Here is a list of digital resources to keep teens well informed, educated and entertained.

Help with homework:

Gale in Context: Middle School: Middle school students can research their next topic to find videos, newspaper and magazine articles, primary sources, and more.

This resource is being offered temporarily by the publisher during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ebook Central Academic and Public Library Complete: Support your research with e-books on general nonfiction topics such as school & studying, career development, arts & leisure, and practical life skills.

Teen Health & Wellness Center: Provides middle school and high school students with nonjudgmental, straightforward advice and self-help support. Topics include diseases, drugs, alcohol, nutrition, mental health, suicide, bullying, green living, financial literacy, and more. Submit your own writing to the “Tell Your Story” feature, take part in a poll, submit your questions, and see what’s “In the News.”

Testing & Education Reference Center (TERC): Create a free account to gain access to practice tests, including ACT, PSAT, SAT and AP Exams, as well as basic skills tutorials in English/Writing and Math.

tutor.com: Get free homework help in English or Spanish from a live, online, qualified tutor—up to 10 free tutoring sessions each week! Get help in a wide range of subjects including math, science, English, social studies and essay review.

NOTE: One Access students should enter your Student ID number as your username and your 4-digit birth year as your password.

World Book Encyclopedia: This dynamic and interactive online encyclopedia includes access to a Spanish version, e-books for homework help and research projects, and timelines of historical events. World Book Advanced, specifically for grades 8 and up, has been temporarily added by the publisher in response to COVID-19.

Entertainment:

Freegal: Freegal offers download or streaming access to more than 10 million songs, including Sony Music's catalog of legendary artists. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library customers get 5 free downloads per week (songs count as 1 download and videos count as 2). Streaming has temporarily been extended to 24 hours per day until 9/30/20 by the publisher. Once downloaded, the songs or videos are yours to keep!

hoopla: Access e-books, e-audiobooks, comics, music, movies, and tv. Hoopla has temporarily increased its checkouts to 10 per month but also offers “Bonus Borrowers” which do not count against your 10 checkouts.

kanopy: An award-winning video streaming service providing access to more than 30,000 independent and documentary films. During Library closure for COVID-19, you can view 10 items from Kanopy each month. Look for their “Credit-free Viewing” section to find films that will not count against your 10-item limit.

OverDrive eReading Room: Teen Collection: The OverDrive eReading Room: Teen Collection filters the Library's OverDrive collection to show only Teen content, which gets you to the titles you want faster! OverDrive currently allows up to 20 checkouts at a time.

RBdigital: Downloadable e-audiobooks and e-books in popular, literary, and classic fiction, mystery, biography and nonfiction. Filter to see the “young adult” titles. Due to COVID-19, you can have 20 items checked out with 10 requests. RBdigital also offers popular magazines with no limits.

TeenBook Cloud: An online collection of e-books, enhanced novels, graphic novels, videos and e-audiobooks, which offers teens all reading levels access to an amazing range of content.

This resource is being offered temporarily by the publisher during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn a Skill:

Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center: Ferguson’s Career Guidance Center is a comprehensive resource for career exploration and planning that allows you to quickly find the valuable career information you need, whether it’s learning about a profession, school planning resources, or skills and career advice.

lynda.com: Online learning courses in popular fields like web design, web development, IT, education/instruction, media production, and business.

Mango Languages: Language-learning with over 70 world language courses and over 17 ESL/ELL courses, featuring an engaging user interface, voice comparison, fresh design, foreign language films, and cultural anecdotes.

Universal Class: Online learning offering over 540 courses. Take a writing or art class, learn how to knit, improve your cooking or baking skills, or take Babysitting 101.

Originally coined Black Music Month, the commemoration was conceived by black music moguls Kenny Gamble, Dyana Williams and Ed Wright in the 1970s and initiated by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979. The holiday was later renamed African American Music Appreciation Month by President Barack Obama in 2009.  

This month, we celebrate African American musicians, their songs and their lasting cultural and historical impacts. Join the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room as we celebrate this month – our music archive is a treasure trove of music produced by notable African American artists from North Carolina. 

Music created by African Americans has played a significant role in the Long Civil Rights Movement, serving as the rallying cries of protests and the beat to which activists march. Songs used during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s were often pre-existing songs that were modified to reflect the aims of the movement, such as We Shall Overcome and This Little Light of Mine, but there were also many new songs written specifically as protest songs, such as You’d Better Leave Segregation Alone and Dog, Dog by James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette. Some of the most popular tunes were captured in Sing for Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through its Songs, compiled by Guy Carawan in 1990. In addition to providing the lyrics and sheet music for songs used in the Civil Rights Movement, Carawan provides historical context, including events in North Carolina and the city of Charlotte, and includes interviews from the movement’s participants detailing the significance of music to their activities. 

Charlotte has been home to notable rappers, jazz musicians and R&B artists. Some of these Charlotteans include Fantasia, Arsena Schroeder, DaBaby, Deniro Farrar, K-Ci & Jojo, Bettie Grind, Ruga, Anthony Hamilton, Elevator Jay, Lute, Harvey Cummings, Jason Jet, D’Yenna Dukes and Jodeci.  

The city has celebrated the month in several ways – the Harvey B. Gantt Center has held free events in honor of the month, and Charlotte radio station Power 98 FM has dedicated the month of June to honoring African American musicians. The #BeONE Music Experience was also created to observe African American Music Appreciation Month in the Charlotte, bringing together live music, comedians, food and black culture in several celebrations throughout the city during the month of June.  

The Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room’s music archive features a multitude of albums produced by black North Carolinian artists of all genres such as John Coltrane, the Badgett Sisters, Clyde McPhatter, the Jordan River Boys and many others. Also available are albums featuring various artists, such as Big Mamas: Independent Women’s Blues (Ida Cox, Billie Holiday, Martha Copeland) and A Cappella Gospel Singing (Georgia Peach, Dixie Hummingbirds, The Spirit of Memphis Quartet).  

Want to listen to hits by prominent black artists? Check out this compilation of playlists from Freegal: 

• African-American Music Month Playlist 

• Unbreakable: A Juneteenth Playlist 

• Queens of Soul Playlist 

• Jazz Classics Playlist 

• 90's Hip Hop Classics Playlist 

• StayWoke: The Conscious Hip-Hop Collection 

Images: 

Charlotte’s Southland Jubilee Singers, performing for WSOC Radio in the 1940s. Photo donated by Virginia E. Keogh to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

A live performance in Charlotte’s Excelsior Club, broadcast on WGIV radio in the mid-1940s. Photo donated by Carolyn Wyche to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

Charlotte soul artist Arsena Schroder. Photo by Kevin Currie. 

Yanceyville folk and gospel group, the Badgett Sisters. Photo by Roger Manley. Albums available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

The album cover of Rhythm and Soul by Durham R&B, soul, and rock artist Clyde McPhatter. Available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

The album cover of Black Pearls by Hamlet jazz musician John Coltrane. Available for listening in the music archive of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. 

Welcome to Week 3 of Summer Break! Did you know that people of all ages can participate in Summer Break program? We hope that all the members of your family are having a great time participating and logging reading time and activities. Summer Break 2019 will run from June 1, 2019 until August 10, 2019. If you have any questions about Summer Break, check out how the program works and sign up here.

Digital Branch

Summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, but if you are ready to beat the heat, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has you covered. Stay in the cool air conditioning and access our digital branch any time! Available 24/7 here, the Digital Branch has a variety of offerings for all ages. Find fabulous reads, literacy extension activities, and Active Reading tips on the Storytime Train. Tune in and try out one of our podcasts. Get to know our users by viewing videos in “Telling Our Story,” or watch the dialogue develop around local hot topics in Community Conversations.The Digital Branch has something for everyone to enjoy, no matter the time or location!

ImagiCON 2019

Summer is a great time for kids to explore their creativity! Pencil in Saturday, July 20, as a date for people ages 0-18 and their families to do just that at our 4^th annual ImagiCON. Visit ImaginOn: The Joe and Joan Martin Center for a fun day exploring comic books, graphic novels, cosplay, gaming, and more. Meet artists, gaming technology leaders, and attend panels between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Find out more at ImaginOn’s website here.

Celebrate Library Week at Carowinds!

In addition to offering free Carowinds tickets to eligible Summer Break participants, Carowinds also offers Library customers the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets and use them during Carowinds Library Week. This year Carowinds Library Week runs July 22-28. Purchase discounted tickets to be used during Library Week and help us celebrate Summer Break at Carowinds!

Click here to access the portal

User name: CM

Password: LIBRARY 

These are case sensitive.

Additional discounts may also be available through this portal throughout the summer.

Check Out Exciting Upcoming Programs! 

If you are looking for even more to do, all our branches have great programs throughout the summer. Did you know that attending a library event can count as a learning activity? Our libraries are hosting some wonderful programs this summer. Visit our online calendar to see a complete listing and register.

Remember: all libraries will be closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, give us a call at 704-416-0101 or email us at [email protected].

What does Landis Wade do?

Everything! And the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is thrilled to be along for the ride! If you’re local to Charlotte, the name “Landis” might ring a bell. An avid outdoorsman, public speaker, self-described "recovering  trial lawyer," award-winning author and host of the exciting Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis is a native Charlottean (he graduated from Myers Park High School in 1975!) who’s making waves in the literary community. Even better? In spring 2019, the Library teamed up with him to host the Charlotte Readers Podcast!

Through the Charlotte Readers Podcast, Landis provides a platform where Charlotte-area authors, and those visiting the city, can “give voice to their written words” by reading or discussing their noteworthy works – published or emerging. Landis encourages guests to share stories and poems that evoke the emotions, followed by the kind of questions and answers that provide in-depth insight to the readings.

Hosting Charlotte Readers Podcast is a natural fit for the Library, which is an essential connector of a thriving community of readers, leaders and learners. It’s an opportunity to introduce the community to a variety of authors and writers through a growing medium in a location they can access without a subscription or special app.

Are you a fan of Landis? When he's not spending time with his beautiful wife, Janet, their two children, Jordan and Hamilin, or spending time at his cabin in the North Carolina mountains (where he likes to  read, write, hike, bike, golf and fly-fish), you can keep up with him and the latest episodes of theCharlotte Readers Podcast.

The seventh season of the Charlotte Readers Podcast begins in September 1, 2020. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE CURRENT SEASON AND ALL AVAILABLE EPISODES.

Also, be sure to follow the Charlotte Readers Podcast on social media:

Twitter: @charlottereader

Facebook: @charlottereaderspodcast

It’s week four of Summer Break! Hopefully you’ve been logging your reading time and activities, but if you haven’t, it’s not too late to enroll in the program and join in on the fun. You can even backdate your reading time to the start of the program, June 1. Keep reading, learning and exploring through the end of the program, August 10, 2019.

Making sure you get rewarded for a summer well spent

Library staff have been working hard preparing for Summer Break since September 2018 – developing recommended reading lists, engaging programs and fun incentives.

One of the biggest tasks for the team that manages the Summer Break program is choosing, ordering and sorting all the cool incentives you receive upon completion of the program. This year:

• babies and children earn a new, popular book;
• teens earn either a new, popular book OR a drawstring library tote;
• and adults earn either a car magnet OR notebook.

Once incentives are chosen, the team works with the Marketing and Communications Department to create and order lots of flyers, posters and other print materials to help us tell you all about the program. Printed pieces are sorted and distributed to all 20 library locations.

Staff then order what feels like an ocean of books for babies, children and teens. Each box must be opened, organized and sorted so that every library location has just the right selection of books for participants to choose from when they complete Summer Break.

Staff also sort drawstring book totes, notebooks and car magnets so that teen and adult completers have a variety of colors to choose from at their library location. Check out the beautiful bright yellow!

Once boxes are sorted and labeled, they are taken to the dock to be delivered to library locations.

A lot of hard work is put into Summer Break with the goal of participants enjoying the program and having fun reading and learning all summer long.

To learn more about how the Summer Break program works, and how you can sign up to participate, visit summerbreak.cmlibrary.org.

REMINDER: all library locations are closed for July 4.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break website or your account? Do you have questions about the program? Feel free to stop by your local library for assistance, call 704-416-0101 or email [email protected].