Summer Reading Programs for You!

2023 is a year for Summer Reading Program options. In fact, I am going to tell you about 2 SRPs in this post. 

1) As is customary, the Beaufort County Library is sponsoring a Summer Reading Program this year. It runs two months: June 1 through July 31. You're always invited to participate! There's no registration. You can either pick up a paper game board at your favorite Branch Library or download and print one yourself.  The Adult readers SRP has been around BCL for about a decade or so now. Whatever you want to read is fine for the purposes of participation. Plus there are some family programs and even two local history programs geared towards adults to pick from to help check off blocks on the game boards. So I recommend that you participate in the Library's traditional SRP. I will. 

But let's say that you are of a particularly history-related bent of mind. (I'd say that that conclusion isn't much of a stretch since you're reading my local history related blog at the moment.) Well, as it turns out the American Historical Association is in its 2nd year running its own Summer Reading Challenge. (I missed it last year). It's also easy-peasy: Read one history non-fiction "item" per month (yes, journal articles or even a book chapter each count as 1 item) in June, July and August. You get a bit longer to finish the AHA SRC: It begins June 1 but runs about 5 weeks longer that the Library's customary SRP. In other words, you have until Labor Day, Monday, September 4, 2023 to get the reading all done. You can use the Bingo card pictured here to guide you to select three items in a row or column. If you're like me, the challenge is limiting myself to only 3 items. 

Just based on book recommendation flyers I've made in the past 3 or so years, I can offer you lots of local history titles to consider. Here are three flyers to get you started: 

On May 2nd we offered the Jackpot program with Jason Ryan. I distributed copies of this flyer at that local history program. If you enjoy true crime stories, the Library has a number of titles to share. (Carnival of Blood is by far my favorite title for a true crime book). 

At the "Liberty Trail" presentation with Bill Davies, I distributed copies of some recommended reading about the course of the American Revolution in South Carolina. Just by reading the three American Revolution related chapters in Dr. Rowland's The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, 1514-1860 you could complete the AHA SRC. 

I had copies of this flyer available for attendees at "Dueling in Beaufort District" with Neil Baxley on May 24th. 

BTW: The items with +hoopla means that the SCLENDS consortium has printed copies and that there is an electronic copy and/or audio book of the title on the Library's Hoopla digital collection. If you have a Beaufort County Library card, you can easily set up an account at start borrowing e-books, audio books, listening to music, watching television shows or movies. The details are found on the Library's Hoopla landing page.

In case you're wondering, I always try to have flyers or displays relating to the local history topic du jour at all BDC sponsored programs. So expect another post after Professor Hollis' June 24th presentation and yet another after Nathan Betcher's talk about Reconstruction Era politics on July 12th. I even have some suggestions for my August 22nd presentation about the Hurricane of 1893 to share.

And hot off the Grace Press is a list of recommended materials about the history of Northern Beaufort County that I created in honor of Lobeco Branch Library's 20th birthday. 

In other words, there are boocoodles of local history titles to read and enjoy over the next several months. 

At the end of the summer, AHA Reads runs through Labor Day, we might be able to do an online discussion of what we've individually and collectively read for the AHA Summer Reading Challenge 2023. Let me know if you're interested: 843-255-6468 or bdc@bcgov.net.