"Oceans of Possibilities": Summer Reading Program 2022

Summer Reading Program 2022 is underway. A porthole is on the Research Room door, the display case has an oceanography theme, and those who wish can learn more about the local marine environment by reviewing these items - and more -  in the BDC. Several of the featured titles also have copies in one or more of the the BCL's branch libraries.  

The underlying assumptions behind summer reading programs are : 1) Summer is an interruption in school-based learning that has a negative impact on the retention and development of children’s reading skills and 2) Summer reading programs help to make-up for this “break” in learning and result in positive reading achievement outcomes when children go back to school in the fall. But SRP can be extended to all ages - and the BCL does that too. The BDC focuses in on the tier of Young Adults, aged 13 to Centenarians. 

The Collaborative Summer Library Program determines the themes, slogans, and does a lot of the graphics work. Libraries decide how to implement the theme. Luckily, the BDC does have some ocean-related and shoreline-related resources to share with our customers. I tried to pick the ones with the most colorful or interesting covers for the display case. 

Shelf 1 contains some sea shells and sea glass and two books: A Coast for All Seasons: A Naturalist's Guide to the Coast of South Carolina by Miles O. Hayes and Jacqueline Michel (2008) and Where Have all the Shrimp Boats Gone? : A 100-Year History of the Shrimping Industry in the South Carolina Lowcountry by Woody Collins (2020).  A Coast for All Seasons discusses the formation of coastlines, the difference between coastlines along the state's shore, and the future changes expected to come along the interface between ocean and land. Collins' book examines the development of the trade from the end of the 19th century through oral histories and images. 

Shelf 2 features sea creatures: Sharks, Skates and Rays of the Carolinas by Frank J. Schwartz (2003); selections from the County Channel's award-winning Coastal Kingdom series presented by Tony Mills including "The Salt Marsh" and "Sharks & Rays" on DVDs; Of Sand and Sea: Teachings from the Southeastern Shoreline by Paula Keener-Chavis and Leslie Reynolds Sautter and published by the SC Sea Grant Consortium in 2002 and Sharks in the Shallows by W. Clay Creswell (2021) about shark attacks on humans along the North and South Carolina coasts as well as a copy of the Oceans of Possibilities CSLP poster for adults, pieces of sponge and sea glass, and a shell. 

Shelves 3 and 4 cover natural and commercial history of tasty edible sea creatures. Beaches are a common feature along all of the state's coast - some more accessible than others. William W. Starr offers A Guide to South Carolina Beaches (2001): Shrimp Tales by Beverly Jennings (2020) examines the commercial history of shrimping from Florida to North Carolina; while the Hilton Head Turtle Book by Leslie E. Parker (1997) and the Dolphins of Hilton Head by Cara Gubbens (2002) discuss the animals from a natural history perspective.

History of the South Carolina Blue Crab Fishery by Victor G. Burrell (2009?) is a companion to Burrell's South Carolina Oyster Industry : A History (2003). Burrell was a well-known and highly respected marine scientist who retired as Director of the South Carolina Marine Resources Research Institute in 1991 after which he devoted some of his time and expertise to gathering and writing these histories. 

Nature Guide to the Carolina Coast identifies common birds, crabs, shells, fish and other animals who live along the coasts of North and South Carolina, many in color photographs. 

Tideland Treasure is the ideal book to bring on walks on the beaches of Hilton Head Island and the Southeast coast. This book grew out of a 5-year span of articles that Todd Ballantine published in Island Events Magazine. It is charmingly hand-scripted and replete with his drawings of typically observed plants and animals of the beaches and salt marshes of Hilton Head Island and the Southeast coast. Ballantine even offers ecologically friendly tips such as: Beachgoers should leave living sand dollars on the beach and/or in the surf. Once a sand dollar is bleached white by the sun then it is dead. Dead sand dollars can be picked up. 

Be sure to check out the features - and prizes - that can ensue from joining the Library's Summer Reading Program! The program ends July 31, 2022.