Due to the COVID-19 threat, the Board of Trustees of the Chester County Library System/Chester County Library will be holding their monthly board meeting virtually. If you have always wanted to attend a meeting but haven’t had the time, this is your opportunity. Please click this link at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 16 to join the Chester County Library System Board Meeting. The Chester County Library Board Meeting will immediately follow.
Kids’ Update: Summer Begins TODAY!
Participants from Pre-K to Grade 5 are encouraged to read or listen to books every day for 30 minutes or more all summer and record your accomplishments through the Imagine Your Story: Patch Power 2020 website or app. You can also complete Missions, by completing at-home activties and attending Virtual Programs, to earn the 2020 patches!
Even children under 3 years can participate this summer by signing up for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten! Research has shown that listening to 1000 Books Before Kindergarten helps children to develop the important pre-reading skills that provide a solid foundation for learning to read — a key to learning and school success. Read at least 100 book this summer to earn a special award!
Adults can sign up, too! Sign up today! Imagine Your Story
Special Edition: Quarantine Journaling
Journaling as a primary source document depicting turbulent times.
At this point in our journaling series, we’ve introduced the idea of journaling to your life and expounded upon its benefits as well as given you a couple ideas for formatting and content structure. But some of you might be at a loss for what precisely to write about.
I was watching a webinar a few weeks ago that was talking about something totally unrelated. It was a question and answer session with a group of authors of middle grade books. One of the questions asked was something along the lines of “how will this time of quarantine and COVID-19 affect your writing?” And one of the authors had an answer that honestly blew my mind a little bit. She said that writing about this time was important, not just for authors like her, but for everyone, because those documents chronicling life during this period will someday become primary sources for students and historians in the future.
Maybe this is not as mind blowing for you as it was for me, but it’s a perspective that I never considered before, that we can actively become a part of history in this way just by writing down our experiences. Historians are already beginning to compile primary source documents from regular people in order to gain a broader picture of what this time looks like in various parts of the world.
Furthermore, we might feel like we’re stuck in this time of sickness and anxiety and isolation, but thinking about it in terms of history like this is, frankly, a little reassuring. Humans have survived multiple pandemics before, just like we all learned as children in school; and while I don’t want to diminish the suffering and the death that many people are facing, and while we will certainly not come out of this unscathed, it is nevertheless comforting to know that we will be okay.
So if you’re looking for something to write about, write about your life. Someday, your life will be important to many different people, and at the very least you’ll be able to look back and say, “I survived that.”
Resources & Inspiration:
“The Quarantine Diaries” from The New York Times
Virtual KClub Meeting
Need a new hobby to keep your spirits up while we’re all social distancing? Been watching K-Dramas for years and want to meet new K-Drama lovers? Love BTS but don’t know much about Korean television? Break out the kimchi and join us to watch an episode of one the hottest Korean shows, then pop onto a Zoom call to chat about the show, the newest Korean music, and Korean culture – all from the comfort of our own homes.
On June 27, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm, we will be watching the pilot episode of “When the Camellia Blooms”. Part romantic comedy, part thriller, this show is about the love story between a single mom, Dong-baek, and a younger man, Yong-sik, and the cultural stigma surrounding their relationship. Meanwhile, a serial killer roams the town, and Dong-baek may become his next target.
Ages 16+
Registration is required to receive the Zoom link and viewing instructions. Register on the event calendar here.
For questions, please email us at: ccljtc@ccls.org.
Resources for Black Lives Matter and Anti-Racism
We’ve compiled some lists of resources that you can use to learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement and anti-racism.
Social Justice Resources
- Chester County Community Foundation – Social Justice Resources
- Ways You Can Support the Black Lives Matter Movement Now
- Tools for Talking to Kids About Race
- Acts of Care in Times of Unrest – List of Resources and Self Care Techniques
- Systematic Racism Explained
- Talking About Race
Reading Lists of Anti-Racist Books for Adults
- Chester County Library’s Black Voices Digital Collection
- Black Lives Matter: A Reading List for Adults
- Anti-Racist Reading List
- Race in the United States Reading List
- Books to Read About Anti-Racism
- Books White People Need to Read
- An Anti-Racist Reading List
Reading Lists of Anti-Racist Books for Kids
- Black Lives Matter: A Reading List for Children & Families
- Books to Explain Racism and Protest to Children
- Books Featuring Black Heroes that Every Child Should Read
Black Movies / TV
- “Just Mercy” Free Streaming in June
- The 100 Best Black Movies of the 21st Century
- Best Black Movies of the Past 30 Years
- Movies Made Available to Support Black Lives Matter
- Essential Movies and Shows that Examine Systemic Racism in America
Black Owned Businesses Lists
Lion’s Roar magazine on Flipster
Do you know about our Lion’s Roar magazine on Flipster? It shares Buddhist wisdom for your heart and mind. Inside this month’s issue are articles about how to be calm and resilient, tips for meditation, what to do in an emergency and book suggestions.
You can read Lion’s Roar for free with your library card. Here’s how:
Visit https://chescolibraries.org/downloads and scroll to Flipster to sign in with your library card.
Looking for more? Try these keyword searches for eBooks and eAudiobooks:
Teen Update: Summer Reading starts June 15!
Summer has arrived at the library! ! Starting Monday, June 15 students in Grade 6 and up may join the Imagine Your Story: Teen Reading Club 2020! Teens are encouraged to read or listen to books for at least 60 minutes every day to earn a Reading Grand Prize at the end of the summer. You may also complete independent Missions to earn collectible mini-buttons!
Treatment & Recovery Hotline
Gaudenzia has launched The Treatment and Recovery Hotline! 1-833-976-HELP(4357)
Our new Hotline offers screened linkage to treatment facilities across Pennsylvania for the entire spectrum of care, including detox/withdrawal management, residential treatment, co-occurring residential treatment, outpatient treatment services, women and children’s services, and other programs tailored to specialty populations.
When can I call the Hotline?
The Hotline is available 24/7.
Who can call the Hotline?
Anyone from first responders, warm hand off staff, loved ones, people seeking help for themselves, all of our partners, and other treatment providers.
Where is the Hotline Located?
The hotline is located right here in Pennsylvania at the Coal Twp. Facility of Gaudenzia’s Central Region. Our Hotline team is made up of trained Gaudenzia staff.
To access help through Gaudenzia’s Treatment and Recovery Hotline, please call 1-833-976-HELP(4357).
Warner Bros. makes the movie ‘Just Mercy’ free to stream for the month of June
In light of the ongoing George Floyd protests, Warner Bros. has announced that for the month of June it will make the movie Just Mercy available to rent for free across digital platforms. “We believe in the power of story,” representatives from Warner Bros. said in a statement. “Our film Just Mercy, based on the life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, is one resource we can humbly offer to those who are interested in learning more about the systemic racism that plagues our society.” (Shaffer, Claire. “Warner Bros. Makes ‘Just Mercy’ Free to Stream to Educate Viewers on Systematic Racism.” Rolling Stone, 2 June 2020) To learn more, visit the Warner Bros. website at https://www.warnerbros.com/.
The movie Just Mercy is a 2019 civil rights legal drama derived from the book Just Mercy: a story of justice and redemption, written by Bryan Stevenson, which was published in 2014. This book is available to borrow in either ebook or e-audiobook in our Overdrive collection. There is a version of the book adapted for young people available in ebook format as well.
A related read is The Sun Does Shine, a memoir written by a client of Bryan Stevenson, Anthony Ray Hinton. This book details the harrowing account of Mr. Hinton’s 30 years on death row for a crime that he did not commit. Available to borrow in OverDrive in both ebook and e-audiobook format.
COVID-19 Testing Expansion
The Health Department and Department of Emergency Services are partnering to expand availability of COVID-19 testing in Chester County. Starting today, PCR (nasal swab) diagnostic testing will be available at multiple locations. This testing is prioritized for individuals with symptoms or who have had a close contact with someone who has COVID-19. No prescription or referral is needed but registration is required.
Learn more and register at:
https://www.chesco.org/4514/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Nasal-Swab-Testing
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