Reading in the Summer is a Good Investment

An investment in yourself and in your community. Lucky for us, the Fred Meyer fund agrees, so we're using part of the $30,000 grant they gave the library to fund parts of our annual Summer Reading program. Better yet, the grant lets us repeat last year's inaugural library program at the West Central Community Center. Last year, ALTRUSA funded this, and it was such a hit we had to find a way to host it again this year. Thanks to the Fred Meyer grant, we can.

What is the West Central Summer Reading Program? We bring a temporary library “branch” to a neighborhood that lacks a permanent one. For kids in the West Central neighborhood, the closest library is Downtown, and most likely that is too far to walk. We solved that by bringing the library to them. Each week we set up a mini-library in the community center. Volunteers help the kids check out books and keep track of their summer reading progress. We also hold special programs there—the same kids' programs we hold at our branches. Last year West Central residents gave us a phenomenal response, so we're thrilled to bring the library to them again this summer.

Why does this program work? The West Central program works because everyone has invested in it; it is one of those collaborations that benefits everyone involved. The ALTRUSA volunteers had such a good time that they asked if they could help again this year. (Our answer: YES!) The Fred Meyer fund gets to support programs that benefit the community, the kids in West Central get books and programs, and the Library gets to help kids maintain their educational progress during the summer by reading. :)

The Fred Meyer Fund also paid for the special programs at all branches this summer. Pictured here is Aaron, the Education Coordinator from Mobius Science Center  (which opens later this summer). Aaron's program has been one of the most popular programs so far this summer. For a schedule of all programs, please check our website. If your kids haven't yet signed up, they can do so online here. We're also experts at book recommendations – try us, we'll likely have something you'll enjoy reading.

Freegal Rocks!

If you're not already familiar with Freegal, there's no time like the present to check it out. We introduced Freegal to library customers last summer. Since then, customers have downloaded 47,431 songs, and they're probably still listening to them. That's the unique thing about Freegal: the songs are yours to keep--three (3) of them every week, and all you need is a library card*. Unlike other library materials, you don't have to return them. It's almost like Freegal is giving you a prize and congratulating you for having the good sense to have a library card! Whatever the reason, we like it, and so do our customers. Plus, the song selection has more than tripled in the last few months. Freegal started with just (!) the entire Sony catalog but has since added the holdings of IODA (Independent Online Digital Alliance), which represents thousands of independent music labels. This addition means Freegal now offers over 2.5 million tracks.

More good news about Freegal: they've gone mobile. They just announced a mobile app that is compatible with Apple and Android devices – give it a try.

*Like all our online databases, access is restricted to City Resident cardholders.

Longer DVD Checkout Periods—Get More Movies at Once!

You like borrowing DVDs from the library and saving the rental fees, right? But you'd also like to keep them longer, wouldn't you? Well, you're in luck—we've lengthened the checkout periods for most of our DVD collection. Now you can keep most DVDs for three weeks—the same amount of time you can keep books. Better yet, as long as no one else places a hold on it, you can renew a DVD up to two times (again, just like books). The only exceptions are high-demand DVDs, which still check out for seven days and cannot be renewed. Our catalog tells you which is which—if you scroll down to the Copy/Holding Information, it denotes whether the DVD checks out for seven (7) or twenty-one (21) days.

We're hoping the change will make it easier to remember due dates, save you extra trips to return items, and—best of all—give you more time to watch your movies. So come and get a movie or three—or as many as you can watch in three weeks (checkout limit permitting)!

Another note about DVDs: The Shadle branch is now inter-filing their non-fiction DVDs with their non-fiction print collection. That means if you're looking for books on, say, yoga, you'll also find DVDs about yoga in the same area.

Save the Date for the Friends' Book Sale—Sept. 19-22

Mark your calendar for September 19-22! That's when the Friends of the Library host their next big book sale at the Downtown Library. The event kicks off with a members-only preview on Wednesday, September 19 (5 - 8 pm), but if you're not a member, don't worry—you can join the same day for a minimum $10 donation. After that, the sale opens to the public, ending with the traditional bag-of-books special on Saturday, September 22. The Friends will provide the bag, you can fill it with books, all for only $3. Plus, this year we have a special attraction: On Friday, September 21, the Dewey Decibels—a quintet of singers made of your very own library staffers—will perform their witty, amusing brand of music! We owe the Friends a big thank-you for their support, and we'll look forward to seeing you at the sale—you won't want to miss the low prices and great bargains.

Where is Little Bee?

This year's Spokane is Reading selection, Little Bee by Chris Cleave, is on the shelves of the libraries. Seattle Public Library donated a bunch of copies to us, and we've put them in two places: The Star Collection shelves and the adult fiction section under C for Cleave.

The Star Collection shelves hold popular paperback titles that give you a quick glance at what books are hot right now. Since these copies can't be reserved, you have a chance of getting a popular book without waiting for it. Copies of Little Bee are FLYING off the Star Collection shelves, so if you don't see a copy there, check the adult fiction section. You can also put a hold on a copy and have it delivered to the branch of your choice.

Regardless of how and where you find this book, be sure to mark your calendar for Chris Cleave's presentations on October 12 - 1:00 pm at the Garland Theater and 7:00 pm at The Lincoln Center. You'll find more info at spokaneisreading.org.

CLOSURES

July 4

All branches CLOSED on July 4 for Independence Day.

Movies!

Join us for Dracula on July 11 at 5:30 at the Downtown Library. Free, of course!

Summer!

See you in the library for some great programs this summer! Sign up online  and plan to attend some stellar programs.

Vote!

Was this your favorite book of 2012? Teens can exercise their right to vote...for their favorite book. Which of the 25 nominated books will make it to this year's top ten?! It's really up to you. Find out more here.

Job Hunt

Our WorkSource lab is open for those needing assistance with job searches, resume preparation and other employment-related work.

Discussion

South Hill's&Heart of Spirituality book discussion group is on hiatus until the fall, but you can get ahead start on the readingif you'd like.

Updates

Breaking library news gets posted on our page. Stop by.

Getting Here

Reading is exercise for your brain. Walking or cycling to the library is exercise for your body. We have bike racks outside all of the libraries; please remember to bring a lock. Also good to know is that helmets are the law in Spokane and there's also no sidewalk riding in the downtown core.