National Library Week April 6-12

We’ve made it through the winter, and it’s finally spring! That’s always good news, but April brings libraries and their communities something even more special. National Library Week will be celebrated from April 6 to April 12 this year, and it provides us with a great opportunity to invite everyone to visit CDPL.

This year, illustrators Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud serve as Honorary Chairs of National Library Week, and the theme is “Drawn to the Library.” Which leads us to the question, “What draws you to the library?” During National Library Week, in our Circulation Department, we have an opportunity for you to fill in your own word bubble answering this question, and in the Adult Services Department, you can be creative and make your own artist trading card!

But if you haven’t been to CDPL before, you probably don’t have a ready answer. So it’s a perfect time to give a summary of the library’s offerings. We hope that it helps to highlight the importance of the library and our services in our community.

The library is open 68 hours per week, offering anyone access to photocopiers, internet-access computers, printers, and even a public notary by appointment. There’s a comfy chair waiting for you should you decide to come and read one of the 101,764 books in our print collection, or perhaps an issue of one of the 184 magazine subscriptions received by the library. Not into reading so much? No worries.

The library now offers puzzles to borrow, with a board game collection to launch soon, and over 6,700 DVD or Blu-ray items to borrow and watch. With streaming services, there are always movies currently not available. Find the movies you’re missing at CDPL or consider skipping the subscription costs completely, it’s your choice.

But what if internet access itself is an issue? With a library card, you can borrow a hotspot so you can use your laptop at home. No laptop? With a library card, you can borrow a Chromebook to use at home, or borrow a laptop to use here. Once you’re online, take advantage of the library’s easy-to-use ebooks, e-audiobooks, and streaming services.

If you’d like to learn some fun things and meet some neighbors, consider coming to our awesome programs. We have something for every age, from Wiggle & Giggle for our youngest ones, to teen and adult offerings such as book groups, nature hikes, and even a cookbook club. Last year CDPL held 484 programs, with a total attendance of 9,599 people!

If any of our services are news to you, I recommend subscribing to the library’s e-newsletter, Wowbrary, to be sure you don’t miss out on anything. Please enroll at Wowbrary.org/signup.aspx, and we hope to see you very soon at CDPL.

Jodie Steelman Wilson is Crawfordsville Public Library’s Assistant Director