and is always willing to assist with whatever tasks need completion. What does Patty enjoy most about volunteering? Library staff and the atmosphere.

Patty is glad to be back!

Gail started volunteering with the Library in 2019. An elementary school media specialist for 39 years, she retired in 2010 and still enjoys library work. It was only natural that she wanted to volunteer at the Library and help any way she can!

Beth loves reading - and she loves Mint Hill Library staff and community members even more! According to Beth, retirement is sweet when you have a "job" that fulfills you. A worthy highlight? You bet. Staff appreciate the positivity Beth brings to her role as a volunteer.

Suzanne started volunteering at the Library two months before our initial COVID-19 closure and was excited to return as soon as she could. Celebrated as a super-fast learner, Suzanne says she has always enjoyed libraries and wanted to do something useful with her free time. That, and volunteering helps her keep her must-read list full.