Did you know that you can continue to stay connected to the Library while staying home? How would you like to participate in a virtual storytime with your family or receive resume help all from the comfort of your couch? Join Charlotte Mecklenburg Library every week for a wide range of online programming for children, teens and adults. See a complete listing of this upcoming programming for the week of 11/30/2020 below. Click the corresponding links for more information and register for programs where applicable.

Learn more about online programming by clicking here

Monday 11/30

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  Learn more

Book a Librarian - Nonprofit Services – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Mindful Mondays - Guided Relaxation and Meditation – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian – Technology – 2 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 4 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Stronger Together: Support for your Job Search – 4 p.m.  (Adult programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 5 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Learning Circle: Childhood in the Digital Age – 6 p.m.  (Adult programming)  register

Tuesday 12/1       

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  Learn more

Book a Librarian - Business Research – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12:30 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 5 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Murderino Book Club – 7 p.m.  (Adult programming)  register

Wednesday 11/25

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  Learn more

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian – Technology – 2 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 4 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 5 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Thursday 12/3

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  Learn more

Book a Librarian - Business Research – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12:30 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 5 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Caregiver Class: Active Reading Training for Caregivers of K-3 Students – 6 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Friday 12/4

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  Learn more

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Mindful Friday- Meditation for Wellness – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Saturday 12/5

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)   Learn more

Virtual Reading Buddies – 10 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Reading is wonderful all year long, but there is something magical about diving into a good book when the weather gets cold. Luckily, your local Library has snow many titles (we couldn't help ourselves) for you to cozy up with this winter. Find our list of recommended  wintery reads for adults, young adults (YA) and children below.

Find this list of wintery reads in the Library catalog.
 

ADULT FICTION:

The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey - Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he is breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she is crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

In an incredibly well written novel, this author forces us to question what is real, what isn't and to appreciate what hope looks like. Highly recommended for book clubs.

The Great Alone, by Kristin Hannah - Lenora Allbright is 13 when her father convinces her mother, Cora, to forgo their inauspicious existence in Seattle and move to Kaneq, AK. It's 1974, and the former Vietnam POW sees a better future away from the noise and nightmares that plague him. Having been left a homestead by a buddy who died in the war, Ernt is secure in his beliefs, but never was a family less prepared for the reality of Alaska, the long, cold winters and isolation. Locals want to help out, especially classmate Matthew Walker, who likes everything about Leni. Yet the harsh conditions bring out the worst in Ernt, whose paranoia takes over their lives and exacerbates what Leni sees as the toxic relationship between her parents. The Allbrights are as green as greenhorns can be, and even first love must endure unimaginable hardship and tragedy as the wilderness tries to claim more victims.

Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger - Leif Enger's rhapsodic novel about a father raising his three children in 1960s Minnesota is a breathtaking celebration of family, faith, and America's pioneering spirit. Through the voice of eleven-year-old Reuben, an asthmatic boy obsessed with cowboy stories, Peace Like a River tells of the Land family's cross-country search for Reuben's outlaw older brother, who has been controversially charged with murder.

Sprinkled with playful and warmhearted nods to biblical tales, classic American novels such as Huckleberry Finn, the adventure stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, and the Westerns of Zane Grey, Peace Like a River brilliantly incorporates the best elements of all these genres and ultimately earns its own prominent and enduring place on the shelf among them.
 

ADULT NONFICTION:

Holidays on Ice, by David Sedaris - A best-selling classic features six additional works on the joys and embarrassments of favorite holidays, in a volume that includes tales of  tardy trick-or-treaters, the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to another culture, and a barnyard Secret Santa scheme gone awry.

It's dark satire, but it's quite funny, and a change from the personal essay format of most of Sedaris' other writing. The bottom line is that Holidays on Ice is a joy to read, the kind of book that makes you laugh out loud.

You Better Not Cry, by Augusten Burroughs - You've eaten too much candy at Christmas...but have you ever eaten the face off a six-footstuffed Santa? You've seen gingerbread houses...but have you ever made your own gingerbread tenement? You've woken up with a hangover...but have you ever woken up next to Kris Kringle himself? Augusten Burroughs has, and in this caustically funny, nostalgic, poignant, and moving collection he recounts Christmases past and present-as only he could. With gimleteyed wit and illuminated prose, Augusten shows how the holidays bring out the worst in us and sometimes, just sometimes, the very, very best.

The Children’s Blizzard, by David Laskin - Thousands of impoverished Northern European immigrants were promised that the prairie offered "land, freedom, and hope." The disastrous blizzard of 1888 revealed that their free homestead was not a paradise, but a hard, unforgiving place governed by natural forces they neither understood nor controlled, and America’s heartland would never be the same.

On an unseasonably warm winter day in the Great Plains, a ferocious blizzard suddenly blew up out of nowhere, and soon 500 people (mostly children) were dead. A harrowing story from the author of Braving the Elements.
 

Young Adult (YA):

The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden - A magical debut novel for readers of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern'sThe Night Circus, and Neil Gaiman's myth-rich fantasies, The Bear and the Nightingale spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice. At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil. After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows. And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for marriage or confinement in a convent. As danger circles nearer, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

Frozen, by Melissa de la Cruz - More than a century after a catastrophic disaster wiped out most of humanity and covered much of the earth with ice, 15-year-old Cass yields to the voice in her head urging her to embark on a dangerous journey across a poisoned sea to the mythical land, Blue.

The well-paced action is taut, the characters diverse and finely drawn. And while this is a multiple book series, the ending of this first story is fully satisfying and doesn’t leave the reader dangling until the sequel comes out.

The Tragedy Paper, by Elizabeth Laban - While preparing for the most dreaded assignment at the prestigious Irving School, the Tragedy Paper, Duncan gets wrapped up in the tragic tale of Tim Macbeth, a former student who had a clandestine relationship with the wrong girl, and his own ill-fated romance with Daisy.
 

CHILDREN:

The Vanderbeekers of 141^st St., by Karina Yan Glaser - Told that they will have to move out of their Harlem brownstone just after Christmas, the five Vanderbeeker children, ages four to twelve, decide to change their reclusive landlord's mind.

Greenglass House, by Kate Milford - At Greenglass House, a smuggler's inn, twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers' adopted son, plans to spend his winter holidays relaxing but soon guests are arriving with strange stories about the house sending Milo and Meddy, the cook's daughter, on an adventure.

Milo’s world seems comfortably contemporary; the current history of his parallel world is mostly background that’s revealed at the close. An abundantly diverting mystery seasoned with mild fantasy and just a little steampunk.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis - Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

Changes are coming to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library online resources!! Many of the resources on the Library’s Resources page are provided by NC LIVE, North Carolina’s statewide cooperative. Every 3 years NC LIVE evaluates its resources by analyzing usage trends, reviewing feedback from libraries, evaluating accessibility and by looking at possible alternatives. Due to budgetary constraints, NC LIVE is not able to keep all resources so decisions must be made on which resources to renew, add or remove for the coming 3-year cycle.

Beginning January 1, 2021 resources being added to the Resources page include:

• Learning Express/PrepStep – replaces Teaching and Education Reference Center (TERC)

LearningExpress Library features online tutorials, practice tests, and e-books to help patrons of all ages. It offers job search and workplace skills improvement, skill building in reading, writing, math, and basic science, career certification and licensure exam prep, college and grad school entrance test prep, GED^® test prep, and more.

• Films on Demand: Just for Kids

Films on Demand: Just for Kids is a streaming movie service filled with educational videos children will want to watch – Sesame Street, The Electric Company, The Berenstain Bears, Franklin, and more.  Games, songs, and other interactives are included to entertain, educate, and inspire young kids.

• Biography in Context – replaces Biography Reference Center

Biography in Context is a comprehensive database of more than 600,000 biographical entries of people throughout history, from around the world, and across all disciplines and subject areas.

• Transparent Language – replaces Mango Languages

Transparent Language provides a fun, effective, and engaging experience for learners of all levels looking to build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a foreign language. Combining extensive courses and supplemental resources for over 100 languages, including English, Transparent Language Online is the most complete language-learning system.

Beginning January 1, 2021 resources being removed from the Resources page include:

• CQ Magazine
• Auto Repair – see Chilton Library for automotive repair information
• Biography Reference Center
• Science in Context
• Teaching and Education Reference Center (TERC)
• Mango Languages

For our customers currently using Mango Languages and Teaching and Education Reference Center (TERC) resources, please be aware that any courses you are pursing for certification must be completed by December 31, 2020. Beginning January 1, 2021 you will no longer be able to access these resources.

Export Learning activity from Mango:

• Log into your Mango account
• Expand the menu by your username

• Click Activity
• This menu will allow you to view and download your recent learning activity.  Change the dates to find all your learning activity.  Click “Download CSV file” to download the report.

Export Learning Activity from TERC

• Log into your TERC account and navigate to your Class Progress.  From here you can see your grades, course access, and login history.  Please print anything you would like to save.

As always, you just need your library card or ONE Access number to access all of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s resources.  Don’t have a library card?  Sign up here!

If you need more support or have questions, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library staff are available by email, chat, and phone.  

Did you know that you can continue to stay connected to the Library while staying home? How would you like to participate in a virtual storytime with your family or receive resume help all from the comfort of your couch? Join Charlotte Mecklenburg Library every week for a wide range of online programming for children, teens and adults. See a complete listing of this upcoming programming for the week of 12/7/2020 below. Click the corresponding links for more information and register for programs where applicable.

Learn more about online programming by clicking here

Monday 12/7

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  learn more

Book a Librarian - Nonprofit Services – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Mindful Mondays - Guided Relaxation and Meditation – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian – Technology – 2 p.m. (Adult programming) register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 4 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 5 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Learning Circle: Childhood in the Digital Age – 6 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

True Crime Podcast Discussion Club – 7 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Tuesday 12/8       

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  learn more

Book a Librarian - Business Research – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Parent Lunch & Learn: Developing and Supporting Initiative and Attentiveness in Young Children – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12:30 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)    register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

ACT Strategy Session with The Princeton Review – 5 p.m. (Teen programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 5 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Wednesday 12/9

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  learn more

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian – Technology – 2 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 4 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 5 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Thursday 12/10

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  learn more

Book a Librarian - Business Research – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12 p.m. (Adult programming) register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12:30 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming) register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 5 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Teens Live on Instagram: Ask CFNC about Paying for College – 6 p.m. (Teen programming)  learn more

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Friday 12/11

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  learn more

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Mindful Friday- Meditation for Wellness – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Saturday 12/12

Free ACT Practice Test with The Princeton Review – 9 a.m. (Teen programming)  register

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  learn more

Virtual Reading Buddies – 10 a.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

We made it to the end of the year - and what a wild ride it has been! One thing we don't take for granted is all the wonderful reads we enjoyed along the way. Not only did we compile an all-ages Best Books of 2020 list with titles from The New York Times, Esquire, The Atlantic, Goodreads and more, Myers Park Library Leader Harold Escalante also shared the titles with WCNC "Charlotte Today" host Beth Troutman. Watch the segment here.

The titles below will give you a chance to reflect on important topics from 2020. Ready to recap, relax and enjoy good reads? click here to borrow ONE of the "Best books of 2020" from our catalog.

Adult fiction

Topics of Conversation by Miranda Popkey

Miranda Popkey's first novel is about desire, disgust, motherhood, loneliness, art, pain, feminism, anger, envy, guilt--written in language that sizzles with intelligence and eroticism. The novel is composed almost exclusively of conversations between women--the stories they tell each other, and the stories they tell themselves, about shame and love, infidelity and self-sabotage--and careens through twenty years in the life of an unnamed narrator hungry for experience and bent on upending her life. Edgy, wry, shot through with rage and despair, Topics of Conversation introduces an audacious and immensely gifted new novelist.

The Cold Millions by Jess Walter

Orphans Gig and Rye Dolan don't have a penny to their names. The brothers work grueling, odd jobs each day just to secure a meal, and spend nights sleeping wherever they can with other day laborers. Twenty-three-year-old Gig is a passionate union man, fighting for fair pay and calling out the corrupt employers who exploit the working class. Eager to emulate his older brother, Rye follows suit, though he can't quite muster Gig's passion for the cause. But when Rye's turn on the soap box catches the eye of well-known activist and suffragette Elizabeth Gurley, he is swept into the world of labor activism-and dirty business. With his brother's life on the line, Rye must evade the barbaric police force, maneuver his way out of the clutches of a wealthy businessman-and figure out for himself what he truly stands for. The Cold Millions is a stunning portrait of class division and familial bonds. In this masterful historical take on the enduring saga of America's economic divide, Jess Walter delivers nothing less than another "literary miracle"
 

Adult Nonfiction

Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America by Conor Dougherty

Spacious and affordable homes used to be the hallmark of American prosperity. Today, however, punishing rents and the increasingly prohibitive cost of ownership have turned housing into the foremost symbol of inequality and an economy gone wrong. Nowhere is this more visible than in the San Francisco Bay Area, where fleets of private buses ferry software engineers past the tarp-and-plywood shanties where the homeless make their homes. The adage that California is a glimpse of the nation's future has become a cautionary tale. With propulsive storytelling and ground-level reporting, New York Times journalist Conor Dougherty chronicles America's housing crisis from its West Coast epicenter, peeling back the decades of history and economic forces that brought us here and taking readers inside the activist uprisings that have risen in tandem with housing costs. To tell this new story of housing, Dougherty follows a struggling math teacher who builds a political movement dedicated to ending single-family-house neighborhoods. A teenage girl who leads her apartment complex against their rent-raising landlord. A nun who tries to outmaneuver private equity investors by amassing a multimillion-dollar portfolio of affordable homes. A suburban bureaucrat who roguishly embraces density in response to the threat of climate change. A developer who manufactures housing for the homeless on an assembly line. Sweeping in scope and intimate in detail, Golden Gates captures a vast political realignment during a moment of rapid technological and social change.

American Poison: How Racial Hostility Destroyed Our Promise by Eduardo Porter

America's social contract is shattered, and there's likely no putting the pieces back together, according to this fierce, incisive analysis of why we are a deeply divided nation. New York Times journalist Porter (The Price of Everything) describes over a century of mounting resistance to government, and to the safety net it offers, on the part of working-class white citizens (whose own livelihoods would be greatly improved by a stronger welfare system), because of ingrained fear of the other and demographic change. Porter considers racial animus to be the primary driving force of our social dysfunction; the root cause of the polarization that has made bipartisanship and civil discourse all but impossible. Porter brings his own experience as a longtime observer of American economy and society to this sobering study, showing how fear and resentment have been driving forces in politics. In glimmers of hope, he notes that younger generations are accustomed to diversity, and that integrated neighborhoods and schools have proven beneficial to all. But, he notes, many young adults hold similar views as their elders, and several schools have re-segregated. VERDICT Bleak, but perhaps inspirational, this challenging critique is recommended for policymakers and readers concerned about civic engagement.
 

Young Adults (YA)

They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

At an exclusive prep school on Long Island, Jill Newman looks forward to her senior year as a member of the school's most elite clique, the Players, until new evidence surfaces about the murder of her close friend Shaila.

Entree into the ruling inner circle of Long Island’s elite Gold Coast Prep gets served up deliciously in this debut YA novel from Cosmopolitan senior editor Jessica Goodman. The chilling murder mystery is an irresistible hook, but it’s the careful building of each character’s fraught, internal conflicts that really digs in, elevating the work from a high society whodunit to a knowing mission to not just uncover one’s own identity, but to build it. 

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnston

Liz Lighty has always done her best to avoid the spotlight in her small, wealthy, and prom-obsessed midwestern high school, after all, her family is black and rather poor, especially since her mother died; instead she has concentrated on her grades and her musical ability in the hopes that it will win her a scholarship to elite Pennington College and their famous orchestra where she plans to study medicine--but when that scholarship falls through she is forced to turn to her school's scholarship for prom king and queen, which plunges her into the gauntlet of social media which she hates and leads her to discoveries about her own identity and the value of true friendships.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people ... In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance -- and Papi's secrets -- the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead, and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they've lost everything of their father, they learn of each other

Children

The Only Black Girls in Town by Brandy Colbert

Twelve-year-old surfing fanatic Alberta has lived in Ewing Beach, Calif., with her fathers for much of her life. Her family is one of the only black families in town, until the Whitmans buy the old bed and breakfast across the street. Goth Edie, the same age as Alberta, is nothing like her. She's a proud Brooklyn native; she wears all black, down to the black lipstick she's never without; and she doesn't understand why everyone in Ewing loves the beach. And while Edie's parents are divorcing, Alberta's dads remain deeply in love. Despite their differences, the two become fast friends just as Alberta's lifelong best friend, who is white, begins drifting toward the popular girl who has bullied Alberta with racist taunts for years. When Alberta and Edie find a set of mysterious journals in Edie's new house, they also uncover an enduring secret. Imperfect, vulnerable characters take center stage in Colbert's middle grade debut about growing up on the margins in the past and present. Colbert employs a compulsively readable style to convey the sometimes-difficult experience of young friendship, and the power and peril of claiming one's identity out loud. Ages 8--12.

Our Little Kitchen by Jillian Tamaki

Tie on your apron! / Roll up your sleeves!" Every Wednesday, an inclusive pickup team of volunteers--a short Black woman with a commanding presence and a cane, a white parent and small brown-skinned child, and more--gathers in a small community kitchen to prepare a weekly dinner for their neighbors, combining vegetables they harvest from a garden ("Look at these zukes!/ Let's use them up too!"), food bank beans ("Third week in a row!"), and a donation of apples ("Cut off the brown bits,/ they're still good to use") for a simple, filling meal. Clear-line panel artwork by Tamaki (My Best Friend) gives the action superhero-grade visual power with swoops and swirls in swaths of tomato red, avocado green, and beet pink. Smells drift deliciously around the group's noses, the chief cook tumbles through cascades of beans, and speech balloons collide like atoms. By making the collaborative meal preparation visually brilliant, Tamaki injects energy into this life-giving celebration. Then it's go time--"I mean it!" yells the crew's leader--and a parade of food arrives in the dining room, where an equally diverse group of neighbors awaits. Pictures in speech balloons reveal conversations shared over the meal: books, hockey, a sore toe. The cooks can't save the world alone, but by taking care of their neighbors ("Is your body warm? // Is your belly full?") they convey the power of thrift, collective action, and community-building. Recipes for an elastic number of diners are included, too. Ages 4-8.

Every year thousands of students across Mecklenburg County embark upon a two-week vacation from school in what is often known as Winter Break. This year Winter Break will be a much-needed reprieve from all that has occurred in 2020, and our hope is that Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Winter Break programming can provide exciting, engaging, and yes, even educational opportunities for children and teens.

Sparkling Programs for Children

Winter Break programming will dazzle your child with fun themes, holiday favorites, and sweet support from our Library staff. Check out these programs this Winter Break for children:

• Story Explorers: Explore books and stories in creative ways through interactive activities in these Winter Break online programs. Choose from Traditions Around the World, Minecraft Pixel Art, Five Languages of Love, Bubble Trouble, and more — or register to attend them all!
• Family Storytime: Register to participate in an online Family Storytime over Winter Break! Library staff are ready to share their favorites to keep you busy this Winter Break. Twelve Storytimes are available for your family to enjoy, including a special Mother Minter’s Gift of Kwanzaa Storytime, a Winter Festival Storytime, and several “Noon Year’s Eve” Storytimes to help you ring in 2021.
• Winter Break Reading Buddies and Tutoring: Want to keep your child’s skills sharp over Winter Break? Check out our one-on-one Reading Buddy or Tutoring appointments where your child can log in with a Library staff member to read and learn something new!

Enchanting Programs for Teens

Teens are sure to enjoy delightful Winter Break programming also! Check out these programs, curated specifically for teens:

• STEAM 101 programs: Make glitter slime, sand art, fun holiday gnomes, paper circuits, lip gloss, and much more in our fun online STEAM programs designed to engage and enrich your preteen or teen learner. Should you choose, visit select Library locations in advance (see calendar for locations) to pick up supplies for each program!
• College & Career Programs: Have your teen take advantage of My Next Step College and Career online programming over Winter Break. Register online for a one-on-one appointment to figure out your teen's next step to successfully plan for the future or register for a one-on-one mock interview to prepare for a career or college interview. Winter Break is the perfect time to figure out your teen’s next steps!
• Gaming and Writing Programs: Does your teen need a creative and social outlet? Winter Break is the perfect time to get connected with other teens to try out a new hobby or skill. Several trivia and gaming programs are available this Winter Break, as well as a few writing programs your teen will enjoy.

All of these Winter Break programs and more can be found on our online Library calendar by visiting cmlibrary.org/calendar. Join us for Winter Break programming at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. It truly is a Winter Wonderland!

This blog was written by Darrell Anderson, marketing and communications specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

* playlist has been updated as of December 1, 2023

In addition to a good, wintry read, there is something about holiday music that brings the winter months to life. We've compiled a “Jingle Jams” playlist of seasonal songs that will make you want to bust a move to the groove, sing along, mellow your mood, tap your toes, bundle up in front of a fire, decorate your home, or some combination of celebration! Whatever you celebrate, there is a song for you. We tried to keep this list inclusive, knowing that our libraries serve diverse customers with equally diverse beliefs.

Whether you’re a reindeer, the Grinch or someone who speaks native Hawaiian, we’ve got you covered.

One thing to note, before you get jiggy with your jingle jams, you will need to have your Library card or ONE Access ID number handy to log in and stream this Freegal Music playlist. Don’t have a Library card yet? The best, money-saving gifts come in small, pocket-sized packages – click here to give yourself the gift of the public library all year long.

On Dasher, on Dancer, on to the “jingle jams” playlist….!

“Jingle Jams” Track List

1. 8 Days of Christmas – Destiny’s Child
2. All I Want for Christmas Is You – Mariah Carey
3. Blue Christmas (Remastered) – Shakin’ Stevens
4. Blue Christmas – Elvis Presley
5. Carol of the Bells – Trans Atlantic Christmas All-Stars
6. Christmas in Hollis – Run DMC
7. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Pentatonix
8. Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel – The Wiggles
9. Do You Hear What I Hear? – Whitney Houston
10. Every Year, Every Christmas – Luther Vandross
11. Fairytale of New York – Jimmy Elf and the Blue Flakes
12. Fall in Love at Christmas – Mariah Carey feat. Khalid and Kirk Franklin
13. Fancy Like Christmas – Walker Hayes
14. Fairytale of New York – The Pogues
15. Feliz Navidad – Feliz Navidad All-Stars
16. Frosty the Snowman – The Ronettes
17. Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer – Elmo & Patsy
18. Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah – Isabel Rose
19. Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season – Andy Williams 
20. Hard Candy Christmas – Dolly Parton
21. Home for Christmas – *NSYNC
22. I Don't Want Christmas to End – Zach Williams
23. I Have a Little Dreidel – David & The High Spirit
24. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas – A Great Big World
25. It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Andy Williams
26. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm – Bette Midler
27. Jesus is the Reason for the Season – Kirk Franklin 
28. Jingle Bell Rock – Hot Chelle Rae
29. Joy to the World –Aretha Franklin
30. Kiss Me It's Christmas – Leona Lewis Feat. Ne-Yo
31. Kwanzaa Midnight – Street Sounds
32. Last Christmas – WHAM!
33. Let It Snow – Let it Snow
34. Let It Snow, Let It Snow – Jessica Simpson
35. Macarena Christmas (Joy Mix) – Los Del Rio
36. Mele Kalikimaka – Genoa Keawe & her Hula Maids
37. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays – *NSYNC
38. Merry Christmas, Baby – Otis Redding
39. My Favorite Things – John Coltrane
40. Noche de Paz – Fifth Harmony
41. O Holy Night – Céline Dion
42. Oh Santa! – Mariah Carey (feat. Ariana Grande and Jennifer Hudson)
43. Once Upon a December – Chloe Flower
44. Pretty Paper – Willie Nelson
45. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree – Meghan Trainor
46. Run Rudolph Run – The Swon Brothers
47. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – The Holiday Soul
48. Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
49. Santa Baby – Kellie Pickler
50. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town – Frank Sinatra
51. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town – Bruce Springsteen
52. Silent Night – The Temptations
53. Silver Bells – Rhett Walker Band
54. Silver Bells – Tony Bennett
55. Sleigh Ride – Tamar Braxton
56. Sleigh Ride – TLC
57. The Night Santa Went Crazy – “Weird Al” Yankovic
58. This Christmas – The Holiday Soul
59. This Christmas – Mary J. Blige
60. This Christmas – Chris Brown
61. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? – Barbra Streisand
62. White Christmas – White Christmas
63. White Christmas – Bing Crosby
64. Winter Song – Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson
65. Winter Song – Zara Larsson
66. Winter Wonderland – Winter Wonderland Band
67. Winter Wonderland/Don’t Worry Be Happy – Pentatonix ft. Tori Kelly
68. You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch – Thurl Ravenscroft

Happy holidays from Charlotte Mecklenburg Library!

Besides reading books, what else is fun to do in quarantine? Watch movies of course! Charlotte Mecklenburg Library offers access to Kanopy, an award-winning video streaming service that provides access to more than 30,000 independent and documentary films ─ titles of unique social and cultural value from The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, Media Education Foundation and thousands of independent filmmakers. There is something for everyone in the family to watch.

Curious what Library customers have watched while quarantined? Below, you will find the top 10 movies our customers have been streamed on Kanopy since March 2020.  All you need to join in the fun is your Charlotte Mecklenburg Library card or One Access ID number!

Learn more about Kanopy and checkout limits, click here. Need a Library card? Sign up here.

The top 10 movies Library customers have watched since March 2020:

Creepy Carrots (2013) - The Twilight Zone comes to the carrot patch as a rabbit fears his favorite treats are out to get him. Run time: 10 minutes

Don’t Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus (2009) - When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place -- a pigeon! But you've never met one like this before. Run time: 8 minutes

Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late (2011) - It's getting dark out, but one stubborn Pigeon is NOT going to bed! Children will love this interactive bedtime romp, which puts readers back in the driver's seat, deflecting Pigeon's sly trickery as he tries to escape his inevitable bedtime. Will you let him stay up late? Run time: 8 minutes.

Midsommar (2010) - An American couple, their relationship floundering, travel to a fabled Swedish midsummer festival where they become trapped in a sinister nightmare. Run time: 148 minutes.

I’m Brave! (2015) - Come visit the firehouse and discover all the tools that firetrucks need to do their jobs and what it takes to be brave. Run time: 9 minutes.

What We Do In The Shadows (2014) - Housemates Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav (Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi & Jonathan Brugh) are three vampires who are trying to get by in modern society; from paying rent and doing housework to trying to get invited into nightclubs. They are just like anyone else - except they're immortal and must feast on human blood. When their 8000 year-old roommate Petyr, turns 20-something human hipster Nick, into a vampire, the guys must guide him through his newfound eternal life. Run time: 86 minutes. Rated R.

Episode One – The Difference Between Us (2003) - The Difference Between Us examines the contemporary science - including genetics - that challenges our common sense assumptions that human beings can be bundled into three or four fundamentally different groups according to their physical traits.  Run time: 58 minutes.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs (2015) - Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur...and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day - for no particular reason - they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then - for no particular reason - they decided to go...someplace else. They are definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Run time: 11 minutes.

Lady Bird (2017) - Directed by Greta Gerwig and nominated for five Oscars, Lady Bird is a warm, affecting comedy about a high schooler (Saoirse Ronan) who must navigate a loving but turbulent relationship with her strong-willed mother (Laurie Metcalf) over the course of her eventful and poignant senior year of high school. Run time: 94 minutes. Rated R.

You Are (Not) Small (2016)  - Two fuzzy creatures can't agree on who is small and who is big, until a couple of surpise guests show up, settling it once and for all! An original and very funny story about size - it all depends on who's standing next to you. Run time : 5 minutes.
 

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This blog was written by Serena Guest of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Did you know that you can continue to stay connected to the Library while staying home? How would you like to participate in a virtual storytime with your family or receive resume help all from the comfort of your couch? Join Charlotte Mecklenburg Library every week for a wide range of online programming for children, teens and adults. See a complete listing of this upcoming programming for the week of 12/14/2020 below. Click the corresponding links for more information and register for programs where applicable.

Learn more about online programming by clicking here

Sunday 12/13

Jubilee Presented by the Journalism Collaborative – 4 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Monday 12/14

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  register

Concert- Music at St. Albans – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

Book a Librarian - Nonprofit Services – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Mindful Mondays - Guided Relaxation and Meditation – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Parent Lunch & Learn: Building Your Child's Brain, One Book at a Time – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian – Technology – 2 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 4 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 5 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Learning Circle: Childhood in the Digital Age – 6 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Tuesday 12/15       

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)    register

Book a Librarian - Business Research – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12:30 p.m. (Adult programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Creating Resumes for the Job Help Center – 2 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 5 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Wednesday 12/16

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 11 a.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children’s programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian – Technology – 2 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 4 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Teens Live on Instagram: DIY No-Sew Masks – 5 p.m. (Teen programming)   learn more

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 5 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Thursday 12/17

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  register

One-on-One Ereader Tutoring – 10 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

Book a Librarian - Business Research – 11 a.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Career Development Intensive Coaching – 12:30 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Active Reading Training – 3 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 4 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 4 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Learning Circle: Functional Fitness – 4 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 5 p.m. (Children's programming)    register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 5 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Teen Fanfiction Writing Club – 5 p.m. (Teen programming)  register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 6 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 6 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Friday 12/18

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m.  (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment - 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 12 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Mindful Friday- Meditation for Wellness – 12 p.m. (Adult programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 1 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 2 p.m.  (Children's programming)   register

Book a Librarian - Technology – 2 p.m.   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 2 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

One-on-One Tutoring and Enrichment – 3 p.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3 p.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 3:30 p.m. (Children's programming)   register

Saturday 12/19

Family Storytime – 9:30 a.m. (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 10 a.m.  (Children's programming)  register

Virtual Reading Buddies – 11 a.m. (Children's programming)   register

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.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library's Engage 2020 Art and Activism series offers a glimpse into present-day artists who have shared their talents, and even lives, to create social and civic change. Last month, I had the privilege of interviewing local artist Sherrill Roland for the final installment of this series to learn about his work with The Jumpsuit Project. Roland created this initiative in 2016 to spark conversations around the issues related to incarceration and its impact on those who experience it — a subject he is all too familiar with. In 2013, Roland found himself wrongfully incarcerated just as he was beginning his graduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His performance encourages viewers to address their prejudices towards those incarcerated, and it challenges widely held beliefs surrounding the practice of mass incarceration. Through his work with The Jumpsuit Project, Roland is sparking real change in his community by sharing his own story and creating a safe space for others to learn about the lasting effects of mass incarceration.

Sherrill Roland's performance was one of the most powerful programs I've facilitated this year as his story resonated with me on many levels. We have all dealt with incarceration's effects, whether through personal experiences or having to cope with its impact on our loved ones. Through my interview with him, I was able to briefly glimpse life through his eyes. This experience allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the trauma and personal tragedy my own loved ones have endured — some of whom are still facing the challenge of rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Roland's story is compelling, and sheds light on the numerous injustices faced by many people of color today. So many Black Americans have experienced injustices just as he did, and this must change.

I encourage you to take a moment to watch the replay of my conversation with Sherrill Roland and examine your own prejudices today. Building empathy is the first step we can all take to build a stronger and more just community.

Check Out the Interview Replay

Learn More About Sherrill Roland and The Jumpsuit Project 

This blog post was written by Cearra Harris a teen services librarian at West Boulevard Library.