Culture and language have a powerful impact on a child’s education. Some kids come to school only needing to learn what the teacher is teaching that particular day. Other kids come to school needing to learn the basics of how school works in a new culture – what's expected, what’s accepted, and what isn’t. And try learning that when everyone around you is speaking a language you don’t understand and your parents are still learning, too. These challenges create a huge hurdle for even the brightest and most persistent students.

Dr. Paola Pilonieta is uniquely qualified to address this situation from both a personal and professional perspective. Personally speaking, she moved to the US from Colombia at age six and now has a child in a CMS language immersion school. Professionally speaking, Dr. Pilonieta is a professor and coordinator of the undergraduate reading education program at UNC-Charlotte. Her areas of expertise include effective strategies for diverse learners as well as emergent and early literacy.    

Dr. Pilonieta will cover the following topics:

• Learning the benefits of being bilingual
• Supporting your home language at home
• Preparing your child (and yourself) for the transition to school
• Working with the school to support your child

The 30-minute presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer period for the audience.

This program is available in Spanish at 12 p.m. and in English at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.  Click to register for the Spanish program or the English program.

Hora de almuerzo y aprendizaje para padres: Cómo la cultura afecta la educación del niño. 

La cultura y el idioma impactan poderosamente el proceso de aprendizaje de un niño. Algunos niños vienen a la escuela solo con la necesidad de aprender lo que el maestro enseña ese mismo día. Otros niños llegan a la escuela con la necesidad de aprender las nuevas dinámicas culturales de esta nueva institución: ¿Cuáles son las expectativas, qué es aceptable y que no, en un mundo e idioma nuevo para él y para sus padres.  

Estos desafíos son de gran obstáculo, incluso para los estudiantes más brillantes y persistentes. 

 La Dra. Paola Pilonieta está capacitada para abordar este tema desde una perspectiva personal y profesional. Ella, proveniente de Colombia, llegó a los Estados Unidos a los seis años. Actualmente tiene un hijo en una escuela de inmersión lingüística de CMS. Profesionalmente, la Dra. Pilonieta es profesora y coordinadora del programa de educación en lectura de pregrado en UNC-Charlotte. Sus áreas de especialización incluyen estrategias efectivas para estudiantes diversos, así como la alfabetización temprana y emergente. 

El Dr. Pilonieta expondrá lo siguientes temas: 

• Los beneficios de ser bilingüe 

• La importancia de apoyar el idioma materno en casa 

• Cómo preparar a su hijo (y a usted mismo) para la transición escolar 

• Cómo trabajar con la escuela para apoyar a su hijo 

La presentación de 30 minutos será seguida por una sección de preguntas y respuestas para la audiencia. 

Este programa está disponible en español a las 12:00 del mediodía y en inglés a la 1:00 p.m. el martes 2 de marzo. Haga clic aquí para inscribirse en el programa de español o haga click aquí para el programa en inglés. 

This is a South County Regional update you don’t want to miss. We have exciting news to share - are you ready?

South County Regional Library (located at 5801 Rea Road, Charlotte, NC 28277) re-opens today, February 22, 2021, with limited services. We are opening South County Regional in compliance with the latest Mecklenburg County public health directive. During this phase, the Library will ONLY offer limited services including: “Grab and Go” holds pickup, mobile printing, materials returns and online programs for children, teens, adults, Outreach and more.

Upon re-opening on February 22, South County services will align with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system service schedule. Hours are Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The branch is not open on Sundays.

Please note the new traffic pattern in the parking lot. With a new automated material handling unit that will soon be available at our new materials/book drop, customers should enter the parking lot and proceed to the LEFT in front of the building and then travel counter-clockwise through the front parking lot. Please be sure to follow the arrows and signs for safety.

On February 22, customers can expect the following adjusted services (which rolled out systemwide on January 15, 2021):

• Customer holds will be available as “Grab and Go” at the front entrance of the branch. Materials can be reserved through the online catalog. Note: If you placed a hold at another Library branch and want to move your hold to South County Regional for pickup, see information at the end of this blog on how to complete this process.
   
• Once you place a hold and receive notification that your items are available, please contact South County Regional by phone to schedule a pickup time. Options are by the hour and only available during regular operating hours. Please call the branch directly at (704) 416-6600.
   
• Staff will complete the check-out of materials for customers prior to placing them at the front entrance. Note: Customers will notice a change to the traffic flow at South County Regional. For your safety and the safety of others, please exercise caution and follow the signs in the parking lot.
   
• Staff will wear face masks/coverings and protective equipment. Masks/coverings are also required for customers.
   
• All material/book drops remain closed. Materials and books should be returned to the designated receptacles located at branch locations only during open hours. Signs will direct customers to the proper bin.
   
• Wi-Fi access is available outside the facility 24/7.
   
• Mobile printing is available online and can be picked up at the front entrance of the branch the same as holds. Click here to access mobile printing.
   
• Free mobile hotspots are available for customers to place on hold for checkout for seven (7) days at a time.
   
• Fines and fees are suspended.
   
• Facilities, restrooms and computers will not be open to the public.
   

To move existing holds from another Library branch to South County Regional:
If you currently have holds you would like to move to South County, please call any Library branch for assistance. Note: Customers cannot complete this action through the Library catalog or mobile app. Only Library staff can reroute existing holds to South County. Click here for Library contact information.

To access programs and support
The South County Regional staff is ready to see all of you again. For now, all programs and events for children, teens, adults, Outreach and the Job Help Center are available in online formats. Click here to see our calendar of online programs. 

The Library’s online chat is available at cmlibrary.org - click on the “Ask a Librarian” button at the bottom of the screen. Telephone reference is available during normal operating hours at (704) 416-0101.

The Library is always open online at cmlibrary.org. For more information on our reduced services plan, click here.

Note: Materials and books will be quarantined for 24 hours before they are checked in. There is no need for customers to “clean” or disinfect Library materials.

This blog was updated on August 5, 2021.

If you love reading and enjoy diverse topics, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has a Book Club Kit for you!

Our ever-expanding Book Club Kit collection currently contains 177 titles including adult fiction, young adult (YA) fiction, mystery, science-fiction, nonfiction, biographies and graphics all available in one handy dandy shoulder bag. Click here to find your next favorite group read.

Book Club Kits can be checked out by one member of the group for six weeks (no renewals) and include 10 books, an information packet that includes discussion questions, author biographies and interviews. Some authors even include music selections to enhance your reading experience.

Did you miss out on this year’s Community Read? Book your kit today and catch up! We have five for the main selection, I’m Not Dying with you Tonight as well as one for the adult companion title, Just Mercy. Click here to explore the Library’s new Book Club Kit titles.

Interested in social justice issues? There are titles for you, too. Feel free to reference and check out a read from this list.

We understand wanting to exercise caution during these unusual times. If you’re unable to meet in person, there are many titles available in digital formats so your group can read the same title and meet virtually. Explore the following lists:

CMLibrary Suggests: Book Club Kits go Overdrive List 1

CMLibrary Suggests: Book Club Kits go Overdrive list 2

CMLibrary Suggests: Book Club Kits go Hoopla

Can’t make up your mind about what to read next? Let us help by sharing some of our latest and favorite lists:

CMLibrary Suggests: My Favorite Book Club Kit Selections

New Fiction Book Club Kit Titles

CMLibrary Suggests: Award Winners from our Kit Collection

CMLibrary Suggests: Classics from our Book Club Kit Selections

CMLibrary Suggests: Series books from our Kit Collection

If you would like to be kept up to date on  Adult Book Club kits at the Library, we recommend following these accounts: CMLibrary_gjd or CMLibrary_AdultBookClubs.

If you have other questions or problems, please call Main Library at (704) 416-0300 and ask for Gina or Julian.

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This blog was written by Gina J. deLisle, book club kit coordinator for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library returns to the second level of our reopening plan Monday, March 1, 2021. In this level, customers can spend time browsing books and materials, and make reservations to use express computers at designated branches. Customers can continue to enjoy the services permitted in our initial reopening level which includes holds pickup, returning materials to designated bins, access to digital resources and participation in many educational and leisure virtual programs.

The Library will continue to open under these operational hours:

• Monday-Thursday - 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
• ​Friday and Saturday - 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• ​Sunday - closed

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room is closed for in-person services, but remains open by phone at 704-416-0150 and online for virtual reference at [email protected] Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Also, during Level 2, customers will be able to browse inside the branches, with the maximum number of customers varying by location.

Express computers will be available by reservation at all Library locations EXCEPT Cornelius and Davidson Libraries, as well as ImaginOn. Computers will be spaced in compliance with the 6-foot social distancing rule to ensure customer safety. Staff will also be available at all Library locations to help guide, assist and direct customers, as well as answer any questions.

Social distancing and safety measures are paramount to the success of Level 2 operations, and plexiglass safety shields are installed at all customer service points. Customers and staff should adhere to the mask mandate ordered by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper on June 26, 2020 which requires a mask or face covering while visiting the Library. Staff will also remind customers to abide by the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) 6-foot distancing guidelines. To ensure maintenance of comfortable distances between customers, we have placed safety decals on the floors at all locations to guide foot traffic. There is no seating available.

Additional safety measures include:

• Regularly scheduled cleaning of facilities and surfaces in accordance with CDC recommendations.

• Self-checkout stations available for customers to check out their own materials.

• Quarantining of returned items for a period of 24 hours. Due to this quarantine time for returned materials, it may take several business days to reflect on your account*. 
  NOTE: Fines and fees are suspended at this time.

The Library continues to incorporate in-person services in a responsible way that focuses on safety. We’ll continue to expand services in the upcoming weeks and months as it is safe to do so. Stay tuned for more information on the continued re-opening of services.

Thank you for your patience.

CLICK HERE FOR THE COMPLETE LIBRARY REOPENING PLAN
 

Follow us on social media or visit the Library’s blog for updated information: cmlibrary.org/blog

Here’s what’s available during our second opening level:

• Staff and customers will wear face masks/coverings as required by the state of North Carolina.

• Managed maximum number of customers in a branch at a time.

• Use of social distancing safety markers.

• Ability to browse for materials.

• Option to use express computers (through in-branch reservation only) at branch locations EXCEPT Cornelius, Davidson and ImaginOn Libraries.

• Streamlined self-checkout designed for quick in-and-out and safe, socially-distanced interactions.

• Mobile printing is available for pickup from the branch. Learn more here.

• Wi-Fi access is available outside the facility 24/7.

• Free mobile hotspots are available for customers to place on hold for checkout for seven (7) days at a time.

• Materials and holds available for pickup inside the branches.

• All checkouts are self-checkouts. Customers can scan their card (physical or on the app) and the materials. No need to enter the pin.

• All material/book drops remain closed. Return materials and books to the designated bins located at branch locations only during open hours. Signs will direct customers to the proper bin where returned materials will begin the quarantine process.

• Fines and fees continue to be suspended.

• Programming continues online.
   

Community and study rooms – room reservations are unavailable until further notice.

Outreach programming – continues online or virtual, as coordinated between our Outreach team and the organization.

Programming and events – all programs and events for children, teens, adults and the Job Help Center remain online in virtual formats. Check here for the weekly schedule or visit the Calendar page on our website. 

We’re here for you online or on the phone.

You can reach our online chat during regular operating hours at cmlibrary.org and click on Ask a Librarian. Our telephone reference team is also available during normal operating hours at 704.416.0101, or you can contact your local branch location directly - visit the Branches page for more information.

*Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is working to keep materials safe by using a quarantine method. All items are held for 24 hours upon return before check-in. Customers will see items they have returned stay on their accounts for several days. Please be patient as we work to keep our collection as safe as possible. No overdue fines will be assessed during this time.

Items checked out from the Library have gone through quarantine before being placed on the Holds shelf for pickup. Please refrain from cleaning or disinfecting materials as this may damage items. Customers who wish to ensure safety of checked-out materials may do so by placing the materials in a safe space at home and letting them sit for at least 24 hours.  

Services are subject to change. 

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is proud to announce South County Regional Library at 5801 Rea Road, Charlotte, NC 28277, opens its doors on March 1, 2021 at 9 a.m. for expanded public access under Level 2 of the Library’s re-opening plan. Level 2 services will allow customers to browse materials and use express computers within branch occupancy limits. To see what other services are available in Level 2, please click here.

South County Regional, which closed to the public in November 2019 and underwent at 15-month renovation, re-opens with an increase of nearly 1,100 square feet and now offers 33,800 square feet of new and reimagined spaces. Here’s what’s new at South County Regional Library:

Starting on the second floor of the branch, customers will find a new Teen Loft, surrounded by ample open seating, computers, and cozy lounge areas with scenic views of the branch’s beautiful trees and lush landscaping. It’s the perfect place to find your next favorite Young Adult title or graphic novel! In addition to tempting cookbooks on display, when the branch is fully accessible to the community, customers will enjoy community seating and collaborative spaces, a public computer lab, a brand new community room, individual and group study rooms, a training lab/studio, laptop bar and bright alcoves overlooking the front of the branch.

On the first floor, customers can enjoy the new Children’s programming room, a second community room, vending café, patio and a Calming Room for anyone who needs a peaceful space such a nursing mothers, those who may experience sensory overload and more. Additionally, South County Regional features a refreshed collection that includes 40 new launchpads preloaded with educational apps for children. Customers can experience the best of the collection at South County Regional!

Other features customers can enjoy in the renovated library, include free Wi-Fi, an efficient checkout system using radio frequency identification (RFID), and enhanced audio-visual capabilities in community rooms and the training lab/studio. A new exterior book/materials drop that feeds to and an automated materials handling unit (AMH) is part of the new traffic flow in the parking lot which requires cars to travel to the left in front of the building and drive in a clockwise direction. Visitors are encouraged to pay attention to directional signs in the parking lot to ensure safety for themselves and others.

South County Regional visitors will also notice the new, interactive outdoor public art display Open Book, Open Mind by North Carolina artist and sculptor Jim Gallucci. The installment, made possible by the Arts & Science Council and the Public Art Commission in partnership with Mecklenburg County, is located at the Library’s entrance and provides a welcoming and exciting walk through a whimsical canopy of colorful books featuring diverse authors and encourages visitors to explore and learn. The title of the work was chosen by the South County community and South County Regional staff chose the featured titles.



The entire location has been refurbished and reorganized to fit the needs of a growing community. Library hours of operation are Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The branch is closed on Sunday.

New customers are encouraged to sign-up for a Library card online or at the branch.

Funding for the South County Regional Library renovation

Public funding for the South County Regional project was approved in 2014 by Mecklenburg County and cost approximately $11.1 million. The project was managed by Mecklenburg County’s Asset and Facility Management Team, the architect was Liollio Architecture, and the builder/contractor was Edifice Inc. The South County Regional renovation is the fourth of recent projects for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system.

Celebrating the new South County Regional

Join us for a celebration of South County spirit May 16-22, 2021 with a week of assorted, themed activities for all.

See the Spirit Week Schedule

One of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s most popular resources is getting an upgrade. Lynda.com is transitioning to the LinkedIn Learning platform on March 15, 2021.

Why?  In 2015 LinkedIn acquired lynda.com.  LinkedIn began to build a new and improved platform. You may remember that in August 2019 the Library almost canceled its lynda.com subscription because of concerns about privacy and barriers to access with the LinkedIn Learning platform. Your Library works hard to maintain our status as a trusted community institution, and we were not willing to compromise that. We are happy to report that LinkedIn listened to the concerns of libraries across the United States and made improvements and changes to their platform regarding privacy and access.

When?  March 15, 2021 LinkedIn Learning will migrate lynda.com learning activity to the new platform.  This process should take a few hours and lynda.com will be unavailable during this time. When LinkedIn Learning is live, you will log into LinkedIn Learning from the Library’s Resources page.

• Use your Library card number and PIN to access LinkedIn Learning. 
• Students, use your student ID and birth year as PIN.

Lynda.com customer accounts will automatically transfer to LinkedIn Learning. Don’t have an account to lynda.com/LinkedIn Learning? All you need is a library card. Don’t have one? Sign up here!

When you first sign into LinkedIn Learning, it will ask you to choose three skills that you are interested in learning about. This is so LinkedIn Learning can suggest courses you may want to take. You must choose at least one skill to continue.

LinkedIn Learning will also ask if you want to set a weekly goal for learning. LinkedIn Learning will remind you of your learning goals and keep you on track. If you do not want to choose a weekly time goal, click “Maybe later.”

Welcome to LinkedIn Learning! The new interface is fresh, modern, and easy to navigate.

Let’s explore the Dashboard.

The navigation bar, located at the top of the page, is where you browse for courses, search for skills or subjects, access your learning and settings, and change your language preference.

Click the Browse icon to open the menu of courses. Topics are categorized by Business, Creative, and Technology. Click the topic you are interested in learning about and the results will display. There are filters on the left side of the page to narrow your results. You may want to filter your results by courses (rather than videos) or the time you want to spend learning. When you find a course or video, click “Save” to save it in your learning activity or click the video to start learning.

There is also a search box in the navigation bar. Enter keywords, skills, or software that you are interested in learning. For example, enter “Excel” in the search box and click the magnifying glass to execute the search. The results displayed will be courses and videos containing information about Excel.  Use the filters on the left to narrow your results.

The banner showcases new and popular courses that LinkedIn provides. Under the banner, there will be a reminder of your weekly learning goal (if you set one) and a link to the course you are currently taking.  Scroll down for more recommendations from LinkedIn Learning for suggested courses based on your preferences.

All your lynda.com learning activity will transfer to LinkedIn Learning. Click “My Learning” to see your “In Progress” courses, “Saved” courses, and “Learning History.” Remember LinkedIn Learning asked you to choose three skills you were interested in? That’s here too. Click “Skills” to update or add new skills.

LinkedIn Learning content is available in seven languages! Click the drop-down arrow beside “EN” in the navigation bar. Select from English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, and Portuguese. While most of the courses are in English, when a language is selected, available courses offered in that language will be displayed in the Browse menu. 

Now you are ready to explore and learn new software, management techniques, and more from LinkedIn Learning! If you need help, LinkedIn Learning has a customer FAQ page. You can also use the search bar on the FAQ page for help on playing a video, saving a LinkedIn Learning course, and more.  Your Library is also here to help. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library staff are available by email, chat, and phone. 

Happy Learning!

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 This blog was written by Amy Richard, digital collections coordinator for 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.

Teresa Clay and Carmella Powers, library staff with the Sugar Creek Branch Library, have organized a Black Lives Matter book club for fifth graders at Sugar Creek Charter School. While sitting in on one of their book club discussions in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr., one thing was obvious, these fifth graders love this book club. They were engaged and listened attentively throughout the entire program, asked thoughtful questions, and most importantly to us as librarians, discovered the cathartic power of reading.

Andrea Davis Pinkney wrote a piece recently for NPR that spoke to the power of reading aloud with children and its role in the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“When I invite kids to read select passages with me, they're empowered to speak up about their beliefs. Each time they hear the words of a story coming out of their own mouths, they're emboldened to keep reading," says Andrea. "These same kids are more inclined to seek out more books, and they're encouraged to share the books they love with their friends. That's what activism is. A movement begins when a passionate person gathers like-minded people and says, "Let's do this together."

Pinkney’s experience reading aloud with children is a mirror of what can be observed with the Black Lives Matter book club organized by Teresa and Carmela.

Teresa Clay (Left) and Carmella Powers (Right)

Since it began in November, this book club has become the highlight of everyone’s afternoon, including Library staff, teachers and students. At first, they only met twice a month, but due to its popularity, it has been bumped up to a weekly meeting. Each week Library staff provide stories and activities that leave the class wanting more. As the kids in the book club say, this class has been “POPPIN” ever since.

Teresa discussed the book club’s necessity with her fellow staff and shared some of the “nerve-wrenching” discussions she was having during these meetings. 

“Without a doubt, most of these children have felt sad in their own personal battle with racism. Whether it was something they've gone through or something they’ve witnessed firsthand," Teresa says. "Some kids talk excitedly over one another, while others let their faces talk for them. One student provided an example of when he was scared for his life. Another talked about the justice system not being fair ‘at all’.  A few students have lost all respect for the police department. These students know racism very well. During one discussion, a student asked, "What did we do to deserve all of this?"

 Nerve-wrenching is right.

With all that has happened this year, and all that is on the horizon, reading books that feature Black stories allow students the opportunity to process what is happening in the world around them. It empowers them to learn more and find creative solutions to make our world better. Above all else, it is the thoughtful lesson planning by Sugar Creek Branch Library staff and the fact that students are looking for an outlet such as this that make this book club not only needed, but the best part of their week.

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This blog post was written by Lonna Vines, children’s librarian at Hickory Grove Branch Library.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we are adaptable. When we went home nearly a year ago, I don’t think we had any understanding of how we would be translating our services from in-person to online. And yet, we have done just that with so many of our programs. We have discovered new ways to reach out and engage the community. We altered our programs, bought tripods and ring lights, and maybe even learned how to edit videos. Within the Outreach Department, we took our existing programs and made them accessible to the public while everyone cozied up at home. After all, what’s better than donning sweatpants while listening to or watching a good story?

The joy and beauty of a book club is the connection between its members. It provides a forum for meaningful discussion, personal connection and self-exploration. Transitioning book clubs from in-person to online has opened new ways to interact while reading and discussing a published work.

For my fifth graders at Berryhill, it means a lot more comments but typed rather than spoken. It also allows for immediate reactions to the text as I read. This type of response to the text allows for a unique interaction, since I as the reader can glance occasionally at the chat to see how students are responding to the narrative. It serves as a stream of consciousness that students feel safe to express, where they otherwise may not. When we do take breaks, I am able to refer back to those comments to generate discussion or follow-up responses, building on the conversation. I’ve found online book clubs to be a unique and engaging experience for students and that’s definitely something to chat about.

Translating a sensory program to an online format is certainly not easy, but with some creativity and effort, it’s possible. For Amrita Patel, Library outreach coordinator, it meant working with a range of adults ages 18-50 and conducting a variety of engaging activities, which she’s been doing since June of 2020.

“Truth be told,” Amrita says, “they seem more vested in the Library than ever before!” Her most recent program was in honor of Read Across America Day, where participants listened to a read-aloud of Yertle the Turtle and then engaged in discussions and activities relating to the book. It may have taken some time to get into a rhythm of sensory online programming, but this program isn’t toppling any time soon.

In the wake of quarantine, the Library pivoted fairly quickly to Facebook and other platforms as a means to conduct storytimes with our community. At an April 2020 Cable Access board meeting, Pamela McCarter, Library outreach coordinator, shared the success of these online programs with board members and pitched the idea of producing a show to air live on Access 21. John Rocco, the executive director, provided space to the Library for exactly that. The idea initially was that members of the community without access to the internet could also enjoy these storytimes. The show has since grown and engaged all parts of the community since its start.

While Library at Home is an outreach-led initiative, it now involves staff from across the system. We have taken live storytimes, edited and trimmed, and condensed them into perfectly cable-worthy 27-minute segments. The next step for the program is to use the platform to engage older adults that still may be experiencing isolation.

If you’d like to tune in, Library at Home airs Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in English and 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. in Spanish. ¡Es la hora del show.

A year later and here we are with amazing programs adapted, altered and entirely focused on reaching every pocket of our community. The pandemic has changed the direction of our work and our lives and in many ways has forced us to grow and adapt. And nothing says “self-reflection” like watching ourselves on video and seeing every single idiosyncratic thing we do. My advice, though? Embrace them all. From what I’ve seen, we translate great to 1s and 0s.

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This blog was written by Clay Freeman, outreach coordinator, at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library

This blog was written as part of the 2021 Community Read program. Learn more about Community Read and take the pledge here.

With eyes wide with fear and heart pounding, you take in the violent scene in front of you. What was supposed to be a simple football game between rivals has turned into a racially fueled riot. You find yourself trapped with someone you don't know, having to depend on them for safety. Could you make it through the night?  

Authors Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal have tackled the difficult topics of racial bias, rioting, privilege, and police brutality in their book I'm Not Dying with You Tonight, which serves as the signature title for Community Read 2021. Drawing inspiration from the Baltimore protests in 2015, the authors created two very different girls with diverse life experiences who have found themselves trapped together as a social justice protest turns violent, resulting in riots across the city. As they try to survive the night, the two girls are forced to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality. This book will serve as a discussion opener for teens and adults as they take a hard look at current events and their own biases.

There are so many ways to engage with Community Read throughout the month. Sign up for the Community Read Beanstack challenge and choose from the wide range of online programs for teens, inspired by I'm Not Dying with You Tonight. You can discuss what a healthy teenage relationship looks like, create story quilts, write poetry and more. Join us on Wednesday, March 24 at 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. for our Community Read signature author event and meet Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal to learn about their writing process and inspiration for the book. This live event will be streamed on the Library's YouTube and Facebook pages and features a Q&A session moderated by WSOC-TV news anchor Genevieve Curtis.

Regsiter for signature event

Teens can also follow the Library on Instagram @cmlibraryteens and participate in Community Read challenges.

Community Read has something for everyone. Families can engage with their children in Community Read programs through a StoryWalk or by attending a storytime based on the Community Read picture book title, You Matter. Tweens are invited to participate in a book club or poetry night based on the award-winning book, Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds, and adults who want to learn more about our companion title Just Mercy can attend a book talk, a film discussion, or a book club. Click here for the complete calendar of Community Read inspired programs and events.

Everyone in your family can pledge to participate in Community Read. Check out the Community Read page for everything you need to get started.

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This blog was written by Jessica Reid, teen librarian at Mountain Island Library.