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Welcome to Week 7 of Summer Break! Did you think Summer Break with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is just for children and teens? Summer Break is a program for all ages! Adults are enjoying extra-relaxing reads, exploring and playing in their world, creating, writing, and giving, all summer long. New opportunities for learning are everywhere. Let the Library give you some inspiration for all those activities.

When you register for Summer Break, you will find activities to complete to earn virtual badges. In addition to reading, some of our activity ideas include:

Create:

• Invent a new sandwich
• Complete a crossword puzzle
• Take some interesting photos of your neighborhood

Write

• Write in a journal
• Take a course or check out an eBook on fiction writing using Library resources
• Write a new ending to your favorite book or story

Play

• Ride a bike or take a walk
• Color with a family member
• Play a video game online with a friend

Explore

• Book a librarian for 1-on-1 help with technology, business, or non-profit assistance
• Download a free song from Freegal
• Go geocaching at a local park

Give

• Donate food or supplies to your local animal shelter
• Organize a neighborhood cleanup
• Video chat a friend or family member to cheer them up

Programs for Adults

The Library offers hundreds of programs on dozens of topics. You are sure to find something to interest you! Here is a sampling of activities for adults being offered.

Multicultural Book Club - The Multicultural Book Club meets on the fourth Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the best novels from the world's many cultures.

Independence Library History's Mysteries - Offered on the last Wednesday of the month, History's Mysteries is presented by Independence Regional Library staff. Come discover humanity's hidden past and explore a historical mystery.

Basic Computer Skills - Learn to use the keyboard and mouse and get a basic overview of computer terms and concepts in this class for people with little or no previous computer experience.

Visit our calendar for even more upcoming virtual programs that you can access from home!  Choose “Select tag(s)” on the right to narrow down by age.

The Summer Break program is wonderful for all ages! We have activities and book suggestions for babies/children, teens and adults. 

Comments? Questions? 

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

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

¡Bienvenido a la semana 7 del Programa de vacaciones de verano!

¿Creíste que el Programa de vacaciones de verano con la biblioteca Charlotte Mecklenburg era solo para niños y adolescentes? ¡El Programa de vacaciones de verano es para todas las edades! Los adultos disfrutan de lecturas sumamente relajantes, exploran y juegan en su mundo, crean, escriben y hacen sus aportes durante todo el verano. Las oportunidades para aprender están en todas partes. Permite que la biblioteca te inspire para hacer todas esas actividades.

Al registrarte en el Programa de vacaciones de verano, encontrarás actividades para completar y ganar medallas virtuales. Además de la lectura, algunas de nuestras ideas de actividades son las siguientes:

Crear:

• Inventa un nuevo sándwich
• Completa un crucigrama
• Saca fotos interesantes de tu vecindario

Escribe

• Escribe un diario personal
• Haz un curso o retira un libro electrónico sobre escritura de ficción usando los recursos de la biblioteca
• Escribe un nuevo final para tu libro o historia favorita

Juega

• Monta en bicicleta o da una caminata
• Colorea junto con un miembro de tu familia
• Juega a algún videojuego en línea con un amigo

Explora

• Reserva a un bibliotecario para recibir asistencia personalizada sobre tecnología, negocios u organizaciones sin fines de lucro
• Descarga una canción gratuita de Freegal
• Juega al geocaching en un parque local

Da

• Dona alimentos o suministros al refugio de animales local
• Organiza una jornada de limpieza del vecindario
• Haz una videoconferencia en línea con un amigo o un familiar para alegrarlo

Programas para adultos

La biblioteca ofrece cientos de programas basados en docenas de temas. ¡Seguro que encontrarás algo que te interese! Esta es solo una muestra de las actividades para adultos que se ofrecen.

Club de lectura multicultural: El Club de lectura multicultural se reúne mensualmente para hablar sobre las mejores novelas de todas las culturas del mundo. Participa con nosotros del Club de lectura multicultural el cuarto jueves de cada mes a las 6:30.

Misterios de la historia en la Biblioteca Independence: El último miércoles de cada mes, el equipo de la Biblioteca Independence Regional presenta Misterios de la historia. Ven a descubrir el pasado oculto de la humanidad y a explorar misterios históricos.

Habilidades informáticas básicas: Aprende a usar el teclado y el ratón y obtén un panorama básico de términos y conceptos informáticos en esta clase destinada a personas con poca o ninguna experiencia en computación.

Visita nuestro calendario para ver los próximos programas virtuales, a los que puedes acceder desde tu casa.  Elige “Seleccionar etiqueta(s)” a la derecha para filtrar la búsqueda por edad.

¡El Programa de vacaciones de verano es genial para personas de todas las edades! Tenemos actividades y recomendaciones de libros para bebés o niños, adolescentes y adultos. 

¿Tienes comentarios o preguntas? 

¿Tienes problemas con el sitio web del programa de vacaciones de verano o con tu cuenta? ¿Tienes preguntas sobre el programa? No dudes en llamar a tu biblioteca local para pedir ayuda o envía un correo electrónico a [email protected]. 

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

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Este blog lo escribió Larisa Martin, miembro del equipo del Programa de vacaciones de verano de la biblioteca Charlotte Mecklenburg

Desplácese hacia abajo para ver la versión en español

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

Summer Break Helps People of All Ages Discover Love of Reading

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

Find your next read with us!

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

Groups Love Summer Break

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

Has Summer Break Made an Impact on You?

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

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

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

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

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

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

¡Encuentra tu próxima lectura con nosotros!

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

Los grupos aman el Programa de vacaciones de verano

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

In June 2020, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library made a statement that “systemic racism and inequity have no place in our Library as we stand up for equity, access, inclusion, diversity and democracy.” Library staff has been working to find ways to support our community by creating opportunities to learn and dialogue with one another through Library programs and resources.   

As part of the Library's commitment to Black Lives Matter programming, a new Storytime series, "i can Read Black Stories" launched on Saturday, January 2, 2021. The target audience for the weekly program is families with children between the ages 0-5. During Storytime diverse Library staff members read picture books that feature characters who are Black, African American or people of color. The stories, songs, and movement activities will support empathy and understanding of issues affecting the Black community and offer strategies to foster conversations on equity and inclusivity.

Some books like The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson or Ruth and the Green Book by Alexander Ramsey Calvin have historical overtones, while others like Baby Goes to Market by Atinuke and Sonya’s Family by Elliot Riley feature “everyday diversity.” Books to affirm and empower, like I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes and I Am Enough by Grace Byers are also shared often.

Why read Black stories? Educator Rudine Sims Bishop, professor emerita at The Ohio State University, devoted her career to multicultural literacy. In her seminal work, Mirrors, Window, and Sliding Glass Doors she writes, “When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.”

Of the 3,717 children’s books published in the United States in 2019, only 1,094 of them were about Black, Indigenous and/or Persons of Color (BIPOC). Data on books by and about Black, Indigenous and People of Color published for children and teens is compiled by the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison. The Cooperative Children’s Book Center determines that a book is about characters of a specific ethnicity or racial identity if the main character is BIPOC or if a BIPOC character or real person is featured significantly in the book, even if the main character is white. If the main character is white and there are secondary characters of color who do not play a key role in the story, then a book is not considered to be about BIPOC.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library celebrates Día during April. Día is a nationally recognized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. It is a daily commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages, and cultures. On Saturday, April 24 at 11 a.m., join the Children’s Services department for a special Día-themed I Can Read Black Stories program. The program which will be live streamed via the Facebook Page for ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center. It will celebrate Afro-Hispanic and Afro-Latino authors and illustrators and Afro-Hispanic and Afro-Latino characters. To watch live Storytime programs visit the ImaginOn's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ImaginOn/ and choose “LIVE” on the left-hand navigation list. There will be a red dot next to the word “LIVE” to indicate that Storytime is in session.

Learn more about the program here

Programs like Día and i can Read Black Stories help children to embrace diversity by accepting differences in others. Teaching children to accept differences when they are young helps them to have responsible, caring and positive social interactions when they are older. We hope that you will join us for these programs as we further our mission to improve lives and build a stronger community.

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This blog was written by Alesha Lackey, children’s services manager at Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library.

Mecklenburg County 7 Recycling FAQs & Answers

On May 11, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will host a FREE webinar to teach our patrons ages 12+ how to Recycle Right! Advanced registration is required to receive the participation link. Recycling resources will be shared with registrants before and after the program.

Register here

Library staff is organizing the event with two residential recycling educators. In preparation for the event we asked the public educators what they most need residents to understand. They didn’t hesitate to explain how materials need to be prepared correctly to be efficiently sorted at the recycling center. Here are their two critical requests:

• Do not bag recyclables! Plastic bags cause tremendous operational and financial challenges for our processing facility. No flexible plastic wraps, films, bags or packaging should ever be put in the recycling cart.
• Recyclables must be loose, clean, dry and empty! Recyclable items must be placed individually in the recycling cart, not in bags, for the separation equipment to function properly. Never put one type of recyclable inside of another (i.e. aluminum cans in a cardboard box.) All recyclables must be non-contaminated. This means every individual item must be clean, dry and empty, with no residue of the original contents (i.e. food.)

Following are the questions solid waste staff receive weekly*:

*Please note these are the recycling guidelines for Mecklenburg County, requirements may differ slightly in other counties.

1. What plastic items can I put in my residential curbside cart?

ONLY plastic bottles and jugs, with a pourable neck or spout that is smaller at the top than the base, are accepted. These are the only pure plastic types that we can sell on the recyclable materials commodity market. Labels do not need to be removed.

Examples include: Water and soda bottles of any colors, milk or juice jugs, laundry jugs, shampoo or lotion bottles (pumps should be removed and trashed first.)

Please note the following common household plastics are not accepted in Curbside Recycling:

Plastic bags/bubble wrap, produce clamshells, yogurt cups, dairy tubs, takeout food containers, styrofoam, zip pouches, vitamin and medication bottles, disposable utensils and plastic cups, buckets, storage containers, hoses.

1. What recycling symbol numbers (1, 2, 5, 7 etc.) are accepted locally?

None. See question FAQ #1 above listing the only plastics that are acceptable.

The RICs (resin identification codes) listed inside the chasing arrows triangle on the bottom of plastic packaging are, unfortunately, no longer reliable. Therefore, we do not use them anymore.

1. What do I do with lids and caps?

Never place loose lids or caps in the recycling cart. Loose lids and caps are small and fall through our machines and end up contaminating the glass that is collected. Glass mixed with plastic and metal caps (among other things) cannot be sold to processors as raw materials as it is considered contaminated – so keep the plastic caps on the bottles.

It is “ok” to leave securely attached plastic caps and lids on clean, dry and empty cartons, bottles, jugs and jars. Never try to recycle caps by themselves.

1. How much grease is tolerated to recycle pizza boxes?

Somewhere between a smidge and a tad; Yes that is an intentionally vague answer! Of course we prefer to only accept clean and dry cardboard to only process and sell by the ton the highest quality recyclables. We definitely do not want whole pieces of pizza or crust left in the box (yes it happens!) Cheese, sauce and crumbs are also contaminants. If ½ your box is clean, rip that part off to recycle and please trash anything with food or grease residue.

1. Are aluminum foil and pans (pie, lasagna, roasting) recyclable?

No. Our machines can only recognize and sort aluminum cans. Additionally, more often than not these common aluminum food storage items are contaminated with food. Remember we do not want food residue on anything.

1. How do I dispose of household batteries?

Rechargeable batteries must be disposed of properly because they contain hazardous elements such as lithium, nickel, and metal hydrides. Never place rechargeable batteries in your trash or recycling carts as they are the number one cause of fires at our facilities. Please take rechargeable batteries to the household hazardous waste station at one of our full service drop off centers.

Traditional alkaline batteries can be put in the trash to be sent to the landfill, because they do not contain any hazardous elements.

1. What types of glass can be recycled?

Similar to plastics (see FAQ #1), only glass bottles and jars typically used in your kitchen or bathroom are accepted. All colors of glass are accepted. Caps and lids can remain on, if securely attached, (see FAQ #3). Labels do not need to be removed.

We prefer separated glass be brought to our full service drop off centers and deposited into the large yellow dumpsters marked, “Clean Glass Only.”

Please note the following common household glass items are not accepted:

Dishes and glasses, pyrex/corning ware, vases, bulbs, picture frames, windows, aquariums, ceramics, porcelain, crystal.

To learn more and have all of your questions answered live, please register for an upcoming Recycle Right presentation. If you still have questions, email [email protected] or visit wipeoutwaste.com.

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This blog was written by Maitri Meyer, residential waste reduction educator for Mecklenburg County.

Does the clutter in your home have you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Does your home look out of control? An organized home helps you focus more, it relieves stress and saves you time. It improves your overall health.

Join us online as Joanna Clausen, Owner of NEST Organizing in Huntersville, NC, shares her tips and tricks for getting organized. Joanna is a mother of three and a professional organizer. She uses her passion for organization to help others take control of their home and stuff. Learn more about Joanna here.

To learn the NEST organization process for how to reset, declutter, sort, purge and clean:

May 4, 2021 at 7 p.m. Register here.

May 5, 2021 at 6 p.m. Register here

Make cooking meals easier by having a clean and ready-to-go kitchen. To learn techniques to organize your kitchen and pantry:

May 11, 2021, at 7 p.m. Register here.

May 12, 2021 at 6 p.m. Register here.

Turn your home office into a productive workspace. To declutter and sort your home office and papers:

May 18, 2021 at 7 p.m. Register here.

May 19, 2021 at 6 p.m. Register here.

Keep, donate, trash and shred. This is a personal journey. Let’s create organizational habits, reenergize your home and organize for success.

Once upon a time there was a storytelling festival. It was derailed by an evil pandemic until, one day, a fearless team of storytellers put their magical forces together to conquer the odds and climb the mighty fortress of digital programming and (cue dramatic music)… share their stories with the world!  

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

Although unable to participate in 2020, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is thrilled to announce that we are back in full force with Storyvine 2021, which will be fully digital and open not just to CMS students but, for the first time ever, to the public as well. 

On Thursday, May 6, 2021 from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., there will be more than 10 different storytellers sharing traditional tales on the ImaginOn Facebook page and Charlotte Mecklenburg Library YouTube channel every 30 minutes from Germany, Russia, Africa, England, Panama, the Caribbean, Peru, the Native American and Appalachian traditions, and more!  

Download our calendar for a full schedule of stories and viewing links

If you’re a teacher or educator who would like to celebrate with us, we’ve created a lesson plan HERE with additional discussion points. 

On behalf of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, we invite you to join us for this full-day digital storytelling experience as Storyvine 2021 lives on--dare we say--happily ever after. 

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This blog was written by Becca Worthington, children's librarian at ImaginOn: The Joe & Joan Martin Center.

Money Magnets, sponsored by Self-Help Credit Union, is a club for kid entrepreneurs that gives families opportunities to learn from local Black entrepreneurs. Money Magnets was one of West Boulevard Library’s responses to the Chetty Study, which highlights conditions that make it difficult for Charlotteans who are born into poverty to transition out of poverty. Money Magnets disrupts poverty by providing resources for economic empowerment to kids and their responsible adults in areas most likely to be negatively affected by this trend.

Money Magnets was piloted as a start-up social entrepreneurial effort during the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s observance of Money Smart Week in 2019. Alexandra Arrington, a former child entrepreneur herself, designed and facilitated the programs. Money Magnets teaches elementary schoolers and their families about financial literacy, community-mindedness, and character education within the framework of business ownership. Reinforcement of literacy and vocabulary, building social capital, and encouraging calculated risk are also included. Perhaps the greatest opportunities provided are networking with and being coached by successful local Black entrepreneurs and earning a modest amount of seed money to begin their businesses.

Alexandra Arrington, LCMHCA, NCC, BC-TMH  

Another benefit of our focus on kids’ experience with these concepts is that their responsible adults are also involved and work with the student to support their learning, as well as reinforce their own understanding. The four-session online Money Magnets program offers follow-up individual online coaching as well. KidPreneurs in training who attend three Money Magnets programs, complete a business plan, and pitch their business idea in a R.I.C.H. Circle receive $25 in seed funding for their business plus a $25 Youth Savings Account at Self-Help Credit Union. Learn more about this program and the various sessions offered:  

Session One: The Business of Being You

Got an idea? This session will focus on the importance of being who you are and learning what you like to help you decide on what business to start. Special guest entrepreneur, hip-hop artist, Chief Operating Officer, and multimedia design artist, David “Dae-Lee” Arrington will join us to share his experiences.

This program is offered online from 6-7p.m. on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Registration is required.  

Register

Money Magnets One-on-One Strategy Session

These individual coaching sessions are an online follow-up program for The Business of Being You. Sessions are offered by appointment only and are geared toward helping kidpreneurs-in-training get one-on-one assistance with fleshing out their business ideas and learning about specific resources. Open to K-5 students and their responsible adults who attended The Business of Being You.

This program is offered online on Saturday, May 1, 2021. Register for one 15-minute session that falls between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Register

Upcoming Session Topics

Each of these programs is followed by relevant One-on-One Strategy Sessions.

The Business of Family Business - May 26, 2021

Special guest entrepreneurs are millionaire and generational wealth expert, Steven L. Stack, and his 8-year-old daughter, Nia.

The Business of Caring - June 30, 2021

Special guest entrepreneur is organic product developer, Ayesha Murphy.

The Business of Launching - July 28, 2021

Surprise special guest entrepreneur.

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This blog was written by Teresa Cain, librarian at West Boulevard Library.

April is a National Poetry Month and whether you're a fan of limmerick, free verse, haiku or sonnet poetry, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has your preferences covered. If you're looking to explore a new work of poetry or you're craving a certified classic, check out a book from our list of recommended titles below.

Click here to find this AWARD-WINNING list in the Library catalog.

ADULT

The Tradition by Jericho Brown
2020 Pulitzer Prize winner, Poetry

Brown's third collection (after The New Testament) pulsates with the acute anxieties of racial and sexual difference, the psychologically complex intersections of personal intimacy with social responsibility and the inescapable legacy of violence and pain intrinsic to vulnerable lives in an unjustly constructed world. A consummate craftsman, Brown conveys emotional and provocative content through plainspoken yet subtly lyrical forms whose delicacy only heightens the subversive force of his ideas, which can be delivered with unabashed, declarative candor. Verdict: Though many poems here risk intruding on some readers' comfort zones, Brown's uneasy fusion of art, conscience, eroticism and rage - like any serious poetry worth close attention - aspires to greatness within the fragmented immediacies of our historical moment while suggesting a shared human destination:"A poem is a gesture toward home."

Only as the Day is Long by Dorianne Laux
Teaches at NC State, Pulitzer finalist, A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and a recipient of the Oregon Book Award and the Paterson Prize

Featuring selections from five books augmented by 20 new poems, this generous volume from Laux (The Book of Men) reads something like a life story: notably, one that begins with familial fear, incest and abuse. Travelling through confusion, adult sex, motherhood, love, fatigue and redemption, Laux ends where she begins: with her mother, who is, to the last, a troublesome nurse. In spite of everything, the poet can't help but celebrate the self's mistakes and triumphs. When Laux welcomes readers into a personal moment, she speaks for humankind: "We've forgotten the luxury of dumbness/how once we crouched naked on an outcrop/ of rock, the moon huge and untouched/above us, speechless." Concrete places abound: bedroom, trailer, hospital psychiatric ward, a porch. There is a lot of sex; for example, "Vacation Sex," an aroused version of a travel tour, revels in its own obsessive pleasure. Some of the best poems here appear toward the chronologically organized collection's end, where humor arrives despite a mother's growing dementia. And in the long biographical poem "Arizona," Laux writes lovingly of that same mother's face as "a map of every place she'd been." This is a catalogue of honest work, from beginning to end.

The Carrying by Ada Limon
Finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kingsley Tufts Award.

National Book Award finalist Limón (Bright Dead Things) here weaves nature, family and grief into a stunning collection. Several poems recount the loss of the speaker's first husband from a drug overdose, but although pains are often described - whether caused by grief, infertility, or a crooked spine - Limón's poems sing with the joy of life: "I wish to be untethered and tethered all at once, my skin/ singes the sheets and there's a tremor in the marrow." The poet mourns not only for people lost but also for irreplaceable things such as languages: "In the time it takes to say I love you, or move in with someone/...all the intricate words/ of a language become extinct." Many poems begin or turn on the unexpected, as in "The Vulture & the Body": "What if, instead of carrying// a child, I am supposed to carry grief?" Occasionally, there are too many unessential details, and although most of Limón's similes are strikingly good, she sometimes settles for the easy: "I saw seven cardinals brash and bold/ as sin in a leafless tree." Nevertheless, in accessible language, Limón writes movingly about finding the spectacular in the everyday. Verdict: Limón's vision is realistic, at times bleak, yet these poems often brim with optimism, revealing a reverent, extraordinary take on the world. Don't miss this life-affirming collection.

YOUNG ADULT (YA)

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
Christopher Award, the Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry, the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize nomination and a Cuffie Award from Publisher’s Weekly for Best Book Title of the year. But the coolest honor she ever received was when her novel, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, landed her a spot on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Frequently Banned Authors of the 21st Century.

Returning with a sequel to the well-received What My Mother Doesn't Know, Sones delivers another engaging story about young love, this time from the boy's perspective. This free-verse novel opens with 14-year-old Robin worrying that he will soon be dumped by his girlfriend, Sophie (star of the previous book), who is being ostracized at school for dating "the guy whose last name people use as a diss." ("Let's face it/ I'm the type of guy/ who doesn't even have any buddies/ on my buddy list," Robin says.) But Sophie is her own person and together they form a plan to rise above the derision by laughing at themselves. Robin is believable and endearing as he struggles to make sense of his devotion to his "amazing girlfriend," his nascent sexuality and his attraction to Tessa, a girl in his art class at Harvard who is refreshingly unaware that he is the butt of jokes at his high school. When Sophie catches him kissing Tessa, Robin has to do something dramatic to win her back. Concrete poems and comics punctuate the text, adding interest to the form. The author's fans will be delighted to have a new installment written with the same raw honesty and authentic voice as the original.

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
National Book Award Finalist

Zoboi (Pride) and Salaam (one of the Exonerated Five) together craft a powerful indictment of institutional racism and mass incarceration through the imagined experience of Amal, a Black, Muslim 16-year-old facing imprisonment. Amal, a gifted artist and poet attending a prestigious fine arts high school, has his life turned upside down when a nighttime park confrontation leaves a white kid from the other side "of that invisible line/ we weren't supposed to cross" in a coma, and Amal and his four friends on the hook for assault and battery they did not commit. Using free verse, Zoboi and Salaam experiment with style, structure, and repetition to portray "old soul" Amal's struggle to hold on to his humanity through the chaotic, often dehumanizing experience of juvenile incarceration. From the trial onward, the authors liken the pervasive imprisonment of Black bodies to the history of chattel slavery in America ("and this door leads to a slave ship/ and maybe jail"), and describe how educational racism feeds Black students into the school-to-prison pipeline ("I failed the class/ she failed me"). Zoboi and Salaam deliver an unfiltered perspective of the anti-Blackness upholding the U.S. criminal justice system through the eyes of a wrongly convicted Black boy ("shaping me into/ the monster/ they wanted me to be").

CHILDREN

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
William Allen White children’s Book Award

A fat volume of small illustrated rhymes from Silverstein, who gets down to the level of kids' peeves, spooks, and sense of silliness often enough to score a collective hit. His cast includes a babysitter who thinks her job is to sit on the baby, a selfish child who prays that if he dies his toys will break so no one else can have them, a walrus with braces, and a man who thought he had wavy hair till he shaved it off and found he had a wavy head. There are some funny twists and take-offs on familiar rhymes and tales—such as a speculation on what would happen if Captain Blackbeard shaved, and a warning to the "Rockabye" baby that a treetop is no place to rock: "Baby, I think someone down here's got it in for you." There are also a number of typical twist endings, many of them lame or predictable - but then you can't expect 168 laughs in 168 pages. For undertow, there's the eyeball in the gumball machine (a sentinel reminder that "I" have had enough gumballs) and the fearful "Whatifs" that climb into "my" ear at night. All in all, bright and knowing nonsense.

Firefly July by Paul B. Janeczko
2019 Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children

Organized by the seasons, beginning with spring, this collection of 36 impeccably chosen short poems demonstrates that significant emotional power can reside in just a few lines. In obvious contrast with such small bites of poetry, the large-format design explodes with bright and expressive watercolor, gouache and mixed-media collages. Colors and shapes with willowy details expertly blur or bring bits of the images into focus to create a magical sense of place, time and beauty. The poems range from work by William Carlos Williams, Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes to that of James Stevenson, Joyce Sidman and Ralph Fletcher. The first verse opens the book with daybreak, and after exploring the whole year, the final selection sends readers off to sleep: "A welcome mat of moonlight/on the floor. Wipe your feet/before getting into bed" (Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser). Every poem evokes a moment, and, combined with its corresponding full-bleed illustration, the season is captured for readers to remember, experience, or anticipate.