Director’s Message

Hurray for May! There are so many things to be thankful for and look forward to this month at the library. Have you heard about our intriguing events this month? I’d like to mention that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. That’s a good time to check into resources for yourself or for anyone you know who may be struggling. The long battle with COVID, financial insecurity or the unresolved issues of the past can be crushing to anyone. Have you thought about looking for help at the library? Just ask. Librarians are non-judgmental and can assist you with finding the resources you need. Help is available that is private and either free or low cost. If self-help suits you better, the library is definitely the place for you. We have hundreds of books, audiobooks, CDs and even courses on Universal Class to help you sort things out. As a librarian, I encourage you to look into something that is holding you back -- reaching your full potential is what libraries are all about! You’ll find many avenues to explore and lots of people eager to guide you, beginning with your librarian. May is also a month of cultural holidays that I relish celebrating, like Cinco de Mayo, honoring those of Mexican heritage. May is also Asian Pacific Heritage Month. Accordingly, my Director’s Book Club selection for April/May is Beautiful Country: A Memoir by Qian Julie Wang about her five years as an undocumented Chinese immigrant whose parents relocated with her to New York City from China in 1994. It’s a wonderful read, and I hope you’ll get together with me to share your ideas about it. Another special day is Memorial Day, which was first celebrated in 1868 by General Grant at Arlington National Cemetery in remembrance of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War. We all owe a tremendous debt to service members who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and our freedom. Please know that our veterans are honored at Broward County Library and we thank them year-round by providing the services and resources on our Veterans Connect page, which includes the Veterans History Project in which we prepare veterans’ stories to be entered into the Library of Congress. All libraries will be closed in honor of Memorial Day on Monday, May 30th, so have some military-themed fun on May 12th at the Deerfield Beach Percy White Branch as the community works on a 1,000-piece puzzle about the US Army. I’m going to close with another May favorite of mine: “Get Caught Reading Month,” an initiative of Every Child a Reader. This year-round campaign promotes the fun of reading books for all ages by using celebrities and favorite storybook characters as reading role models. Speaking of role models…I am wishing every parent and caregiver a Happy Mother’s Day! We know you are raising readers who will be eternally grateful to you for that gift. Bring the kids around for storytime and crafts where we will be making cards to celebrate the important women in our lives at Pembroke Pines/Walter C. Young Resource Center, Tyrone Bryant Branch and Lauderhill Towne Centre Library. One more thing to look forward to: Right around the corner is our fabulous summer program “Oceans of Possibilities” for kids and adults. Look for details in our June – August Summer Magazine. Get ready for wave after wave of good times in 2022!