Summer at the library is bigger than ever thanks to the expanded adult and child summer reading programs.
When school is out, kids flock to the library for the opportunity to discover new worlds and learn new skills. Florida is having “A Universe of Stories” as its children’s theme for public libraries this year and Bruton Memorial is weaving scientific learning with bouts of relaxed summer fun into its programming. The children’s event runs from June 3 to July 31.
“We’re having 29 events just in the month of June,” Amanda Preece, youth services associate, said. “It’s ‘A Universe of Stories,’ so we’re having a wide variety of events and presentations this summer.”
Gaining access to the library’s network of offerings has never been easier for youth. Using their lunch numbers and the standard “4321” pin, children can use HAAL Pass to check out books and audiobooks, borrow e-resources and even get help with homework and research.
When children sign up for the summer reading challenge they get prizes for the number of hours they read. Using the Beanstack app, available at hcplc.beanstack.org, they can log their reading time online to be automatically entered into the drawings. Hillsborough County is offering tickets to ZooTampa at Lowry Park, the Florida Aquarium, Tampa Bay CityPASS tickets and more in drawings. They also are sending robots, spaceships, aliens and free books to children who log enough hours.
Bruton is spicing up the game with a gamut of additional local prizes. Prizes this year include a free Frosty from Wendy’s, free bowling at Family Bowl, free Sonic ice cream and a grand prize of two pairs of tickets to the Kennedy Space Center sponsored by Fred’s Market. Dinosaur World is also offering paired tickets for a parent and child during the event.
Reading with the Rays, an hourly-based reading challenge that needs to be signed off by Preece, lets local youth win free tickets and merch for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Some of the unique experiences headed to the library for children this summer is Science Mondays, which will feature everything from Ozo bots to crafting with Perler beads, a Wonders of Nature bird show on June 11 at 10:30 a.m., a police car visit on June 13 at 10:30 a.m., movie Fridays and a Didgeridoo concert at 3 p.m. June 15. At 3 p.m. June 4 there will be 100 drums headed to Bruton for a Drum Circle event where youth can dance, drum and learn about rhythm and their community.
Story times will also be available all month with specified age groups ranging from toddlers only to entire families. Check the online calendar for more details. The summer movies also feature some of today’s biggest hits. Each Friday at 3 p.m. Bruton will have a movie night featuring box office hits like Wonder Woman, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Treasure Planet and more.
Adults are also getting in on the fun with their own twist on the reading challenge. They can pop in Bruton to pick up a punch card from the front desk and for every book they read they can cross out a book on the card. When they next return to the library they can have a staff member hole punch the card for the books completed. This challenge is also open to e-books and audio books.
Staff members will also punch the card for each adult library program you attend. Once the card is complete you get a free library tote.
Voracious readers will also receive prizes for the second and third completed cards and each card finished will go into a drawing for a grand prize.
Bruton will be accepting completed cards until August 10. You can also earn extra candy jar guess slips for each reading log punch card completed.
The adult summer reading program is sponsored by All A Bloom, Buddy Freddy’s, Carrabba’s, Fred’s Market, Johnson Barbeque, Winn-Dixie, Great Clips, Brick City Bricks, Southern Hospitality, Panera Bread, Parkesdale Market and Publix.
Some of the highlights of this year’s adult “A Universe of Stories” programs includes a Craft Night Out on June 6 at 6 p.m. where attendees will be painting wine glasses — note this event comes with a $5 fee and registration is required — a Distilling Essential Oils class on June 10 at 6:30 p.m., two home organization workshops on June 13 and June 20 at 7 p.m. and a yoga-free yoga class taught by Koa Yoga Studio on June 18 at 7 p.m.
Fans of healthy eating will love the “A Taste of the Earth” cooking show with local plant based chef Mara Latorre of The Funky Spork on July 8 at 6:30 p.m.
The summer adult program will wrap up with the Suncoast Blues Society’s Blues in the Library concert at 7 p.m. July 25. Walker Smith will perform legendary blues tunes for patrons of the library all night long.
For more information visit plantcitygov.com/library or check out Bruton Memorial Library’s Facebook page.