Celebrating New Babies

            The Calhoun County Library held its annual Community Baby Shower last week and it was a huge success for welcoming new babies in our county.

            They say raising a child takes a village; therefore, we wanted to support as many new parents as we could by showing that the library is a part of that village. On Tuesday, October 15, 2024, we had fifteen new parents along with their guests attend our Community Baby Shower. We have many community resources here in Calhoun County for parents and there are numerous professional healthcare offices that you might not know are available. We had representatives from the area give away free goodies and information. Representatives from Early Learning Academy, First Steps, OCAB, Family Health Centers, Inc., and MUSC are here to make your life easier with a new baby.

            Of course, we couldn’t have an event for new parents without refreshments and door prizes. There were so many prizes that every parent walked away with items for their new addition. These prizes included diaper genies, toys, white noise machines, and more. We even had Pack n’ Plays, bassinets, bouncy seats, and walkers that were brand new to give away!  Very special door prizes we offered  were handmade blankets from our very own Mother Goose, Mary Jo Springs! As a thank you for attending our event, every parent received a goodie bag with diapers, wipes, bibs, blankets, and multiple board books to start their very own library for their little one.

            The only requirement that we had to attend this event was be a Calhoun County resident and either be expecting, adopting, or having had a baby within 12 months. That’s all!

            We would like to thank so many people for making this event possible. We would first like to thank all of the parents who came to celebrate their child with us. We hope that we made them feel welcome and helped them get ready for their bundle of joy. We would like to thank all of our volunteers who helped to make sure this event ran smoothly, and we would like to especially thank all of the donors who donated funding or items for our door prizes. We would also like to express our gratitude towards all of our speakers and sponsors: Calhoun County, Calhoun County Public Schools, Family Health Centers, Inc., MUSC Health, Help Me Grow South Carolina, Tri-County Commission on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Head Start, Calhoun County First Steps, OCAB, Friends of the Calhoun County Library, DHEC, and Natural Teacher.

            We had a blast celebrating all of our new parents! This event is so important to our community and we love that we can help ease the stress of welcoming a new life. If you attended and took pictures, feel free to share them with us. Good luck to all the new parents of Calhoun County. We look forward to seeing you return to the library reading to your child and enjoying our children’s programs!

Boo Bash! Extravaganza!

The Calhoun County Library is getting ready to have a scary good time on Halloween night!

If you are out and about trick-or-treating in the town of St. Matthews, stop by the library for some indoor fun! If you need a break from walking around getting candy, come play some games and get books, prizes, and even more candy! We will be having Boo Bash! on Thursday, October 31, 2024, from 5 PM - 7 PM. We will be playing games, which includes Toss Dem Bones, Pin the Spider on the Web, Eyeball Toss, and many more. We will even be bringing back one of the favorites, which is Bat Bullseye! Come take your chances and see if you can shoot hanging bats with a Nerf gun! In addition to winning prizes, we will be giving out candy and something even more exciting: freshly spun cotton candy from Twisted Sugar!

Last year, we had almost 700 trick-or-treaters visit us throughout the night. Let’s see if we can top it this year!

Bookmobile’s Outreach

            The Calhoun County Library has a very active Bookmobile schedule that allows everyone in the community to have access to our portable library!

            Are you an avid reader or movie watcher? Do you want to get free materials without having to leave your home? If you answered yes to both of those questions, we want to help you! We offer home deliveries on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month. This is when we come to your house and drop off the materials you requested. You don’t even have to leave your house for the library to come to you.

            In addition to home deliveries, we take our very fancy, full Bookmobile out to many places. We visit The Gressette Center, Counsel of Aging, Press Academy, Beulah United Methodist Church Afterschool Care, and more! During these visits, we do many activities such as making ice cream in a bag, playing BINGO, reading stories, and having fun. We also invite everyone to take a look around the Bookmobile and see if any books, movies, or Playaways spark your interest. You can check out everything right then and there. If you don’t have a library card, there’s no need to worry. We can sign you up for one!

            The Calhoun County Library wants everyone to be able to have access to library materials. So, if you can’t come to us, we will come to you!

Reading Has Never Been So Easy!

            Reading has never been so easy at the Calhoun County Library.

We have a variety of audiobooks ready to be checked out. We have standard CD audiobooks, Playaways that are audiobooks on the go, and even brand new read-along books designed for children called Wonderbooks. Wonderbooks by Playaway are books that have a ready-to-play mechanic that allows kids to hear the words as they follow along with the book. With each player, you can adjust the volume, start and pause, switch the reading modes, and so much more! Wonderbooks make it easy for a child to learn to read with all the great stories and fun sounds. 

Come check out a Wonderbook today and see what all the hype is about!

Viola Davis Book Club

            “I ain’t never found no place for me to fit. Seem like all I do is start over. It ain’t nothing to find no starting place in the world. You just start from where you find yourself.”

            -August Wilson

            The Calhoun County Library met last week for their monthly Book Club meeting and the book of choice this time was Viola Davis’s memoir Finding Me.

            On Thursday, September 19, 2024, from 1 PM - 2 PM, a group of avid readers met at the library for Book Club. We discussed a variety of books and this month we chose to read and discuss Viola Davis’s memoir that was released in 2022. Viola Davis is a very well-known and successful actress whose memoir has won many awards, including Oprah’s Book Club and even a Grammy for the audiobook, which she recorded herself! This book gave her a status that is called EGOT, which means that she has won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony throughout her career.

            “He who has a ‘why’ to live for can bear with almost any ‘how.’”

            –Friedrich Nietzche

            For those who don’t know, Viola Davis was actually born right here in St. Matthews, South Carolina to a horse groomer and a maid; however, she was not raised here. Viola’s childhood was not a pleasant one. Throughout the book, she talks of struggles, horrors, and being afraid. She was often bullied by multiple groups of people and her family and home life were no better. Viola’s father was abusive to her mother, and she had a brother who abused her own sisters. Her sisters and the sisterhood they shared were her light in the dark and because of them, she persisted.

            “May you live long enough to know why you were born.”

            –Cherokee Birth Blessing

            We don’t want to give too much away, but her story was emotional, heartbreaking, and inspiring. One of our Book Club members even said that some days she thought that this was just a crazy story for entertainment, but then she remembered it was real - that this was Viola Davis’s real life. Another member said that she was once told that for every nonfiction, crazy story you read, you should read a biography to understand that every story has some truth within it.

            Books like these are the reasons that we love our Book Club and our members. We have great conversations and great company. We meet once every month on the third Thursday for an hour from 1 PM - 2 PM. Our book next month is Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille. Come pick up a copy of the book and join us on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 1 PM!

Game On, Gamers!

            The Calhoun County Library recognizes how video games are a growing sensation and create a world of fun for the player. So, we have jumped on the bandwagon and upped our gaming! We now have a Nintendo Switch for teens to play when they visit, Nintendo Switch games to check out, and a brand new gaming program for younger kids.

            One of the biggest video game systems out right now is the Nintendo Switch. We have heard how much fun these can be and how people love them. We had to figure this out for ourselves and bought a Nintendo Switch as we are redesigning our teen area at the library. Complete with a big flat screen TV and gaming chairs, we have a few games to play on the Nintendo Switch along with four controllers and four headsets. That means we can have four players at once! If you would like to come race your friends in Mario Kart or win mini games in Mario Party, come visit our Teen Zone and get to playing!

            If visiting the library and playing on the Nintendo Switch for hours isn’t your speed, we have something that might work better. We now have a handful of Nintendo Switch games for you to come check out and take home to play on your own time! With titles like Lego, Minecraft, Mario, and more, we have something for everyone. Each game can be checked out for one week so that is one full week of playing your favorite video games for FREE!

            Another way that we have included gaming into the library is by starting a new program. Gaming Group is for grades 2 – 6 and features a game called Picoo, an interactive, screen-free game that allows up to 12 players to play together. You might be wondering how someone can play a video game without a screen? Well, you simply take the controller, find the game card you wish to play, scan the card with the bottom of the controller, and start. It’s that simple! Games include Zombie Run and Red Light Green Light. If you are between those grades or know someone who is, feel free to join us! We meet on the 2nd Thursday of the month from 4 PM – 5 PM.

            We know that games are entertaining, just like a good book, and we want to make sure that our community has everything we can offer to make sure they are staying happy. We hope to see more people in the library playing games, checking out games, and playing at our Gaming Group program soon!

Congrats on Your Babies

            The Calhoun County Library is getting ready to host its annual Community Baby Shower in September for new parents.

Are you a new parent? Are you expecting, adopting, or did you have your baby within the last year? Are you a Calhoun County resident? If you answered yes to all three of those questions, we would love for you to come to this year's Community Baby Shower! This event will take place on Thursday, September 26, 2024, at 5:30 PM at the Calhoun County Library.

We have many community resources here in Calhoun County for parents and there are numerous professional healthcare offices that you might not know are here. We will have representatives from the area to give you free goodies and information. Places such as Early Learning Academy, OCAB, Family Health Centers, Inc., and others are here to make your life easier with a new baby. Of course, we will also be serving light refreshments and giving away door prizes. As a thank you for attending our event, every parent will receive a goodie bag with diapers, wipes, bibs, blankets, multiple board books to start your very own library for your little one, and more!

We are also asking that if you or anyone you know has any gently used baby items, we are collecting these to give away as some door prizes during the shower. All donated items must be in good condition and we are not able to accept any clothing at this time. If you have any items that you would like to donate for this event, please call us at 803-874-3389 and bring these items to the library at least two days prior to the event.

You must register to attend the Community Baby Shower. If you are interested in coming, please give us a call at 803-874-3389 to reserve a spot. We look forward to celebrating all of our new parents and seeing all the new babies we will be adding to Calhoun County!

Join our Gaming Group at the Library!

            Do you like to play games? We’ve got a new one at the Calhoun County Library and it is called Picoo. To go along with the new game, we are starting a new program!

            We’re starting an after-school program on the 2nd Thursday of the month called Gaming Group. It is for kids in 2nd - 6th grades. Our first day meeting will be on Thursday, September 12, 2024 and will be from 4 PM - 5 PM. We will be playing Picoo for the very first time.

            Picoo is an interactive gaming system known as “the first game console for outdoor play.” It promotes physical activity and social interaction among children. Each player will have their own controller with lights, sounds, and vibrations to make the games exciting. There are traditional games with a modern twist such as tag and new games like Dodge the Zombies and Spyhunt. These interactive games are especially designed for elementary aged children and gets them moving and playing without a screen!

            If you or your child is in Grades 2nd - 6th, come play with us! We look forward to playing interactive, educational games together for an hour each month!

Teen Night is Back

            CALLING ALL TEENS!

The Calhoun County Library is excited to announce that the return of Teen Night is coming up soon and we would like to invite our teens ages 12 - 17 to come!

Teen Night is a biweekly program that is only available for teenagers. Parents may drop off teens or may wait in the library and read the newspaper or a good book while you wait.  On the 1^st and 3^rd Tuesdays of every month, between the months of September through May, we welcome teens ages 12-17 for Teen Night from 5 PM - 6:30 PM. We have decided to kick off Teen Night  on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, at 5 PM. We’ll be playing ice breaker games and minute-to-win-it games which teens love to play!  Of course, we can’t have our first Teen Night  without pizza so come and fill up on pizza and fun!

Teen Night is a free program and there is no need to sign up. Just visit the library and expect to have a great time with teenagers your age. We promise that we won’t bore you and learning is optional. Having fun is required!

Outreach with Calhoun County Library

            The Calhoun County Library is ready to resume some of its school programs again since the 2024 - 2025 school year is in full swing.

            To promote early literacy in schools, we visit 5K classes in all area schools for story time. During this time, we read books, sing songs, and do fingerplays. We even learn sign language! Our goal is to give our wonderful teachers a little bit of a break while also teaching our community kids that reading can be fun! We also leave theme-related crafts for the whole class to do. We go to each school once a month and look forward to seeing our favorite little readers every time, and we’ve found out that they look forward to seeing us, too! How cute is that?

            In addition to starting storytime again, we are going to start our afterschool STEM program at the afterschool centers. During the afterschool program, we perform scientific experiments and learn about chemical reactions and what makes things happen with them. We have made slime, homemade ice cream, invisible ink, and so much more. This is our way of keeping Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fun. We understand that students don’t want to sit through another lesson after a full day of school, so we make sure to bring exciting elements to our afterschool STEM program. We attend each center once a month and always experiment with a different topic each time.

            We decided to go where the kids are because we don’t want to miss an opportunity to engage with little learners. Both of these programs are completely free and parents do not have to sign up for these programs. This is the Calhoun County Library’s way of keeping students immersed in learning which we feel is so important in our community. If you see us on the road in the library van, give us a wave because we’re probably on our way to one of the schools or afterschool centers!

AR Readers (2023 - 2024)

            When you visit the Calhoun County Library, you may notice posters of people you know in the windows of our children’s area. The Calhoun County Library loves readers and we wanted to acknowledge our young readers who have achieved greatness while reading during the 2023 - 2024 school year.

            In April, we sent out information asking schools for names of their top readers so that we could acknowledge them with a special poster featuring their pictures with their favorite books. All schools were given this opportunity to highlight some of their amazing student readers. 

            The Calhoun County Library created over 25 READ posters with students holding up their favorite books. These posters were created to coincide with the cover of each book and included intricate designs like football fields, oceans, and medieval castles. We gave these posters to the school librarians who presented them during a special program or on Awards Day.  Each child received a copy of his/her poster and the school received a copy to display around their school. We also wanted to show how proud we are of these readers so we have posted these in our children’s area at our library too!

            We would love for everyone to come visit our library and see our READ posters. We hope that parents and guardians can come see their child on display and continue to support literacy in their children’s lives. Remember that reading to your child is one of the best ways to give them an advantage in their education and in life. Next year, we hope to have even more posters to display! So, adults, continue to inform our community children to keep on reading!

A Special Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon

            “Volunteer. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

-Arthur Ashe

The Calhoun County Library depends on its community members to make us as successful as we are. We would not be able to achieve our goals without our supporters and volunteers. Almost all programs we have here at the Calhoun County Library use volunteers to run smoothly and to engage with our patrons. To show our appreciation of our volunteers every year, we hold an annual volunteer appreciation luncheon after the Summer Reading Program finale. This year, it fell on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at 12:30 PM. With over 30 attendees, we all got to eat a delicious meal provided by Palmetto Peach Catering, played a game to guess the staff members from their baby pictures, and even had a surprise video compilation of each staff member thanking the volunteers for all their hard work. Volunteers left with special gifts and smiles on their faces, and we sincerely hope they know how important they are to us. We are so grateful for everyone who decides to spend time at the Calhoun County Library. We are dedicated to our community and we love that our community is dedicated to us!

Celebrating Summer Reading

            The Calhoun County Library is sad to announce that the 2024 CSLP Adventure Begins at Your Library Summer Reading Program has come to an end. However, we could not end this successful summer without a celebration for all our participants!

            The 2024 Summer Reading Program Finale occurred on Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 10:30 AM. We had over 100 patrons attend this event. The Ukaloonies performed multiple songs with dances and the crowd helped sing along. Every child received a snack, craft, multiple free books, Randolph Italian Ice, and a bookbag with school supplies from the Jeffcoat Law Firm!

            During the finale, we gave away participation certificates to everyone who registered and logged any minutes and completion certificates to everyone who won this challenge! That was not the only thing we gave away during this program either. Our grand prize winners were also announced during the finale. We upped our game because our community almost doubled the number of participants as last year so, we gave away four bikes and four Kindles. Abigail Bozard, Caleb Curry, Bella White, and Loren Ott were our lucky winners for the bikes! Molly Lewellen, Timothy Neil, Mason Reddick, and Linda Huddleston were our lucky winners of the Kindles! The system selected these winners and they gained entries into this drawing by logging minutes. Every hour they read, their name went into the pot to win and these eight participants were this year’s 2024 Summer Reading Program winners!

            Now on to some really great numbers!

            We had 140 early literacy, children, teens, and adults registered for the Summer Reading Program.

            Out of those 140 people, we had 50 complete the challenge! That means that they read 10 or more hours over the whole summer!

            In total, between all the reading groups, the registered readers of the Calhoun County Library read over 96,460 minutes! That’s over 66 full days of just reading!

            The Calhoun County Library is so thankful for everyone who participated in our Summer Reading Program this summer. It was a lovely success between all the programs, readers, prizes, and great community interaction! Thank you to everyone who came to a program, registered, logged minutes, checked out books, and overall promoted how important reading is. Programs like this would not be possible without our sponsors. Thank you to the Institute of Museum and Library Services, South Carolina State Library, Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, Save the Children, and the Jeffcoat Law Firm.