The Summer Slide
Emily Williams, Teen Services Manager and Kristin Williamson, Children’s Services Manager, Outreach and Engagement Services
The Summer Slide isn’t a new feature at the local park or splash pad. No, the Summer Slide is what happens between school years when young people do not read or otherwise work to retain what they learned in school.
On average, children who do not read during the summer lose approximately two months of their reading achievement. They typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than they did on the...
Why should you read aloud to your children?
Sarah Brown, Librarian, Downtown Library
Every year, research continues to highlight how reading is a fundamental building block to learning. Literacy can impact graduation rates, earning potential, justice-involvement, and even health outcomes. The simple act of reading to your children is one of the easiest ways you can set them up for success. There are many documented benefits, but they can all fall within three categories: language, connection, and socio-emotional.
1. Language
Children acquire the bu...
Benefits of Reading
by Emily Williams, Teen Services Manager, Outreach and Engagement Services
Reading is good for you. But why? Let’s dive into all the reasons why reading is important and contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Most of us recognize that reading helps us learn and grow, but have you thought about other potential benefits like improved physical health and stress relief?
As a library employee, one of my favorite “reading is good for you” facts to share is that reading fiction improves empathy. If you’re want to broaden your horizons, understand your ...
Top 10 Things to Do with Your Metro Library Card
by Marlene and Ellory, Central Information Services
1. Check out a book, of course
There are countless books available for checkout in our library collection. With your library card, you can check out books for all ages, reading levels and interests! Visit one of our libraries to browse our shelves or check out our online catalog.
Don’t find what you need on the shelf? We can send material from any of our 19 locations to your local library! Ask a staff member or use the "hold" button on our catalog to reserve an item, and we'll notify you when it's ...
Holy Bagumba! Flora and Ulysses Read Alikes
by Allie, Children's Librarian at Belle Isle Library
In the words of Flora, "HOLY BAGUMBA!" Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo will debut as a movie on Disney+ on February 19th. This laugh-out-loud story is filled with eccentric, endearing characters. The tale centers on Flora Belle Buckman, a self-described cynic, who saves a squirrel from a vacuum cleaner. In an unexpected occurrence, this squirrel (Ulysses) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry. These two go on an adventure to discover hope and what it ...
Banned Books Week 2020: Censorship is a Dead End
“Censorship is a dead end. Find your freedom to read!”September 27-October 3 we celebrate literature that pushed the envelope, including those authors who dared to address difficult topics, share real-life experiences through story and create other-worldly realms that tested our imagination.
Can you think of a book that was so powerful you felt like it was speaking to you directly? Can you think of a book that made you look at the world in a new way? Can you think of a book that immersed you in another world so deeply that for a moment you believed the impossible was possible?...
“Crip Camp” Reading List
“Crip Camp” is a newly released documentary on the history of the disability rights movement. The viewer is introduced to a captivating group of activists from all walks of life who met at a summer camp in the 70s named Camp Jened. They went on to become influential actors in the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. I finished “Crip Camp” eager to read more of their stories. I was excited to learn Judy Heumann, one of the activists profiled, released a memoir this year. This list also includes biographies, memoirs, and essays of people with disabilities, along with so...
What Should You Read After the Babysitter Club Series? A Reading List for Tweens
The Babysitter Club is 34 years old! A landline phone, tie-dye t-shirts, and glittery accessories all helped give the BSC that iconic 80s and 90s look. While the BSC remains a great reading choice for tweens and teens, many other series have been written since then capture the spirit of female resilience and friendship.
Craftily Ever After
Book 1: The Un-Friendship Bracelet
In the first book of the Craftily Ever After chapter book series, a new student gets between best friends Emily and Maddie--and changes the mea...
You’ve Just Binged “The Babysitter’s Club:” A Reading List for Grown-Ups
If you were a young girl growing up in the 90s, there’s a good chance you read at least one book from the “Babysitter Club Series” by Ann M. Martin. There’s also a good chance you squealed in delight when Netflix released its modern reboot of the series in July. The show modernizes the more outdated content while preserving the timeless themes of the books: friendship, female role models, and hard work. The heroines are thoroughly clever and entrepreneurial, compassionate and wise. I found myself wanting to revisit the spirit of Stonybrook that so captured me as a teenager. While waiting fo...
So You've Been Asked to Read a Book to Children...
Have you ever been asked to read a book out loud to a group of children? This can be intimidating for community leaders who don’t have the professional training and experience of a children’s librarian!
Here are some tips to help:
Read the book first. Practice! Hold the book so children can see the pictures. Point out interesting things on the page. Add your own sound effects, silly voices, and ask questions of your audience as you feel comfortable. The best storytimes are engaging and interactive. Pick a book that’s not too long, is paced well, and doesn’t have to...Metro Libraries Host Series of Discussions Celebrating Invisible Man by Oklahoma Author Ralph Ellison
OKLAHOMA CITY– The Metropolitan Library System will host a series of discussions to celebrate Invisible Man, written by beloved Oklahoma author Ralph Ellison the last week of September. The series kicked off with a Facebook live video discussion led by Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt and executive director of the Ralph Ellison Foundation, Michael Owens.
Invisible Man was selected by PBS “The Great American Read” as one of American’s 100 best-loved books. The book was written in 1952, a time of segregation and racial tension in Oklahoma. Each discussion is scholar led and will focus...
Need a New Read? Ask Alexa to Get it from Your Local Library
OKLAHOMA CITY–Metro Library’s eResource, Hoopla Digital, launched an Alexa integration enabling library customers with the Amazon Alexa smart home speaker to use voice commands to access their library Hoopla account – giving customers more from their library, without leaving the house.
The integration will allow library customers to use voice commands like, “Alexa, ask Hoopla to list popular audiobooks” or “Alexa, ask Hoopla to play my music” and other commands. Through the new Hoopla skill library customers will be able to stream full music CDs and listen to audiobooks that they ...
Anyone Can Wear the Mask
If you get the chance to see “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” before it leaves the theaters, take it! I saw it with my grand-nephew last year and we both loved it. Seeing Miles Morales, a biracial teen donning the mantle of Spider-Man was pretty amazing to my nephew who is also biracial. After we left the movie theater, a line that Miles said stuck with me… “Anyone can wear the mask”.
He got me to thinking about when I was younger reading comic books and fantasy novels. I devoured books where people who came from different lands and didn’t look ...
Celebrate Galentine's Day!
“What is Galentine’s Day? Oh, it’s only the best day of the year,” says Leslie Knope, the optimistic, ambitious community organizer played by Amy Poehler on the TV show Parks & Recreation. In the show’s second season, Leslie explains her made-up holiday, “Every February 13th, my lady friends and I leave our husbands and our boyfriends at home, and we just come and kick it, breakfast style. Ladies celebrating ladies. It’s like Lilith Fair, minus the angst. Plus frittatas.”
I love this idea. First of all, breakfast is my most favorite food. Why? Name a breakfast food that can’t ...
Its time to vote for the Sequoyah Book Awards!
Did you know that Oklahoma is home to one of the oldest book awards in the nation?
The Sequoyah Book Awards recognize the unique and creative achievements of American authors, and the best part is, it’s selected by the youth who read their titles!
Students who have read three or more titles on the 2019 Sequoyah Masterlist are qualified to cast a vote for this year’s winners.
The deadline to vote is March 15, 2019.
Age groups are as follows (click age group to read the PDF masterlist): Children’s (Grades 3-5)Vote Now