In recognition of National Library Card Sign-Up Month, we'd like to hear your stories of how the library has helped you (during quarantine or before) in a particular time of need or made a difference in your life. Email your story to contactpublicrelations@tcfl.org and let us know if we can share your story on Facebook and in our next eblast (anonymously or not). Thanks for sharing your love for libraries and encouraging everyone in our community to get their own card.

Clean by Amy Reed

DJ Rising by Love Maia

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich by Alice Childress

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert

Saint Anything by Sarah Dressen

Twelve Steps to Normal by Farrah Penn

When the library closes at noon, our staff are busy cleaning high touch surfaces to make sure we keep patrons as safe as possible. Following new safety guidelines, all door handles and light switches are wiped down with disinfectant wipes. We wipe down all table surfaces with an alcohol-based cleaner, and all computer keyboards and mice are disinfected. Staff are also cleaning tables, keyboards, and mice frequently throughout patron visitations times. We hope these cleaning efforts will make our patrons feel comfortable visiting the library.

FOR CHILDREN:

Meet the author of Farah Rocks, the exciting new book series from Capstone, featuring a Palestinian American character -- the brave, funny, and smart Farah Hajjar. Farah has a large rock collection, so gather some rocks from your yard and some paint, and join author Susan Muaddi Darraj in a rock painting activity while she reads from her book. Register HERE.

FOR ADULTS:

Writers LIVE! Ellis Cose, Democracy, If We Can Keep It: The ACLU’s 100-Year Fight for Rights in America

Ellis Cose is a former columnist for Newsweek, chairman of the editorial board of the New York Daily News, contributor and critic for Time, and columnist for USA Today. He will talk about the role of the ACLU from World War I to today, chronicling the ACLU’s role through the horrors of 9/11, the saga of Edward Snowden, and the phenomenon of Donald Trump. For more details and to register visit CLICK HERE. Also broadcast live at facebook.com/theprattlibrary.

New York Times best-selling author of A Man Called Ove, Fredrik Backman, will be live on Zoom to discuss his latest book, Anxious People. In Anxious People, Backman drops us into the world of a failed bank robber and the disparate group of strangers who become unwitting hostages, offering up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.

For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library. Before I fell in love with libraries, I was just a six-year-old boy. The library fueled all of my curiosities, from dinosaurs to ancient Egypt. When I graduated from high school in 1938, I began going to the library three nights a week. I did this every week for almost ten years and finally, in 1947, around the time I got married, I figured I was done. So I graduated from the library when I was twenty-seven. I discovered that the library is the real school. - Ray Bradbury

Check out these simple instructions to access articles from

The Star Democrat and Consumer Reports:

1.    Go to www.tcfl.org.

2.    Click on Find > eResources.

3.    Click on Newsbank – Local Papers of Delmarva.

4.    Enter your Library Card Number and click Go.

5.    Scroll down toward the bottom of the page and look on the right hand side for a blue button labeled Star Democrat and Sunday Star. Click to search or browse archives of the local paper (2005-Current).

1.    Go to www.tcfl.org.

2.    Click on Find > eResources.

3.    Click on MasterFILE Premier.

4.    Enter your Library Card Number if prompted for Patron ID and click Sign In.

5.    Click Publications in the upper left hand corner.

6.    Skip the search box at the top of the page and enter “Consumer Reports” in the box labeled “Browsing: MasterFILE Premier -- Publications.” Click Browse.

7.    Click on Consumer Reports for full text articles from the monthly magazine (1991-Present), or Consumer Reports Buying Guide for Articles and Ratings from the Annual Buying Guide (1999-Present).

8.    To browse by issue, click the dates and volume numbers of interest under “All Issues” on the right hand side of the page. To search all articles by keyword, regardless of date or issue, click Search Within This Publication on the left hand side of the page.

A Parent’s Guide to Virtual Learning: 4 Actions to Improve Your Child’s Experience with Online Learning – designed to help parents with student who are entitled to specialized instructional services.

WideOpenSchool for parents (powered by Common Sense Media) – resources include, but not limited to: Back to school guides, daily schedules, content area activities and lessons, virtual field trips, etc.

Tips for Setting Up an At- Home Learning Environment for Young Children - a list of strategies that support all learners as you set-up an at-home learning environment for your students

How do I best support my child while learning at home – tips for parents to support their student’s learning shared by Baltimore County Public Schools.

Parent Tips and Tricks for Distance Learning – Help parents and caregivers keep focused, interested, and balanced while learning from home.

Brainfuse ensures that students, adult learners, and job-seekers have access to a personalized, all-in-one learning experience. They work with live tutors, collaborate with peers, and study on their own. Users decide how they want to acquire a skill or grasp a concept, and Brainfuse gives them the tools to master it. They also have online homework help every day from 2 – 11 p.m., all accesible with your library card. Parents and college students can even get help filling out the FAFSA form!

Click here, scroll down to A-Z, and look for Brainfuse.

Click the image above for a list of job opportunities available in Talbot County.