When I first came up with the tagline to this article, "Things that you may not have known are "hiding" at our local libraries," I thought for sure that all of you readers would be expecting an article about the creepy crawlers living in and amongst our favorite books. Rest assured, this article has nothing to do with spiders! Instead it has EVERYTHING to do with things that I never knew our libraries were offering.
As an attempt to add more "non virtual" events to our calendar, I began digging deep into the websites of each of our local library branches. Of course I knew I would find a story time predated before quarantine, but I never would have guessed how many other awesome resources are available right in our own neighborhoods. The first one that I found was one that I mentioned in a recent Facebook and Instagram post. The Monmouth County Library family is sponsoring their ANNUAL SUMMER READING CHALLENGE. This competition is open to kids 0 - 18 and runs through August 15th. During the two months that the challenge is open, kids will be required to complete a number of different activities related to the books that they are reading. For more information, or to register, please visit the Monmouth County Beanstack website.
Along the same lines as the reading challenge, my discovery of the virtual story times at the Sea Girt Library was not a complete shock. Instead, it was a small mom victory for being able to introduce my one year old to his "first story time" without the fear of his screams or disinterest interrupting the rest of the audience. Available on their youtube channel, the Sea Girt Librarian's read classic stories that will entertain even the smallest of readers!
While the first two finds may have been a bit obvious for a library, these next two will certainly surprise you! Both the Brielle Public Library and the Asbury Park Library are offering make and take craft kits for your kids to do at home! With holiday themes to paper beads, these kits are available for curbside pick up at both locations. They can be requested by emailing briellelibrary@gmail.com for the Brielle Public Library or by calling the Asbury Park Library at (732) 774-4221 for the Asbury Park location.
I have to admit that I saved the best of last! The Bradley Beach Library is offering FREE access to comics and graphic novels all summer long! In conjunction with the NJ State Library, kids can channel their inner super hero and read their favorite tales before heading back to school in September!
For more fun finds behind the bookshelves, check out our NEW AND UPDATED LIBRARY GUIDE right on our website!
