In April, we celebrated National Library Week and all things reading! The theme for National Library Week 2024 was “Ready, Set, Library!,” and promoted the idea that in our always-online world, libraries give us the green light to something truly special: a place to connect with others, learn new skills, and focus on what matters most.

Throughout the week, which took place on April 7-13, we took the time to recognize the right to read, the work done by library staff, and outreach services provided to the community. We were also treated to lunch by our neighbors at Merchants National Bank! You can support libraries all year round by visiting the library, checking out books, participating in programs, and engaging with us on social media.

As a part of our reading celebrations in April, we also hosted Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R.) Day on April 12. A holiday created by Beverly Cleary in her book, “Ramona Quimby, Age 8,” D.E.A.R. Day encourages people to set aside the time to read! We hosted readers from the community to keep our reading rocking chairs occupied all day. We also held our first Bring Your Own Book Club meeting! This is a book club with a twist: readers are invited to discuss books, old and new, and share recommendations. Unlike most book clubs where everyone reads the same thing, at B.Y.O.B. you pick the titles you want to read.

This past weekend, we held our second-annual Plant Swap and built new trellises for the library’s Children’s Garden! Gardeners and plant lovers brought in extra seedlings, seeds, divided perennials, houseplants, and volunteers to share and found something new to add to their own garden! The Plant Swap will continue throughout the rest of the month of April. Meanwhile, the Children’s Garden is now ready for planting season with its new trellises constructed by library staff and volunteers.

Coming up in May for adults is Crafternoon on Saturday, May 4 at 11 a.m., Bring Your Own Book Club on Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m., Crochet for Adults on Saturday, May 18 at 11 a.m., and So, You Are a Plant Parent! Now What? hosted by Catherine Yeoman of Flor & Co. on Saturday, May 25 at 11 a.m.

Coming up for children, Bonnie’s Books will take place each Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Jeffersonville United Methodist Church, and instead of Hello, Friends storytime, we will host playtime on Thursdays at 11 a.m. at the library. Uke Club is on Tuesday, May 7 at 5 p.m. for ages 8 and up, and on Saturday, May 11 at 11 a.m. is Crochet with Flora and Plant the Library’s Children’s Garden! On Tuesday, May 14 at 4:30 p.m. we will host Lego Robot Club for ages 7-12.

Grow your reading habit with Beanstack by participating in the Growing Readers challenge this May! Just 20 minutes of reading a day will put you well on your way to completing this challenge. Open your free account on the Beanstack app or at cplwcho.beanstack.org. Log your reading to earn badges and be entered into prize drawings.

As always, unless noted, all library programs are free.

24/7 Pick-Up Lockers, library book return, and our online resources are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Information about our resources can be found on the library’s website, www.cplwcho.org, or by calling the library at 740-335-2540. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram @cplwcho.