12Personalizing your reading listIf you’re excited about a book you saw on a “most-anticipated”
list, submit a purchase request online or in person at your library.
Librarians want to carry books that people want to read. Also,
they’re good at recommending what to read next—so don’t be shy
when you can’t decide.11Engaging the elderlyMore than 40 percent of seniors
in a national survey reported reg-
ularly feeling lonely. Books by
mail and mobile libraries can be
lifelines for the elderly, especially
those who are homebound. In
Missouri, the Springfield-Greene
County Library has implemented
another way to reach out: Stories
for Life, a program for people
with dementia and Alzheimer’s,
encourages patrons to converse,
share stories, and enjoy books.
Librarian Tysha Shay, manager
of the Republic Branch, helped
establish this program in 2012,
after her grandmother died due to
complications from Alzheimer’s.
“When we were going through
that journey with her, there were
definitely materials in the library
that still resonated with her,” she
says. “I read the Bible with her,
and poetry. I could tell it made
a difference.” More than 5,000
patrons have participated in the
program since it launched. “You
see brightness coming back into
their eyes,” Shay says. “They’ll tell
you, ‘I may not remember this,
but right now, this is great.’ ”15Lending books...without a visitYou don’t need to physically visit the library to check out books.
Download the Libby app (free; iOS and Android), sync up your
card, and start borrowing e-books and audiobooks. It’s just one
more way libraries are making themselves accessible.13Making musicI remember my childhood library
in Piscataway as a quiet place,
but it now hosts popular perfor-
mances by jazz trios and other
music groups. “If we had an
unlimited budget, we would have
a regular concert program,” librar-
ian Melissa Schabel says. Some
libraries even offer DIY options.
The Seattle Public Library’s
central branch has two practice
rooms—each equipped with a dig-
ital piano—that you can reserve
for up to an hour. For those in
need of an instrument, the Library
of the Chathams in New Jersey
lends acoustic guitars, ukuleles,
flutes, trumpets, and more.14Feeding kids in the summerWhen summer break starts, the
National School Lunch Program
ends for the year—leaving the 30
million children who rely on it
without that daily meal. Working
with the U.S. Department of Agri-
culture’s Summer Food Service
Program or local agencies and
food pantries, libraries across the
country provide free meals with
a side of storytime.DonÕt be surprisedif the next timeyou stop into yourlocal library, yousee a child readingaloud to a dog.84 REAL SIMPLE APRIL 2020RELATING0420LIB.V1.indd 84 FINAL 2/21/20 3:11 PM