May 1, 2021

The Summer Fun Program is for all ages! 

Summer is the time to relax with friends and family and have fun doing those things you might not have had time for during the rest of the year. The New Orleans Public Library’s annual Summer Fun Program offers New Orleanians young, old, and in-between ways to learn, celebrate, and have fun!  

KIDS

Kids (and parents) can register on nolalibrary.org to join the Live Virtual Storytimes every Saturday morning. Each week, children’s librarians present songs, stories, and rhymes perfect for little ears.

Big kids can join the Bubble Talk Book Club (great for ages 7–11), with graphic novel discussions held on the fourth Thursday of each month.  

And don’t miss the special virtual performances hosted weekly by the library! Summer guest appearances will include Laveau Contraire for Drag Queen Story Hour, historian Gaynell Brady discussing “What is Juneteenth,” and Audubon Nature Institute team members. Suggested summer reading includes All Different Now: Juneteenth, The First Day of Freedom by Angela Johnson.   

(Helpful tip: Search for these events -and more- on the NOPL events page.)

TEENS

Music-loving teens can use e-resources like Hoopla and Freegal to expand on the library’s own already huge music collection available online. And on June 2, teens can attend the awesome BEAT Global workshop on the art of beat-making, songwriting, and rhyming. 

Is your teen looking for a great book? Check out Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger about how one Indigenous teen spends a very unusual summer vacation.  

More enjoyable and thought-provoking Summer Fun offerings can be found at nolalibrary.org/events.  

Kids and teens should keep track of their progress reading books and participating in the library’s summer programs. Those who complete the Summer Fun Reading Challenge are eligible for entry in the Summer Fun prize raffle. 

ADULTS

You’re never too old for Summer Fun! Adults can join an Edible Foraging workshop with the All You Need Institute, the Native Gardening program with the Native Plant Initiative of Greater New Orleans, and the Microcinema series in the Alvar Library garden, among others.  
 

Looking to expand your skill sets? Don’t miss our financial literacy and budgeting workshops with Flyte Coaching, our naturalization workshop on eligibility requirements for citizenship, or the series on side hustles and the gig economy.  

For a page-turning story of love and family, check out Memorial by Bryan Washington, a UNO alum!  

Signing up for Summer Fun (June 1–July 17) is easy: go to nolalibrary.org or visit your closest branch location for details. We can’t wait to see you having fun with your library this summer!  

August Smith is a children’s librarian at Central City Library and is the co-lead of the Library’s Children’s Program Team.