Published June 18, 2020
By ALLIE HASTINGS
NORTH READING — In spite of the difficulties posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic, staff members at the Flint Memorial Library are doing everything they can to ensure a smooth-sailing summer of reading for local residents and North Reading families.
In the wake of social distancing, the library has had to creatively reinvent the way their services are delivered, and are now pursuing the avenue of virtual programming to keep the community connected.
On Monday, June 15, the Flint Memorial Library virtually kicked off its 2020 Summer Reading Program for kids, the theme of which entails escaping an enchanted forest. In order to flee the forest and get past fairies, dragons, and other mystical creatures, children must complete at least eight activities or readings to successfully find their way out.
The 2020 Summer Reading Program will run for a total of nine weeks, ending on August 14, so kids who participate can essentially perform one activity per week to stay on track, completing the program by the end of the summer.
“Songs and Rhymes” remains popular
The Head of Children and Teen Services, Danielle Masterson, is also hosting a weekly virtual program on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. called “Songs and Rhymes,” in which she and her husband Les sing along to popular songs and melodies as their dogs Chloe and Rosie join in on the fun.
These videos are uploaded to Facebook Live and posted to Instagram, but they can also be found at www.flintmemoriallibrary.org/at-home for families who miss the initial live streams but want to watch them at a later date. Masterson explains that she’s managed to put together at least “20 songs and rhymes since the pandemic started” in an effort to keep children engaged in educational learning this summer.
In addition to the Summer Reading Program and “Songs and Rhymes” events, local families with young children can look forward to participating in an array of summer programs which will be held between the months of June through August and will be conducted virtually over the library’s social media platforms.
The Flint Memorial Library is also planning to host special guest readers on Mondays at 2 p.m. over Facebook Live for the time being, until the building reopens.
Author series to resume
North Reading Librarian Lynne Querzoli is hoping to have a more concrete schedule set up for virtual programming by July 1, and expects that the library will continue to primarily feature author presentations for adults, which typically entail the promotion of an established writer’s book, followed by a Q&A session.
Support available for online access
Moving forward, the library may be using the platform Zoom to deliver these guest-speaker events to the community, as well as other DIY craft and cooking activities that can still be conducted virtually. Querzoli would like to stress that members of the library staff will work closely with patrons who experience difficulty accessing the links to virtual programs, as they want this transition from in-person to virtual service to be as stress-free as possible.
The Flint Memorial Library’s Curbside Pick-up Process began on Wednesday, June 10; staff members are currently taking hold requests over the phone at 978-664-4942 and are calling their local patrons to let them know when holds are available for pick-up, but individuals can also place a hold online at www.flintmemoriallibrary.org.
The Flint Memorial Library’s service hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, and 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Friday. Holds will be placed in a brown paper bag, labeled with the patron’s name on the outside, and made available for pick-up in the activity room of the library, which is accessible directly from the rear lot. Staff members ask that town residents and local visitors aim to retrieve their request within five days of the hold being made available.
At this time, all materials, items, and books requested for pick-up must be stored and owned by the North Reading Flint Memorial Library; staff members cannot pull volumes from other local libraries. The list of required summer reading for grades 6-12 has been made accessible and can now be viewed via the summer reading catalogue on the Flint Memorial Library Website.
The Flint Memorial Library staff would like to specifically thank and give a shout-out to Stop & Shop for graciously donating 300 brown paper bags, which they have been using non-stop to carry out their Curbside Pick-up process.
For more information on the library’s virtual programming plans, how to get involved, or how to host your own virtual event, please contact lquerzoli@northreadingma.gov and a response will be delivered promptly.
Questions or comments regarding the Children’s Summer Reading Program can be directed to Danielle Masterson at dmasterson@northreadingma.gov, and families can visit https://flintmemoriallibrary.org/summer-reading-2020/ to gather more information on summer reading events and details.
Additionally, general comments, questions, and inquiries can be addressed to the Director of the Library, Sharon Kelleher, at skelleher@northreadingma.gov.
Dates for children’s summer programs
• June 22 at 10:30 a.m. – Magnificent Monster Circus virtual program. Available for viewing from June 22 to June 28.
• June 22 to June 27 – Merrimack Valley Library Con for Tweens & Teens. Also includes storytimes for younger audiences. Full schedule on Facebook and Instagram.
• June 23 to June 29 – Crazy Hair / Crazy Hat virtual contest begins. (Details available in a related story on children’s author Jonathan Eig published in today’s Transcript or NRLibraryLolaJonesContest@gmail.com.)
• July 7 – Contest winner announced.
• July 20 at 10:30 a.m. – Ed the Wizard in Meal Time Magic virtual program. Available for viewing from July 20 to August 31.
• August 10 at 10:30 a.m. – Magic School Bus virtual program. Ms. Frizzle teaches us about the ocean. Available for viewing from August 10 to August 31.