Staunton Happenings

By Julie Jarman

The hot, hot days of summer are upon us! I feel so fortunate the library air conditioning is still working correctly. Please stop by and relax in one of our comfortable chairs if needed for a short while. It can be deadly if precautions are not taken. Our library hours are 10 am to 6pm Monday thru Thursday, 9 am to Noon on Saturday. Closed Friday and Sunday.

One thing you can count on this time of year along with the summer heat is the summer reading program AKA SRP24. This year the library staff changed it up a bit by hosting sessions every Thursday in June at 4pm for children aged three and up, one class for all instead of having multiple classes in previous years. Story time, art activity and if time a few games were brought out. Every session ended with attendance prizes being handed out. Ladybug beach balls, shark squirt guns, parrot art kits, bumble bee finger puppets and crabby hats were just a few of the prizes this year.

The library always ends the SRP on a high note!

Party at the Staunton Public Library, specifically, the Children's Library within Staunton’s Public Library on Thursday, July 11 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., for ages three years old and up.

The Art Mac Bus will be there to show us how to do shrinky dinks in accordance with the summer reading program theme Read, Renew, Repeat! We will also have other fun games and projects out as well.

This event is free for everyone ages three and up regardless if you came to any of the other SRP events this year. Please mark the date on your calendars so you don't miss it. Share the news with other families too.

And just a reminder to young readers out there: If you missed the SRP events in June, there is still time to pick up a folder and do an individual reading program on your own. Ask for a reading folder at the front desk, get a book log, set your reading goal and if you meet that goal, bring back your book log for a fun prize bag while supplies last. The goal is for everyone young and old to keep reading all through the summer!

Speaking of reading, we also have some great reads for adults to share. Many great summer reads going on right now- One By One by Freida McFadden, Funny Story by Emily Henry, For the Love of Summer by Susan Mallery, Southern Man by Greg Illes, Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand, Camino Ghosts by John Grisham, Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu, Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate are just a few of the new books out this season. I want to read them all!

They can normally be found on the new releases shelf over by the clock. It is the shelf in between the patron computer table and the Young Adult section shelves. Please ask at the front desk if you are unsure. New books and new DVDs can be found there. Please remember that if you do not see it on the shelf, it does not always mean the library does not own it, but could easily mean it is checked out. Let us know if we can place a hold on a particular book for you. Life is good at the library with all the books and movies we can either find on the shelf or order at our fingertips especially in summertime heat.

Just a reminder: The library will be closed on Thursday, July 4. We will be back Saturday, July 6 from 9 a.m. to Noon.

Our phone number is 618-635-3852; our email is [email protected]; my work email is [email protected]; and our facebook page can be found at librarypagestaunton. Come see us at the Staunton Public Library one day soon.