Did you know that it is written within the Ohio Revised Code that public libraries are to be a place where individuals can register to vote? It’s true! According to the Ohio Revised Code 3503.10 (B), public libraries (among other stated entities) “shall provide in each of its offices or locations voter registration applications and assistance in the registration of persons qualified to register to vote, in accordance with this chapter.”

This means that at any Delaware County District Library branch, we provide a safe location for citizens to complete voter registration forms, fill out absentee ballot request forms, or find reliable information on issues or candidates that they wish to research.

Much of what you may need to do to get ready to vote, the library is the place to do it. Ohio libraries have the privilege of assisting citizens with certain voter services, and we look forward to helping.

This year, there is a special election being held on Aug. 8, so we get an additional opportunity to help inform the public of the voter services we offer. If you’d like to know all the dates or other details regarding elections in Ohio, the library has compiled a list of resources at www.delawarelibrary.org/vote.

Citizens can be prepared to vote by also checking that their voter information is up to date, and that their polling locations have not moved or changed. They can also use resources like vote411.org to find out what is on their ballot or go straight to the Ohio Secretary of State’s website at ohiosos.gov for the voting schedule and online voter registration made easy.

It’s a special gift that libraries get to help our community members participate in civic activities. Perhaps this is your first time voting, or you know a first-time voter. Our staff is ready to help with the resources we have available. We’re glad you asked!

See what’s new on the shelves this month in historical fiction.

• “The House Is on Fire” by Rachel Beanland. Discover the devastating 1811 Richmond Theater Fire where 72 people, including Virginia governor George William Smith, lost their lives. The book offers the perspective of stage boy Jack, present in the rafters when the fire starts; Sally, who finds herself trapped on the third floor; Gilbert, a blacksmith and former slave who hears the chaos from outside the building and runs in to help; and Gilbert’s niece Cecily, who sees the commotion as a chance to escape to freedom.

• “The Great Reclamation” by Rachel Heng. A moving, thought-provoking coming-of-age story about social, political, emotional, and environmental upheaval under the shadow of empire. Set in a fishing village in Singapore, where a young boy’s unique skill set will tie his fate to the community’s, during the time of the Japanese occupation of the region in 1941 through the nation’s journey into postwar self-government.

• “The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho” by Paterson Joseph. Journey into the remarkable life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, a writer, composer, and abolitionist who escaped slavery to eventually become the first person of African descent to vote in Britain in 1774. Joseph writes with a haunting tone and moving portrait of Sancho’s complex and unique position in both British society and London’s nascent Black community.

• “Ada’s Room” by Sharon Dodua Otoo. Buckle up for a generation and continent-spanning saga of four women named Ada who live, love, and share more connections than just their name. The four Adas include a young African woman mourning the loss of her child just before the first European colonizers arrive in 1459; mathematician Ada Lovelace, who readers meet in 1838; a woman being subjected to horrific abuse in a concentration camp in 1945; a modern Ghanaian woman contemplating motherhood in post-Brexit Europe. The leisurely-paced story features a lyrical and stylistically complex style and structure that will appeal most to readers who enjoy literary fiction.

• “Strangers in the Night” by Heather Webb. Satisfy your historical fiction fix with the romantic and dramatic story of the tumultuous relationship between Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra as they weathered career ups and downs, paparazzi pressure, and the volatile chemistry of their strong personalities. Did you know? The two first met when Ava was still married to Mickey Rooney and Frank was still married to his first wife, Nancy Barbato.

If you have a question that you would like to see answered in this column, mail it to Nicole Fowles, Delaware County District Library, 84 E. Winter St., Delaware, OH 43015, or call us at 740-362-3861. You can also email your questions by visiting the library’s web site at www.delawarelibrary.org or directly to Nicole at [email protected]. No matter how you contact us, we’re always glad you asked!