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. 

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 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.

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

Originally coined Black Music Month, the commemoration was conceived by black music moguls Kenny Gamble, Dyana Williams and Ed Wright in the 1970s and initiated by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979. The holiday was later renamed African American Music Appreciation Month by President Barack Obama in 2009.  

This month, we celebrate African American musicians, their songs and their lasting cultural and historical impacts. Join the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room as we celebrate this month – our music archive is a treasure trove of music produced by notable African American artists from North Carolina. 

Music created by African Americans has played a significant role in the Long Civil Rights Movement, serving as the rallying cries of protests and the beat to which activists march. Songs used during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s were often pre-existing songs that were modified to reflect the aims of the movement, such as We Shall Overcome and This Little Light of Mine, but there were also many new songs written specifically as protest songs, such as You’d Better Leave Segregation Alone and Dog, Dog by James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette. Some of the most popular tunes were captured in Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through its Songs, compiled by Guy Carawan in 1990. In addition to providing the lyrics and sheet music for songs used in the Civil Rights Movement, Carawan provides historical context, including events in North Carolina and the city of Charlotte, and includes interviews from the movement’s participants detailing the significance of music to their activities. 

Charlotte has been home to notable rappers, jazz musicians and R&B artists. Some of these Charlotteans include Fantasia, Arsena Schroeder, DaBaby, Deniro Farrar, K-Ci & Jojo, Bettie Grind, Ruga, Anthony Hamilton, Elevator Jay, Lute, Harvey Cummings, Jason Jet, D’Yenna Dukes and Jodeci.  

The city has celebrated the month in several ways – the Harvey B. Gantt Center has held free events in honor of the month, and Charlotte radio station Power 98 FM has dedicated the month of June to honoring African American musicians. The #BeONE Music Experience was also created to observe African American Music Appreciation Month in the Charlotte, bringing together live music, comedians, food and black culture in several celebrations throughout the city during the month of June.  

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room’s music archive features a multitude of albums produced by black North Carolinian artists of all genres such as John Coltrane, the Badgett Sisters, Clyde McPhatter, the Jordan River Boys and many others. Also available are albums featuring various artists, such as Big Mamas: Independent Women’s Blues (Ida Cox, Billie Holiday, Martha Copeland) and A Cappella Gospel Singing (Georgia Peach, Dixie Hummingbirds, The Spirit of Memphis Quartet).  

Want to listen to hits by prominent black artists? Check out this compilation of playlists from Freegal: 

• African-American Music Month Playlist 

• Unbreakable: A Juneteenth Playlist 

• Queens of Soul Playlist 

• Jazz Classics Playlist 

• 90's Hip Hop Classics Playlist 

• StayWoke: The Conscious Hip-Hop Collection 

Images: 

Charlotte’s Southland Jubilee Singers, performing for WSOC Radio in the 1940s. Photo donated by Virginia E. Keogh to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

A live performance in Charlotte’s Excelsior Club, broadcast on WGIV radio in the mid-1940s. Photo donated by Carolyn Wyche to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

Charlotte soul artist Arsena Schroder. Photo by Kevin Currie. 

Yanceyville folk and gospel group, the Badgett Sisters. Photo by Roger Manley. Albums available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

The album cover of Rhythm and Soul by Durham R&B, soul, and rock artist Clyde McPhatter. Available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

The album cover of Black Pearls by Hamlet jazz musician John Coltrane. Available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

Welcome to Week 3 of Summer Break! Did you know that people of all ages can participate in Summer Break program? We hope that all the members of your family are having a great time participating and logging reading time and activities. Summer Break 2019 will run from June 1, 2019 until August 10, 2019. If you have any questions about Summer Break, check out how the program works and sign up here.

Digital Branch

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, but if you are ready to beat the heat, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has you covered. Stay in the cool air conditioning and access our digital branch any time! Available 24/7 here, the Digital Branch has a variety of offerings for all ages. Find fabulous reads, literacy extension activities, and Active Reading tips on the Storytime Train. Tune in and try out one of our podcasts. Get to know our users by viewing videos in “Telling Our Story,” or watch the dialogue develop around local hot topics in Community Conversations.The Digital Branch has something for everyone to enjoy, no matter the time or location!

ImagiCON 2019

Summer is a great time for kids to explore their creativity! Pencil in Saturday, July 20, as a date for people ages 0-18 and their families to do just that at our 4^th annual ImagiCON. Visit ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center for a fun day exploring comic books, graphic novels, cosplay, gaming, and more. Meet artists, gaming technology leaders, and attend panels between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Find out more at ImaginOn’s website here.

Celebrate Library Week at Carowinds!

In addition to offering free Carowinds tickets to eligible Summer Break participants, Carowinds also offers Library customers the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets and use them during Carowinds Library Week. This year Carowinds Library Week runs July 22-28. Purchase discounted tickets to be used during Library Week and help us celebrate Summer Break at Carowinds!

Click here to access the portal

User name: CM

Password: LIBRARY 

These are case sensitive.

Additional discounts may also be available through this portal throughout the summer.

Check Out Exciting Upcoming Programs! 

If you are looking for even more to do, all our branches have great programs throughout the summer. Did you know that attending a library event can count as a learning activity? Our libraries are hosting some wonderful programs this summer. Visit our online calendar to see a complete listing and register.

Remember: all libraries will be closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, give us a call at 704-416-0101 or email us at [email protected].

What does Landis Wade do?

Everything! And the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is thrilled to be along for the ride! If you’re local to Charlotte, the name “Landis” might ring a bell. An avid outdoorsman, public speaker, self-described "recovering  trial lawyer," award-winning author and host of the exciting Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis is a native Charlottean (he graduated from Myers Park High School in 1975!) who’s making waves in the literary community. Even better? In spring 2019, the Library teamed up with him to host the Charlotte Readers Podcast!

Through the Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis provides a platform where Charlotte-area authors, and those visiting the city, can “give voice to their written words” by reading or discussing their noteworthy works – published or emerging. Landis encourages guests to share stories and poems that evoke the emotions, followed by the kind of questions and answers that provide in-depth insight to the readings.

Hosting Charlotte Readers Podcast is a natural fit for the Library, which is an essential connector of a thriving community of readers, leaders and learners. It’s an opportunity to introduce the community to a variety of authors and writers through a growing medium in a location they can access without a subscription or special app.

Are you a fan of Landis? When he's not spending time with his beautiful wife, Janet, their two children, Jordan and Hamilin, or spending time at his cabin in the North Carolina mountains (where he likes to  read, write, hike, bike, golf and fly-fish), you can keep up with him and the latest episodes of theCharlotte Readers Podcast.

The seventh season of the Charlotte Readers Podcast begins in September 1, 2020. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CURRENT SEASON AND ALL AVAILABLE EPISODES.

Also, be sure to follow the Charlotte Readers Podcast on social media:

Twitter: @charlottereader

Facebook: @charlottereaderspodcast

It’s week four of Summer Break! Hopefully you’ve been logging your reading time and activities, but if you haven’t, it’s not too late to enroll in the program and join in on the fun. You can even backdate your reading time to the start of the program, June 1. Keep reading, learning and exploring through the end of the program, August 10, 2019.

Making sure you get rewarded for a summer well spent

Library staff have been working hard preparing for Summer Break since September 2018 – developing recommended reading lists, engaging programs and fun incentives.

One of the biggest tasks for the team that manages the Summer Break program is choosing, ordering and sorting all the cool incentives you receive upon completion of the program. This year:

• babies and children earn a new, popular book;
• teens earn either a new, popular book OR a drawstring library tote;
• and adults earn either a car magnet OR notebook.

Once incentives are chosen, the team works with the Marketing and Communications Department to create and order lots of flyers, posters and other print materials to help us tell you all about the program. Printed pieces are sorted and distributed to all 20 library locations.

Staff then order what feels like an ocean of books for babies, children and teens. Each box must be opened, organized and sorted so that every library location has just the right selection of books for participants to choose from when they complete Summer Break.

Staff also sort drawstring book totes, notebooks and car magnets so that teen and adult completers have a variety of colors to choose from at their library location. Check out the beautiful bright yellow!

Once boxes are sorted and labeled, they are taken to the dock to be delivered to library locations.

A lot of hard work is put into Summer Break with the goal of participants enjoying the program and having fun reading and learning all summer long.

To learn more about how the Summer Break program works, and how you can sign up to participate, visit summerbreak.cmlibrary.org.

REMINDER: all library locations are closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, call 704-416-0101 or email [email protected].

We’re excited to inform you Scaleybark Library will soon move to a new, larger home! This fall, we expect to move into our new location at 4429 South Boulevard, approximately 0.4 miles south of our current location. The new location is currently under construction, and as we near completion, we’ll have more information to share with you about Library services and about a Grand Opening date to celebrate.  

Why is the Scaleybark Library moving? The new location is nearly three times the size of the current branch. This larger footprint will offer more room for programs, services, community and meeting rooms, and resources. We’re bringing you these changes based on your feedback, and with funding from Mecklenburg County. 

As construction proceeds, we'll provide more information so customers can understand service options during the move to the new location and keep you engaged with the library. Your patronage is vitally important to us, so please stay tuned for more information. You can find updates on all Library building projects at www.cmlibrary.org/building-projects.  

In the meantime, Scaleybark Library is still open and operating as usual at 101 Scaleybark, Charlotte 28209. This is the perfect time to stop in, sign up for Summer Break, attend a program, or check out materials. We value you as a customer and look forward to sharing the exciting changes to our relocated library with you when we re-open! 

June is Great Outdoors Month!

Whether you’re biking or beachcombing, the Library has everything you need to prepare for your summer outside!

Great Outdoors Month began as a weeklong celebration in 1998 and grew into a monthlong celebration to highlight outdoor recreation benefits.  According to a recent study, spending two hours a week in nature really is good for your health.  It’s also free!  We’re sharing our favorite ways to explore the outdoors this summer:

• Johnny Molloy’s The Best in Tent Camping guide will help you find the perfect campsite.  Download the book before you go for detailed maps and ratings. 
• Do you love the sound of nature but not the bugs or harsh elements?  Stream or download your favorite sounds, like a peaceful mountain stream or the ocean with Freegal, a music service free with your library card.
• Prepare for any outdoor adventures by with the latest digital issues of Backpacker magazine.  Other nature magazines available on your mobile device or computer include Mother Earth News and Field and Stream. 
• Take a hike—literally—with recommendations from Backpacker Hidden Gems or North Carolina hiking guides in our catalog, also available to download.
• Bring your school-aged children to a Parks and Rec program this summer at many of our locations (registration required).   We’ve partnered with them to bring a little outside indoors with turtles, insects, and wildlife programs. 
• If you’re tired of roasting the same old s’mores, try something different around your campfire with recipes from The Campout Cookbook.
• Summer is a terrific time to plant beans, tomatoes, and Brussels sprouts; get tips for your garden from North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook. 
• Pack a healthy snack for your next hike or bike trip with an energy bar recipe from Power Hungry. 
• Are you curious about whitewater rafting or mountain biking, but don't know where to begin?  Joe Miller’s  Adventure Carolinas is full of advice for adventure activity beginners.
• Create an environmentally friendly and sustainable home with Building a Sustainable Home.
• Dust off your bicycle and find new paths in Road Biking North Carolina. If your tires are flat, choose from our collection of bicycle repair manuals.
• Teach children the skills you learned from Boy Scouts with The Young Adventurer's Guide to (almost) Everything.
• Read Camp, a collection of camping and living outdoors stories, around a campfire in your backyard.
• Take a copy of Fishing Essentials for Dummies with you and rent a fishing pole from Mecklenburg County. 
• Let the forest heal you!  Learn about Shinrin-yoku, the Japanese practice of healing forest bathing, with these books.

Don’t forget to log your outside fun as part of your Summer Break activities.  The entire family can explore or play outside today with these suggested activities as we celebrate the Great Outdoors all summer long!

For many Americans, July 4 is synonymous with Independence Day. However, in one North Carolina county, Independence Day comes early, on May 20 to be exact.

Beginning in 1825, the residents of Mecklenburg County celebrated the writing and signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration which supposedly took place on May 20, 1775, a full year before the more famous Declaration of Independence. Over the next century, May 20 was the time when residents set off countless fireworks, dined at celebratory dinners at churches, civic organizations and fraternities, held picnics, conducted parades as well as patriotic pageants and hosted dignitaries, including four United States Presidents.

By the time July 4 came around, there was very little enthusiasm to organize and prepare for another massive celebration. Except for the occasional private affairs and individual public drunkenness, most Charlotteans celebrated the day either quietly in their homes or traveled to nearby towns where the activities were in great abundance. This continued for almost 125 years.

During World War II, local officials began to encourage citizens to organize events to celebrate the fourth of July. In 1949, under the leadership of the local chapter of Disabled American Veterans, Charlotte held its first American Independence Day parade. 5,000 people filled the street to watch the Plato Price High School Marching Band and cheered when they played “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Also, in attendance were members of the 504^th Airborne, veterans from the Spanish American War, members of a local cavalry club to honor World War I Veterans, and several trained goats. Twelve planes from the Air National Guard flew high over the city in special formation. Former WWI nurse and “DAV Sweetheart, Minnie Gwaltney was also honored for her continued care of veterans. Thus, began a new tradition in Charlotte.

For more information about Mecklenburg Independence Day celebrations, see: https://www.cmstory.org/exhibits/mecklenburg-declaration-independence/mecklenburg-declaration-independence

Picture of July  parade from the July 5, 1950 Charlotte Observer.