Canyonville Community Library Announces July Programs, Summer Reading Activities

CANYONVILLE - July is bringing a full slate of programs, reading challenges and new arrivals to the Canyonville Community Library, with activities planned for children, families and readers of all ages.

The library’s Summer Reading Program is now underway and will continue through Aug. 5. Elementary-age children may sign up anytime during open hours and begin reading to earn rewards throughout the summer. There will be no program on July 1 in observance of the Fourth of July holiday week.

The Kids Summer Comic Book Club also continues this month, meeting Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. through Aug. 6. The club is open to children ages 7 and older and gives participants a chance to read comics and graphic novels, talk about favorite characters, and learn how to create their own comic book. The club will not meet July 2 and will resume July 9.

The library also is marking America’s upcoming 250th birthday with a special reading challenge. Participants are invited to read 12 books covering 12 different eras of American history, from colonial times to the present. Readers may choose fiction, biographies, primary sources or other works connected to each time period. Those who complete the challenge will receive a commemorative prize.

As part of that theme, author and commentator Robert Leo Heilman will visit the library on Thursday, July 9, at 6 p.m. for “America at 250.” Heilman will read from his writings on America’s founding and history, followed by an open discussion. Refreshments will be served.

Library staff also say the shelves have been stocked with dozens of new materials, including fiction, nonfiction, science fiction, graphic novels for children, movies and documentaries. The library has also expanded its large print collection and is encouraging summer travelers to check out its audiobook selection.

The library is also highlighting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a program that mails a free, age-appropriate book each month to enrolled children from birth through age 5. Locally, the program is supported by the Douglas Community Library Association. According to the library, the program costs partner associations about $26 per child each year.

Families with children under 5 are encouraged to learn more about the program through the Douglas Community Library Association at www.dclalibraries.org.

Library officials also thanked recent donors for supporting new materials, children’s programming and early literacy efforts, including programs such as 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten and Summer Reading.

The Canyonville Community Library will be closed Saturday, July 4, for the holiday.

More information about library programs, donations and ways to help is available at www.canyonvillelibrary.org.