EX LIBRIS

We are wrapping up another summer here at the Healdsburg Library. Wow, it has been a busy summer with our annual summer reading program expanding to include children, teens and adults for the first time.
Our participants well exceeded last year’s numbers and I am so proud of all of the participants who were dedicated to reading throughout the summer.
We held some exciting programs over the last couple months and were delighted with the turnout from our community.
A highlight for me was our two Family Reading Forts events, where children and families built forts throughout the library and then snuggled up underneath to read with each other.
It was incredibly fun to be in the library after closing with the lights out reading with families. We have some impressive fort engineers in our community.
Another high point was a special event we hosted with Univision and the radio station. This was a bilingual Spanish/English event with radio personality, El Zorro.
His personal passion for reading and literacy was shared with our patrons. A little contest was held and two families won tickets to Disneyland, while all of the young participants went home with water bottles, lunch bags and backpacks.
A resource fair featured great community organizations offering hands-on learning experiences for the participants. It was a wonderful event — the collaboration between organizations was really special and an inspiration.
As we gear up for the new school year, I am pleased to announce a new program being offered by the Sonoma County Library.
We are launching a Homework Help program this September to help K–12 students learn and succeed in school. Often, I receive questions from parents who are looking for tutoring help for their children and who are unable to pay for private one-on-one help.
I am delighted that we now have an option to offer to these parents. The program is being offered one day per week here at the Healdsburg branch on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. It is also being offered at the Windsor and Central Santa Rosa branches on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
In order to make this work, we need volunteers who will be comfortable assisting student of all ages individually and in small groups. Training will be provided for volunteers. If you are interested in helping the students of our community succeed, please contact me, Charity Anderson, at the Healdsburg Library.
We currently have two dedicated volunteers but we need more to make this program successful.
We will also be starting our Book Chats program back up this September. This is a book club geared to students in fourth through sixth grades that meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 3:30 p.m.
Our first book selection for September will be “The Adventures of Nanny Piggins,” which can be picked up at the Children’s Desk at the library any time in August.
I am excited to share this humorous and clever novel as we kick off our Fall Book Chats. We have exciting programs lined up for the fall and winter months.
Don’t forget to check out our online calendar at www.sonomalibrary.org. I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the library and hearing about the books you are reading these days.
Charity Anderson is the Children’s Services Librarian at the Healdsburg Regional Library