Read! Learn! Explore! Books! Fun! Challenge! Prizes! Just a few words to describe Summer Break!

Every year it takes a whole team working behind the scenes to bring Summer Break to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library! Staff work on building the online challenge; create, sort and distribute incentives and marketing materials to branches; build engaging displays; and attend community events just to list a few things staff do to create and promote this fun community challenge!

So much work is put into the program for multiple reasons but the best part about Summer Break for staff is hearing from participants about all the amazing, wonderful, little, powerful, or unexpected ways that the community challenge and the library has impacted their lives.

Want to share what you love and enjoy about the library or Summer Break? Send us an email at [email protected], use the Contact Us form on Beanstack, or share your feedback with staff next time you visit the library.

Comments? Questions?

Are you having problems with the Summer Break 2023 website or your account?  Do you have questions about the program?  Feel free to call your local branch or email us at [email protected] for help or feedback.

The 2023 Summer Break program is brought to you by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library with additional support from Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation.  

Summer Break lasted from June 1^st to July 31^st, with support from Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation, and, of course, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

We read, learned, and explored the summer away. The last 8 weeks were filled with incredible displays, lots of badges, photos with Queen Charlotte, plenty of points earned and activities completed, and, of course, lots and lots of reading! In fact, we ended up with 9,129,360 total minutes read system-wide. Wow!

Now that Summer Break is at its end, don’t forget to pick up your prizes, and keep an eye out for the drawing for a 4-pack of tickets to a Charlotte Football Club game (with one 4-pack per branch, ages 5-17)! The top 20 readers of Summer Break will also be given the opportunity to tour the Charlotte Football Club stadium (ages 5-17)!

Have any thoughts to share? You can always talk to the staff at your local branch, or email us at [email protected].

We hope you had a wonderful summer, and thanks for joining us this Summer Break!

The 2023 Summer Break program is brought to you by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library with additional support from Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation.

This blog was written by Serena Guest, library collections associate, at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

We made it to summer! Temperatures are already soaring and the kids are out of school for a few months.  If you’re looking for a great library resource children can enjoy while also sharpening their reading skills, Hoopla is it. Hoopla is an amazing service that offers ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music and comics. All you need is a Library card (https://www.cmlibrary.org/getacard) to access a world of exploration.

Once your account is created, make sure to turn on kids mode by clicking the word KIDS onthe top right-hand side to find many kid-friendly titles. Kids Mode is curated content for kids up to age 12. Note: There are different age ranges using this feature and titles available range from G-General Audiences to PG-Parental Guidance Suggested. Parents or guardians are expected to decide whether a specific title is appropriate for their child.

Here are the top five kids titles that were checked out from Hoopla by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library users last month:

1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
Available in eBook and audiobook.

2. Big Nate: Beware of Low-Flying Corn Muffins by Lincoln Peirce
Available in comic format.

3. Disney Classic Stories: Encanto*
Available as a Read-Along ebook. *A favorite of my seven-year-old

4. Big Shot by Jeff Kinney
Available in eBook.

5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Available in eBook and audiobook.

Learn more about Hoopla checkout limits here. 

At Charlotte Mecklenburg Library we aim to have library services extend beyond our physical locations. This year Library staff have attended multiple events around Charlotte to talk about Library services and Summer Break. At any of these events, staff can help you sign up and log your reading and activities for Summer Break!

National Night Out

Multiple branches will be participating in National Night Out this year, a great event to learn about community resources for adults and children. Dates vary, but most of the events will be taking place on August 2, 2022 and it is advised to check with your local branch for details. At each event visitors to the Library’s table can pick up some great swag and learn more about Summer Break

Soccer Game

You may have seen the Library at a recent Charlotte Football Club game against the New York Red Bulls in early June. This year, Charlotte Football Club has partnered with the Library to sponsor Summer Break. Library staff members met with soccer fans and talked about available services and Summer Break.

Heroes Con

Graphic Novel and comic book enthusiast library staff showcased Library services, Summer Break, and even participated in a panel about banned books at Heroes Con in late June. Visitors to the Library’s table had the opportunity to take a photo using the photo booth, spin the prize wheel for various prizes, pick up a graphic novel or two and learn about Summer Break.

If you see the Library around town, come and say hi and ask us about Summer Break.

Comments? Questions?  

Are you having problems with the Summer Break 2022 website or your account?  Do you have questions about the program?  Feel free to call your local branch or email us at [email protected] for help or feedback.  

The 2022 Summer Break program is brought to you by Charlotte Mecklenburg Library with additional support from Wendy’s, Charlotte Football Club and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation. 

This blog was written by Darrell Anderson, marketing and communications specialist for Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.

Whether you need resources for your small business or just want to stream the newest hit music, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library has a vast catalog of digital resources to fit your needs. Check out some of our offerings below and some fun facts about the Queen City's namesake monarch Queen Charlotte.

Did You Know? — Queen Charlotte spoke three language and you can, too. Learn Afrikaans, Tagalog, the language of love, or whatever you like for FREE with Transparent Language and your Library card.

Transparent Language provides a fun, effective, and engaging experience for learners of all levels looking to build their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a foreign language. With over 110 languages to choose from, including English for speakers of over 30 languages, there is something for every learner. 

access Transparent Language now

Did You Know? — Queen Charlotte had serious musical chops! Not only was she versed in the harpsichord and tutored in music by Johann Christian Bach (the son of Johann Sebastian Bach), but she also was a muse to other classical musicians of the time. Enjoy the latest music tracks from all your favorite artists for free from hoopla and Freegal Music through the Library.

• Freegal Music is a free downloadable music service from your Library. Freegal offers download or streaming access to more than 10 million songs, including Sony Music's catalog of legendary artists. Also available are approximately 15,000 music videos to download. Charlotte Mecklenburg Library customers get 5 free downloads (songs are 1 download and videos are 2) and 5 hours of streaming each week. Once downloaded, the songs or videos are yours to keep! Mobile and tablet customers, download the Freegal app for iOS and Android.   
• hoopla allows customers to instantly borrow e-books, comics, audiobooks, music, movies and television — with no holds, and no waiting! And there's no need to worry about late fees; hoopla features an automated service that returns your item once your time is up. Content can be streamed to computers, tablets or smartphones, and can be downloaded to mobile devices to allow for offline viewing any time.    

          access freegal music now         access hoopla now 

Did You Know? — In addition to being royalty, Queen Charlotte was also a philanthropist who supported small business across the city of London. But you don’t have to be royalty to start your own business. All you need is a Library card to give you access to our vast catalog of free business resources including LinkedIn Learning and Universal Class.

• LinkedIn Learning is an online educational site that includes over 3,000 courses (and over 130,000 videos) in popular fields like web design, web development, IT, education/instruction, media production and business.  
• Universal Class is an online education experience offering over 540 courses in subjects like Entrepreneurship, Home and Garden Care, Computers and Technology, Health and Medicine, Homeschooling, Job Assistance, Law and many more.

access LinkedIn Learning now       Access Universal Class Now