Desplácese hacia abajo para ver la versión en español

Each summer Charlotte Mecklenburg Library encourages people of all ages to participate in our summer learning program, Summer Break. There are lots of reasons why! We think one of the best parts of Summer Break is hearing from participants about all the wonderful, little, powerful, or unexpected ways that the program has impacted their lives. From encouraging participants to further explore the city, to motivating students to read all summer long, we’ve compiled some notable stories. Keep reading for inspiration.

Summer Break Helps People of All Ages Discover Love of Reading

One of the things customers share most frequently is how Summer Break fosters a love of reading. One Summer Break completer was so excited that his prize was a book that he could keep.

Find your next read with us!

We have created new lists for summer 2021 for kids, teens and adults so you can keep your brains active. These recommended reading lists can be found on our website at summerbreak.cmlibrary.org. (After you register for an account or Sign In, select “Recommendations” in the menu on the top right.)

Groups Love Summer Break

A group is an organization such as a camp, school, day care or other organization who will participate in the Summer Break program together and not individually. Participating in Summer Break as a group is a fun way to work together to read 15 hours and participate in engaging activities. If the group completes the challenge, the group receives fun prizes. It’s also a great way to keep track of the amount of reading a group is doing during June 7 to August 14. One CMS teacher says it was easy to sign up and all the assistance she received from staff was quick and helpful.

Has Summer Break Made an Impact on You?

If you have a story, you’d like to share about Summer Break we’d love to hear it!  You can email us at [email protected], fill out the contact us form on our website or tell any staff member next time you visit the library.

The 2021 Summer Break program is brought to you by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.  Additional support comes from Wendy’s and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation with Spanish translations sponsored by Norsan Media. 

-- 

This blog was written by Whitney Lebron, Summer Break team member for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

Cada verano, la biblioteca Charlotte Mecklenburg invita a personas de todas las edades a participar en nuestro programa de aprendizaje de verano llamado Programa de vacaciones de verano. ¡Hay muchas razones para hacerlo! Creemos que una de las mejores partes del Programa de vacaciones de verano es escuchar a los participantes contarnos de qué maneras maravillosas, simples, poderosas o inesperadas el programa ha causado un impacto positivo en sus vidas. Hemos reunido muchas historias interesantes relacionadas, por ejemplo, con participantes que se animaron a explorar aún más la ciudad o estudiantes motivados a leer durante todo el verano. Sigue leyendo para inspirarte.

El Programa de vacaciones de verano ayuda a personas de todas las edades a descubrir el amor por la lectura

Una de las cosas que los participantes comparten con frecuencia es que el Programa de vacaciones de verano fomenta el amor por la lectura. Una persona que completó el Programa de vacaciones de verano estaba tan contenta que, como premio, le regalamos un libro.

¡Encuentra tu próxima lectura con nosotros!

Hemos creado nuevas listas para el verano de 2021 para que niños, adolescentes y adultos puedan mantener sus cerebros activos. Estas listas de libros recomendados se pueden encontrar en nuestro sitio web en summerbreak.cmlibrary.org. (Después de inscribirte o de ingresar, selecciona «Recomendaciones» en el menú de arriba a la derecha).

Los grupos aman el Programa de vacaciones de verano

Un grupo es una organización, por ejemplo, un campamento, una escuela, una guardería u otra organización, que participa del Programa de vacaciones de verano como grupo, no individualmente. Participar en el Programa de vacaciones de verano como grupo es una forma divertida de trabajar juntos para leer 15 horas y realizar actividades entretenidas. Si el grupo completa el desafío, recibe premios divertidos. También es una buena manera de monitorear cuánto lee el grupo desde el 7 de junio hasta el 14 de agosto. Una maestra de CMS dice que fue fácil inscribirse y que la ayuda que recibió del equipo fue rápida y útil.

¿El Programa vacaciones de verano te ha causado un impacto?

Si tienes una historia que quieras compartir sobre el Programa de vacaciones de verano, ¡nos encantaría escucharla!  Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico a [email protected], completar el formulario Contáctanos en nuestro sitio web o hablar con cualquier miembro de nuestro equipo la próxima vez que visites la biblioteca.

El Programa de vacaciones de verano 2021 llega a ti gracias a la biblioteca Charlotte Mecklenburg.  Contamos con respaldo adicional de Wendy’s y de la fundación de la biblioteca Charlotte Mecklenburg, con traducciones al español patrocinadas por Norsan Media. 

-- 

Este blog lo escribió Whitney Lebron, miembro del equipo del Programa de vacaciones de verano de la biblioteca Charlotte Mecklenburg. 

Do you love audiobooks as much as me? I’m a recent audiobook convert and am obsessed with finding great narrators and a juicy tell-all. I especially love books narrated by the author. Hoopla recently gave their audiobook player a facelift. Haven’t checked it out yet? What are you waiting for? 

Hoopla is one of the Library’s resources that allows instant access to e-books, comics, audiobooks, music, movies and television – no holds and no waiting! Content can be streamed on computers, tablets, or mobile devices, and can be downloaded to tablets and mobile devices to allow for offline reading or listening any time. New to hoopla?  Check out our Getting Started page.

The audiobook experience has been updated for the Android and Apple apps and the hoopla website. If your mobile device is not showing the new features, you probably just need to install an update. What’s great about the new audiobook experience is all features can be accessed from one screen!                                

• Car and Activity Mode is a simplified interface with fewer controls and larger buttons for when you’re on the go.
• Chapter/Book Timer gives users a simple toggle to switch between viewing the time remaining in either the current chapter or the entire book.
• Playback Speed options have been increased to up to four times normal playback speed!
• Bookmark Notes can now be added to any audiobook bookmark, perfect for book clubs or educational listening.
• Sleep Timer has more options, including an End of Chapter option. 

Read more about the new enhancements and watch a short video here. Happy Listening!

Access all the Library’s resources for free with your library card. Don’t have one? Sign up here! If you need more help with resources covered in this blog, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library staff are available to help by email, chat, and phone. 

--

 This blog was written by Amy Richard, digital collections coordinator at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

This blog was written as part of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Black Lives Matter program initiative. Learn  more about the program and corresponding events here.

During the 20^th and 21^st centuries, widespread mass protests have become an essential element of displaying civic engagement in America. Topics such as LGBTQ+ rights, animal cruelty and gun control have elicited millions of people to protest. However, on May 25, 2020, the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin led to the largest protest in the history of the United States. Over 20 million people nationwide gathered to protest police brutality and racial injustice against Black Americans. While many protests related to other subjects have taken place without many limitations, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has been subject to extreme censorship by both police and the media.

Even though most BLM protests were peaceful, calls for militarized police were requested on a national level and states went under lockdown in response. Consequently, the usage of pepper spray, tear gas and rubber ammunition further instigated violence. According to the Texas Tribune, during days of protests, police officers used pepper spray and arrested protestors, critically injuring one person and sending others to the hospital. An additional person had been trampled by an officer on horseback. These actions directly contradict the right to peaceful protest indicated by the First Amendment. Under this law, police forces are only allowed to contain individuals if they have witnessed them commit a crime, possess a warrant, or have probable cause. The intense scrutiny under the BLM movement has made it difficult for people to protest peacefully and the police officers that have been deployed on a national level has left protestors unable to use their voices for change.

Nevertheless, censorship comes in more forms than just government control. Last year, Ardrey Kell High School painted the rock in front of the school with symbols of the BLM movement, honoring the victims of police brutality and encouraging students to act. Yet just a week following this gesture, the rock was vandalized and replaced with hate speech. The BLM movement has constantly faced bigotry and the fact that people were so quick to stop others from speaking out illustrates the massive amount of censorship behind Black and POC voices.

This is not the first time the movement has been censored in a school environment. On May 13, 2021, an entire year after George Floyd's death, an Oklahoma School District banned students from wearing a BLM shirt, stating that “politics will not be allowed at school.” According to the National Coalition Against Censorship, students were required to turn their BLM shirt inside out and were prohibited from entering class until they changed their clothes. The school prohibited students from expressing political beliefs, violating the law established in Tinker v. Des Moines which stated that “students’ political speech is protected by the First Amendment”. At another high school in Florida, a yearbook was censored for containing views about BLM and was cited as being “too politically one-sided.” However, this comment seems as though it was only used to silence the editors, as what was posted in the yearbook only detailed the history of the movement and why it was started.

Fortunately, people have been standing up to fight against the censorship and have strengthened the movement in the process. When the rock at Ardrey Kell was vandalized, students organized a repainting session, inviting the entire school to collaborate on making an artistic representation of the BLM movement. Students who oversaw writing the yearbook at the Florida high school distributed a letter maintaining the political integrity of their article and reaching a middle ground to get their book published. In a broader aspect, journalists and protestors have been able to shed light on their experiences protesting and social media apps have been essential for revealing the truth as it is. As the protests continue and people begin to pay more attention to the movement, it is essential to fight back against censorship and show the world what the BLM movement truly represents — fighting racism, police brutality and serving justice to its victims.

--

This blog was written by Medha Kowndinya, she is 16-year-old rising high school Junior.