Read On! Free meals

This summer, the Library’s services are a lot different from what we were able to do in previous summers. I know I’ve written similar sentences before. I’m still in the process of grieving that change and it’s often at the forefront of my mind. I’m not alone in that grief process. Recently, a librarian in the Chicago area was interviewed by the New York Times and said libraries want to be the “community living room” where people “stay and get comfortable,” but we’re now having to build service models that contradict that goal. It’s a difficult, though necessary, adjustment. I’m not sure any of the Library staff is used to it yet. 

One of the things I’m pleased we can offer again this summer is free food for kids and teens. In fact, because the USDA relaxed their guidelines, we can offer more food options and service days this summer than we were able to last summer. 

Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday the Pryor Library is serving a grab-and-go breakfast and lunch from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Any child or teen is eligible to get meals and parents are welcome to pick up meals for their kids. The meals are shelf-stable and come with a carton of shelf-stable Hershey’s milk. 

The Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma provides all of the meals we distribute. They are just as passionate about making sure everyone has enough to eat as we are. Families have the option to come each service day to pick up meals or to grab multiple days’ worth of meals at one visit. We’ve got everything behind the main checkout desk. 

While you’re in the library, don’t forget to register for our Summer Reading Program. Everyone who registers gets an at-home activity sheet and is entered into a grand prize drawing. The Summer Reading Program is a great way to make sure everyone reads all summer long. 

Read On! Summer Reading Program

Our Summer Reading Program officially begins this week! It looks a lot different than any Summer Reading we’ve had before, but we’re still excited about it. 

Typically, our Summer Reading Program has two parts: the reading challenge and in-person classes and events. This year, our Summer Reading Program has one and a half parts: the reading challenge and a few online classes and events (keep an eye on our Facebook page for those). 

The reading challenge is for all ages (babies to adults) and will take the form of an activity or BINGO sheet tailored to each age group. You can find them in The Paper, here on our website, and in person at the Library. These activities are meant to be fun and encourage reading all summer long.

Reading during the summer is especially important for school-age children. Kids who read during the summer, when they’re out of school, retain more of the information they learned the previous school year than kids who don’t. The information loss is called the “Summer Slide” and it puts kids who don’t read during the summer at risk of falling behind. 

While the core of our Summer Reading Program motivation centers on children and preventing the Summer Slide, we also know that the best way to teach children to enjoy reading is for the adults in their lives to model that behavior. So, you grown-ups, don’t forget to read and do your activity sheets too!  

We take reading very seriously at the Library, which means we want everyone to enjoy what they’re reading. We will happily help you find materials in any genre and in any format available with zero judgement. 

This year, you don’t have to register for Summer Reading, but if you do, you’ll be entered into our grand prize drawing at the end of July. You can register here.

Curbside pickup is still available for anyone who needs it.

Read On! What the Rerats are reading

We’re doing a lot of reading in my house right now. With two adults and two children at home all the time, we’re finding it more and more necessary to have some quiet, alone time. 

I just finished “Fear Nothing” by Dean Koontz, a well-written mystery set in a small California town. Christopher Snow, moments after his father’s death at the local hospital, accidentally witnesses two men and the town’s mortician switching his father’s body for a stranger’s. As he follows the trail to figure out the whos and whys, he discovers that his small town is not the sleepy coastal town he has always known. 

“Fear Nothing” is a good pick for anyone who likes some science fiction with their mysteries.

My son is listening to “Minecraft: The Island” by Max Brooks. He is having a good time with it. We’ve played the Minecraft game for a few years, so I think he enjoys being plunged into a world he is so familiar with. Plus, he knows some of the answers to the questions and problems the main character encounters, which always “makes a reader feel smart,” he says.  

My daughter is listening to the first “Captain Underpants” book by Dav Pilkey. A connoisseur of the show, she too is delighting in reading a book that’s familiar to her. She thinks George and Harold, the main characters, are hilarious and wishes they were in her class. 

All of these titles are available through Overdrive, our digital library. If you need help using it, give us a call or send us an email. We’re still available to help!

Read On! Social Distancing

We have a new phrase in our national lexicon: “social distancing,” the act of intentionally distancing yourself from others in an effort to “flatten the curve” (another new phrase) of how rapidly COVID-19 (coronavirus) is transmitted. 

As much as we love face-to-face service for our community, your Library has a wealth of options for you as you socially distance! 

We are a member of the OK Virtual Library consortium that subscribes to Overdrive, providing downloadable books, audiobooks, and videos. You can have six Overdrive items at a time for two weeks. Everything automatically returns when due. 

If you’re trying to entertain children at home, be sure to check out Tumblebooks for storybooks, chapter books, games, puzzles, and videos. Tumblebooks even has some books in Spanish and French. 

If you want to use your time learning, we highly recommend our Mango app for language learning. For more traditional learning and practice on almost any standardized test, check out our Learning Express and Job & Career Accelerator resource. 

Our Ancestry.com service isn’t available to anyone outside the Library’s building, but we do have a subscription to Fold3, which can get you started on some genealogical or historical research. It is especially rich in military service information. 

If you don’t want to wade through YouTube ads while learning a new hobby, you should use our Hobbies & Crafts Reference Center. It has written and illustrated instructions on all sorts of creative endeavors. 

To access these resources, grab your library card number and head to our website (pryorlibrary.org). Select the “Use the Library” tab then choose “Research and Resources” to explore. If you have trouble, give us a call or shoot us a message through email (admin@pryorlibrary.org) or Facebook (@thjppl).