Today we wrap up our celebration of National Library Week at the Delaware County District Library. The week kicked off on Sunday, April 3, with comedian and legendary Saturday Night Live cast member Molly Shannon as the honorary chair of the celebratory week.
This week, the theme “Connect with Your Library” took center stage to promote that libraries are places to get connected to technology, connect with traditional resources for learning like media and classes, and to connect with one another.
Of course, National Library Week is the perfect opportunity to drop into your local library if you haven’t visited in person in some time. You might be surprised by what you find. At the Delaware County District Library, we are a hub for a variety of needs – education, entertainment, relaxation, connection, creation, and more.
On Monday, the American Library Association (ALA) released the annual State of America’s Libraries Report, which features the Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2021. The ALA tracked 729 challenges to library, school and university materials and services in 2021. Nearly 1,600 individual books were challenged or banned for many different reasons. If you’re ever curious about the Delaware County District Library’s collection development policy, we’re happy to share it with you.
National Library Workers Day was a reason for celebration on Tuesday. This is the best time to thank the people who make a library operational day-in and day-out. It was followed by National Library Outreach Day on Wednesday, a day for our Community & Family Outreach Services Department – the wonderful individuals who run our Bookmobile and home delivery programs to meet patrons where they are.
On Wednesday, I also had the chance to celebrate Take Action for Libraries Day (regularly on Thursday) a little early when I went down to the Ohio Statehouse for Library Advocacy Day with the Ohio Library Council. Delegates from DCDL, Community Library in Sunbury, and Wornstaff Memorial Public Library in Ashley took the time to meet with the offices of Rep. Kris Jordan and Sen. Andrew Brenner. We shared stories of how we’ve worked with our communities throughout the pandemic, and we thanked the representatives for their continued support of Ohio libraries.
This week, the Delaware County District Library also celebrated our successes by sharing our 2021 annual report with our most important stakeholders – the citizens we serve every day! If you’re a DCDL cardholder and receive our email notices, you would have received your digital copy in your inbox on Wednesday morning. We provided a look at the past year, and a celebration of the future as we prepare to welcome the Liberty Branch Library later this fall.
Thank you for celebrating National Library Week with us this week, and thank you for the support you give every day.
This week we take a look at some of the feature films that have jumped from the page to the screen! Find out where you can watch the films below, or check out the books from your local branch.
• “Death on the Nile: A Hercule Poirot Mystery” by Agatha Christie. Kenneth Branagh returns as quirky Belgian detective Hercule Poirot in a new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic 1937 whodunit. Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot co-stars. Watch in theaters, HBO Max and Hulu.
• “Nightmare Alley” by William Lindsay Gresham. Set in the world of a traveling freak show, director Guillermo del Toro’s bleak film adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s titular 1946 noir was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Stream it on Hulu and HBO Max; also available on DVD and Blu-ray.
• “Dune” by Frank Herbert. Long considered “unfilmable,” Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 sci-fi epic was adapted for the big screen in 2021, receiving 10 Oscar nominations, including a nod for Best Picture. You’ll find it now on DVD and Blu-ray.
• “Killing Eve: Codename Villanelle” by Luke Jennings. Luke Jennings’ popular cat-and-mouse thriller series centers on an MI5 agent entangled with the Russian assassin she’s been hired to catch; its buzzy adaptation has earned numerous accolades for stars Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer. Catch the 4th and final season of Killing Eve on BBC America and AMC+. Earlier seasons can be found on Hulu.
• “The Power of the Dog” by Thomas Savage. Director Jane Campion’s gothic Western adaptation of Thomas Savage’s spare 1967 novel received 12 Academy Award nominations, the most of any film nominated this year. Stream it on Netflix.
• “Stealing Home” by Sherryl Woods. Stealing Home kicks off Sherryl Woods’ bestselling romance series Sweet Magnolias; the heartwarming TV adaptation stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley. Stream seasons 1 and 2 of Sweet Magnolias on Netflix.
