Librarian Musings!
Monterey County Free Libraries
When you sign up for the Summer Reading Club you get a free book and a reading log or reading challenge card to start your reading journey. Any book you read or audiobook that you listen to counts toward your summer reading goals. For kids, the goal is to read 20 minutes a day. After a total of 6 hours of reading, you can come back to the library for your finisher prize. Participants can also sign up on Beanstack and track their reading online. Programs for the Summer Reading Club with music, drumming, magic and more start the second week of June. Look on the Events Calendar or the Summer Reading Club page at eMCFL.org to see the dates and times for programs at a branch near you.
In addition to the Summer Reading Club, most MCFL libraries will be serving Lunch at the Library at least 1 time per week this summer, with nutritious lunches for children 18 and under and fun activities. Check the Events Calendar or the Lunch at the Library page for details.
The resource of the month for June is Transparent Languages. This is a great way to start learning a new language for your trip to Mexico or France this summer. Did you know that Transparent Languages has an app? This makes it easy to take language learning with you wherever you go, on your smartphone or tablet. Download the app from your app store and sign up with your library card for free language learning.
In June we celebrate Pride month to lift the voices of LGBTQ authors. Each Tuesday, we will feature an LGBTQ author on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Also look for displays and activities at your local branch to celebrate Pride.
On Thursday, June 19, all libraries will be closed in recognition of Juneteenth which marks the end of slavery in the United States. It's a time to commemorate freedom, reflect on the struggle for equality, and honor the legacy of African Americans who fought for liberation.
5 Things for June
“Even though I work during the summers, I feel like I'm on vacation whenever I read a book or listen to an audiobook.”
-Be Astengo, Managing Librarian
Summer Reading Recommendations - You can check these books out at your local library:
1. The Paris Novel (Ruth Reichl) transports you to Paris in the 1980s, where you can spend some time in the City of Lights.
2. The Women (Kristen Hannah) takes place in San Diego and Vietnam in the late 1960s, a time in history that many of us are familiar with but with a very different perspective.
3. Calamity of Souls (David Baldacci) is set in a Southern Virginia town in 1968 where lawyers unravel a murder mystery to save their client.
If you have travel plans or plan to “staycation” in the comfort of your home this summer, take a vacation with a book.
To read or to listen, that is the question!
I confess that today, I listen to more books than I read. It’s a habit that I started early in my career as a librarian, during my commute to work when I was trying to read as broadly as I could in the library collection. For books that were not my favorite genre, I found listening was easier than reading. Back then, books were on cassettes! Reader’s Advisory is one of my favorite parts of my job, and I love to hear what others are reading and let them know about a few books that I’ve read and loved. Reading or listening broadly allows me to know more about genres of the collection that I don’t often read, like Science Fiction or Horror.
Now, we have so many options for reading and listening to books that I always have at least two books at my fingertips and a large pile of TBRs (To Be Read). Print books are a familiar comfort and a great way to read off-screen. Graphic novels, which are super popular with teens and tweens, are a great way to get art and literature in one place. Everyone who signs up for Summer Reading Club gets a free print book, and we have selections for all ages.
I use Libby most frequently and have for many years. MCFL has a broad selection of ebooks and audiobooks, and I can find something to read quickly, literally at my fingertips. I also use Palace Project, which was launched a few years ago through funding from the California State Library and offers another vast library of ebooks and audiobooks on a smartphone app, again, at my fingertips.
Beyond the Local Library
Happy Reading!
As Stephen King says, “Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
More Ways to Listen
Our circulation records show that Playaways, another audiobook format, is very popular, especially among youth. For those who don’t have smartphones, a Playaway is a compact way to listen to an audiobook on a device smaller than most cell phones. You can put it in your pocket and take a walk.