What is your story? When you envision the road that your life is taking, or could take, where does it lead? Do you keep to one path or explore every branching trail? What dreams define the roadmap of your life? These are questions I’ve been asking myself as we continue this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Our theme for this year, “Imagine Your Story,” got me thinking about our own journey at Nashville Public Library (NPL). When I look at the road the library has travelled, I find that all of our paths lead to one destination — a better Nashville. Through our Adult Literacy initiative, our Civil Rights and a Civil Society program, and many other services, NPL is helping Nashvillians steer toward a better future. Nowhere is this more apparent than with Summer Challenge. We started the Challenge with a vision of helping our city battle against “summer slide,” when many students abandon reading as a habit. With only 34% of Nashville children finishing third grade reading at the expected level, the issue becomes clear. While Summer Challenge consistently helps children stay reading-ready for school and life, I never dreamt that nearly 19,000 Nashvillians of all ages would read for more than 18 million minutes in a single season. But last year, that’s exactly what happened.
FROM THE
DIRECTOR
This year, I know we’ll do even better. With the many trials Nashville has faced the past few months, and with our library closed for nearly as long, we decided that Summer Challenge was the positive boost that we all needed. That’s why we launched the challenge early this year, beginning Monday, April 13. And while we’re happy to be back at the library, we have to do things a little differently for now in an era of social distancing. The important thing to remember is this: Summer Challenge is the ideal excuse to read every day and win cool prizes for doing it. And books aren’t the only way to complete the challenge. Check out the story times, puppet shows, and other great digital programs we now offer through NPL Universe — they count toward your Summer Challenge minutes as well. Nashville is a diverse city, filled with a wide array of compelling stories. Whether we know every landmark from beginning to end, or we’re charting it one mile marker at a time — much like we are now — each of us has a tale worth telling. So please, share your discoveries on our social media channels with #NPLsummer. Can’t wait to hear about them when you do.
Happy reading,
Kent Oliver Director of Nashville Public Library
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GIVE TO THE SUPPORT THELIBRARY. LIBRARY. NPLF.ORG
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FEATURES Wishing Chair Productions
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Horrified by Homework?
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LIBRARY BOARD Keith B. Simmons, Library Board Chair Charvis Rand Dr. Adriana Bialostozky Joyce Searcy Mayor Mayor Megan Megan Barry Barry Mayor Megan Barry The Library Library Board Board meets meets Robert K.Megan Oermann KatyThe Varney Mayor Mayor Megan Barry Barry Library Library Board Board The Library Board meets the the 3rd 3rd Tuesday Tuesday of of each each The The Library Library Board Board meets meets Lucy D. Haynes Library Board Library Keith Keith B. B. Simmons, Simmons, Library Board Board Chair Chair the Library Library Board Board the 3rd Tuesday of each month month at at noon. noon. Contact Contact (615) (615) the 3rd 3rd Tuesday Tuesday of ofeach each Keith B. Simmons, Library Board Chair Lucy Lucy D. D. Haynes Haynes Keith Keith B. B.Simmons, Simmons, Library Library Board Board Chair Chair month at noon. Contact (615) 862-5760 862-5760 for for location location and and month month at at noon. noon. Contact Contact (615) (615) The Library Board meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month at noon. Lucy D. Francie Francie M. M.Haynes Hunt Hunt Lucy Lucy D.D.Haynes Haynes 862-5760 for location and information information about about Library Library 862-5760 862-5760 forfor location location and and Contact (615) 862-5800 for location and information about Library Francie M. Hunt Sepideh Sepideh C. C. Khansari Khansari Francie Francie M.M. Hunt Hunt information about Libraryfor Board Board meetings. meetings. Requests Requests for information about about Library Library BoardSepideh meetings. Requests for ADA accommodationinformation should be C. Khansari Robert Robert K. K. Oermann Oermann Sepideh Sepideh C. C. Khansari Khansari Board meetings. Requests ADA ADA accommodation accommodation should should Board Board meetings. meetings. Requests Requests forforfor directed to (615) 862-5750. Robert K. Oermann Joyce Joyce Searcy Searcy Robert Robert K. K.Oermann Oermann accommodation should be beADA directed directed to to Sandy Sandyshould Cohen Cohen at at ADA ADA accommodation accommodation should Joyce Searcy Katy Katy Varney Varney Joyce Joyce Searcy Searcy be directed to Sandy Cohen 862-5750 862-5750 or orto 862-5752. 862-5752. be be directed directed to Sandy SandyCohen Cohenatat at Katy Varney Katy Katy Varney Varney 862-5750 or 862-5752. 862-5750 862-5750 oror862-5752. 862-5752.
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SandyCohen Cohen Unbound Unbound is is aa Nashville Nashville Public Public Library Library quarterly quarterly publication. publication. Sandy (615) (615) 862-5750 862-5750 Sandy Cohen Unbound a Nashville Public Library quarterly publication. Sandy Sandy Cohen Cohen Visit Visit www.library.nashville.org www.library.nashville.org to to view view an an online online copy. copy. Unbound Unbound isisa is aNashville Nashville Public Public Library Library quarterly quarterly publication. publication. The programs, services, and activities of Nashville Public Library are open (615) 862-5750 (615) (615) 862-5750 862-5750 Visit www.library.nashville.org to view an online copy. Visit Visit www.library.nashville.org www.library.nashville.org to to view view an an online online copy. copy. to all. For questions, concerns, and requests for ADA accommodations, call, (615) 862-5750.
Unbound is a Nashville Public Library quarterly publication. Visit library.nashville.org/unbound to view an online copy.
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We’ve taken the wonder of Wishing Chair
online wonder Enjoy the
of story times and performances at facebook.com/WishingChairProductions Wishing Chair Productions is made possible by Judy and Steve Turner and the Nashville Public Library Foundation.
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Beat the Schoolwork Slog with Our Library’s Free Resources
Knowledge + Fun
Picture this: you’ve just finished a long day of work. All you want to do is flop on the couch and zone out with Netflix or a good read. (We’d recommend the good read, but we’re biased.)
What would you turn to if your kid said they needed to write an essay on the Tennessee Legislature for social studies class, a brief overview of Beethoven for music class, and a timeline of the American Revolution for history class?
No such luck, friend. You might want to veg, but the kids are begging for your help with homework. The thought of dealing with more Common Core math just makes your stomach churn. And dinner isn’t going to make itself ... Does this sound like you? We get it. The life of a parent or caregiver for school-aged children can be chaotic, to say the least. The back-to-school season may have you feeling like you’re chained to a treadmill set to max speed. But don’t despair just yet. Nashville Public Library (NPL) has some free tools that are perfect for helping your kids get an A+ on their schoolwork, while you hang on to your sanity … mostly.
PowerKnowledge for Power Parenting Think back to your middle school science classes. Do you remember how to follow the scientific method? How far the Earth is from the sun? How photosynthesis works? No? Guess what: we don’t either! You can still swap science facts with your kids like a pro with PowerKnowledge.
With this online compendium of all things science, your kids can quickly look up key facts about the Earth, space, life, and physical sciences they need to know now. Each subject in this series comes with a handy list of topics for easy navigation and a search function if you just can’t find what you’re looking for. And don’t worry — PowerKnowledge is written so that third through fifth graders can easily understand it. You’ll never have to feel embarrassed about not knowing the difference between an electron and a proton ever again. To find: Visit library.nashville.org/research/databases
Games = Happy Kids (and Happier Adults)
Oh, and what if it was all due tomorrow? If your answer is “dive under the couch,” we wouldn’t blame you. Fortunately, we have a better solution. TEL4U is a free online resource compiled by the Tennessee Electronic Library. It features a wide range of digital databases that cover Tennessee state history; movies, music, and the arts; a full range of encyclopedias; and much more. What’s more, TEL4U has a great collection of browser-based games and quizzes to make learning fun for your students. Or, at least, distracting enough so you can, just maybe, take a break. To find: Visit library.nashville.org/content/tel-4-u Bonus: If your kid learns best through digital interactivity, check out ReadyRosie, at library.nashville.org/content/readyrosie
Books that Read for You (No, Really) Which would you prefer: struggling with exhaustion while you read to your child, your speech slurring like something from a horror film, or having a warm voice read for you while they follow along and explore new words at their leisure? Unless your kids just love scary sounds, you probably chose option two. In that case, we’ve got something you’re going to love. NPL’s collection of talking books come with audio players attached to the physical books. These simple-to-use devices feature recordings of books that your little ones can pause, fast-forward, and rewind as they follow along. They get the joy of having a story read to them while they learn at their own pace; you don’t have to sound like a Walking Dead cast member. What’s not to love? To find: Search for “vox book” or “wonderbook” in our online catalog Plus: Want to earn free prizes while your children read? Sign up for Read to Rise, our early literacy rewards program for readers and “listeners” from birth to age five, and start racking up points today. Visit library.nashville.org/readtorise Did You Know? Many of NPL‘s early literacy outreach initiatives and resources are made possible by generous donations made to the Nashville Public Library Foundation.
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Empowering the Next Generation of Library Supporters Next Chapter Society (NCS) is the Nashville Public Library Foundation’s organization for civic-minded young professionals and emerging leaders who partner with the Foundation to sustain and enhance the library’s award-winning programs. To learn more about the Next Chapter Society, visit nplf.org/next-chapter-society or email NextChapterNashville@gmail.com.
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