This summer, children and teens are invited to participate in the Summer Reading Programs at Robeson County Public Library. The theme for children is “Dream Big — Read!” and the theme for teens is “Own the Night.” The Summer Reading Programs are scheduled from June 11 through Aug. 3.

The “Dream Big — Read!” program is designed for preschool through fifth-grade students. Children will enjoy programs on dreams and wishes, nocturnal animals, night adventures, spooky creatures, and of course, a pajama day. Children will keep track of how many hours they read during the program. Reading goals will be based on grade level. A short story contest with the theme “I Dreamed …” will give children an opportunity to practice creative writing skills during their summer vacation.

The program will be held the following days at the following times: Tuesdays at 2 p.m. in Maxton and 4 p.m. in Red Springs; Wednesdays at 2 p.m. in Pembroke and 4 p.m. in Rowland; Thursdays at 11 a.m. in Fairmont; and Fridays at 11 a.m. in St. Pauls and 2 p.m. in Lumberton. Programs are free and registration begins at all libraries on May 29.

Joy the Clown with Magical and Unforgettable Moments will entertain the children at our kick-off event on June 11 at 10 a.m. in Pembroke and 2 p.m. in Lumberton at the Osterneck Auditorium. Fish the Magish will treat the kids to a magic show at the finale on Aug. 1 at 11 a.m. in Lumberton at the Osterneck Auditorium and 2 p.m. in Pembroke.

The “Own the Night” program is designed for sixth-grade through 12th-grade students. Teens will have a blast at programs, including dream interpretations, vampires vs. werewolves trivia, a relaxing yoga session, and a murder mystery party. Teens will keep track of how many hours they read during the program in order to reach their reading goal. A short story contest with the theme “It’s a Scream!” will give teens a chance to show-off their writing skills and create a spine-chilling story.

The “Own the Night” program will be held every Thursday at 4 p.m. from June 14 through July 26. The “Own the Night” finale will be held on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. Teens will gather in the library after normal hours for a Teen Zombie Lock-in, where participants will be given a zombie makeover and enjoy zombie themed activities. An “Own the Night” registration party is scheduled for May 31 at 4 p.m. Teens may register at the party or any time the following week.

Complete Summer Reading Program schedules and details are being added to the library’s website at robesoncountylibrary.org. Information may be located on the events calendar, children’s corner page, and the teen page. Check the website regularly for updated information. If you have questions about the Summer Reading Programs, call me at 910-738-4859.

Join us this week for one of the following story times: Tuesdays at 11 a.m. in St. Pauls and 4 p.m. in Red Springs; Wednesdays at 10 a.m. in Pembroke and 11 a.m. in Maxton; Thursdays at 10 a.m. in Fairmont and 11 a.m. in Rowland; and Fridays at 10 a.m. in Lumberton. Story times will continue through May 25. There will be no story time programs from May 28 to June 8 while library staff prepare for the Summer Reading Programs.

 Katie is currently reading “The Titan’s Curse” by Rick Riordan.

• “Little Bee” by Edward Gibbs
• “The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!” by Mo Willems
• “Chicky Chicky Chook Chook” by Cathy MacLennan

Children will also enjoy dancing the “Knuckles Knees”, playing a mystery bag guessing game, and completing a cookie craft. 

This morning, the Annie Hubbard McEachern Public Library in St. Pauls had 31 children at story time!  Please join us for one of the remaining story times for the week:

Tuesday at 4 p.m. in Red Springs
Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Maxton
Thursday at 10 a.m. in Fairmont
Thursday at 11 a.m. in Rowland
Friday at 10 a.m. in Lumberton

Questions about story time? 
Call Katie Huneycutt at (910) 738-4859.

The entire family is invited to Robeson County Public Library for story time tonight at 5 p.m.  In honor of National Library Week, the program will feature ”Library Lion” by Michelle Knudsen and attendees may design their own bookmark.  Check out the Children’s Corner and the events calendar for more upcoming youth programs!  

The library is in full bloom as youths attend exciting programs and enjoy new books. Spring into the library this week for one of the following story times: Tuesday at 11 a.m. in St. Pauls and at 4 p.m. in Red Springs; Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Maxton; and Friday at 10 a.m. in Lumberton.

Children and teens have plenty of new books to check out. A few of my favorite picture books are “Splish, Splash, Splat” by Rob Scotton; “I Don’t Want to Be a Pea!” by Ann Bonwill; and “Baby Bear Sees Blue” by Ashley Wolff. Older children may be interested in “If Only” by Carole Geithner; “Glory Be” by Augusta Scattergood; and “One Dog and His Boy” by Eva Ibbotson. Teens will not want to miss “BZRK” by Michael Grant; “DJ Rising” by Love Maia; and “Pandemonium” by Lauren Oliver. Also, the library is expanding the board book collection, so bring your babies and toddlers to the library to pick out books designed just for them.

This week, I look forward to connecting with the community at local events. On Wednesday, I have the honor of being the guest speaker at the Kiwanis meeting. On Thursday, I will host reading sessions for fifth-grade students at the Carroll Middle School’s Family Literacy Night. On Saturday, I will have a booth promoting the Summer Reading Program at the Biggs Park Mall Summer Camp Expo. The Summer Camp Expo is open to the public between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Speaking of the Summer Reading Program, I am thrilled to announce that this year’s theme for children is “Dream Big — Read!” featuring programs on dreams and wishes, night adventures, and all things spooky that go bump in the night! Teens are encouraged to participate in “Own the Night,” the library’s teen Summer Reading Program. The Summer Reading Programs are scheduled from June 11 through Aug. 3. A detailed schedule with program guidelines, registration information, dates, times, and locations will be available soon on the library’s website.

Story time spring break is scheduled for the week of April 2 through April 6. During this week, no story time programs will be held; however, make sure to join us the following week for our National Library Week programs.

You belong at your library this National Library Week, April 8 through April 14. Whether you’re a parent looking for books for your toddler, a child attending a story time program, or a teen searching for the hottest new “YA” title, you belong at your library. The library is celebrating National Library Week by hosting special youth programs, in addition to regular story times. The entire family is invited to the Family Story Time on April 9 at 5 p.m. During National Library Week, most children are out of school for spring break, making it a fantastic time to bring them to a story time program. National Library Week is the perfect time to kickoff of the Pembroke Public Library’s story time program. Children are invited to Pembroke’s story time in the newly renovated and expanded building on April 11 at 10 a.m. Teens interested in learning about the new Teen Advisory Board and book club should plan on attending the Support Teen Literature Day event at the Robeson County Public Library on April 12 at 4 p.m.

The world of digital content, especially e-books, is very confusing. Publishers are unsure of how to market their titles in digital format. When you add libraries to the mix it gets even more confounded. The publishing houses are nervous that library lending will cut into sales and these fears have sparked a variety of limitations to making digital content available to libraries. For example, in February 2011 Harper Collins announced that it would no longer sell e-content to libraries for unlimited use. Libraries can still purchase e-books but after 26 check outs the license expires and the library must purchase the content again if it wants to continue to keep the title in the collection. More recently, Penguin Press announced it would withhold all new titles from its stable of library lending e-books. Two others out of the “Big Six” publishers, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster have never offered their content for e-lending. Smaller publishing houses recognize the exposure library lending gives to their products and are much more willing to sell to libraries.

I have been talking to vendors looking for the best e-lending platform for our library and I hope to negotiate a solution soon. For now NC Live has some collections of e-books and e-audiobooks that are available with no charge. Click on the link to NC Live from the library Website. From their home page you can browse for audiobooks or e-books. Audiobooks are available from One Click Digital and require a simple software download to your computer to acquire the books and transfer them to your audio device. The e-books available from NC Live are mostly reference, nonfiction, and literary classics that you can read on your computer. One more interesting gem on NC Live is the Open Library NC Project. Open Library is a growing collection of over 200,000 titles available to read in a browser or as an Adobe Digital Edition. It’s a fascinating collection that is fun to browse.

I am currently reading ‘Caleb’s Crossing” by Geraldine Brooks and an advance edition of ‘Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby, a Spenser Novel” by Ace Atkins. I hope you enjoy reading every day.

 Please check out the new Teens page often for upcoming programs!

Seuss, children had a blast making their very own Green Eggs and Ham craft, which was prepared by the fantastic Scarlett Smith and Faye Caulder. 

Later that day, I visited St. Pauls Elementary school to share my love of reading with a kindergarten and 1st grade class.  Of course, we read Green Eggs & Ham, but I also shared One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, I Can Read with My Eyes Shut, and Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now! Everyone at the school was very welcoming and I look forward to visiting again!

Please check out the Children’s Corner for the complete story time schedule!

All but one of the twelve programs were preschool story times. This month, children enjoyed stories like The Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen, Roly Poly Pangolin by Anna Dewdney, More Bears! by Kenn Nesbitt, and The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill.  Children were creative when making their very own pout pout fish craft and a valentine wreath.  Children sang out “I Love My Rooster” when I accompanied them with my guitar. 

A group of 67 students from Piney Grove Elementary visited the library as a reward for reaching their AR reading goals! During their visit, students were taken on a tour of the library, shown how to use the online catalog, listened to a story, and had a blast doing the Silly Dance Contest.  Congratulations to this group of outstanding readers! I would like to thank Catie Roche, Director, for helping me introduce the students to the library. 

Dr. Suess’ birthday is Friday, March 2, so all of this week’s story times feature his books and a Green Eggs & Ham craft.  Please join us Friday morning at 10 a.m. at the Lumberton Public Library for Dr. Suess’ birthday story time. 

I appreciate the warm welcome I have received in Robeson County and I hope even more children will be able to attend story times in March.  To discover when story time comes to your local library, please visit the Children’s Corner page.

http://www.change.org/petitions/hey-publishers-let-libraries-lend-ebooks