Spring Activities at the Library are many!

StoryTime

Join us for our weekly StoryTime sessions as we guide your little ones as they explore the world around them through books, fingerplays, and songs. 

Provide quality programming that prepares our children for school 

Virtual StoryTime 

Visit our online calendar for the Zoom link. 

March 3 @ 10:30 am 

March 10 @ 10:30 am 

March 17 @ 10:30 am 

March 24 @ 10:30 am 

Farewell to Miss Jackie 

Help us say goodbye to Miss Jackie at this special in-person event. 

March 31 @ 10:30 am (Fincastle) 

In-Person StoryTime 

Starting April 4 

Miss Angie 

Tuesdays @ 10:30 am (Blue Ridge) 

Miss Rebekah 

Wednesdays @ 10:30 am (Eagle Rock) 

Miss Cari 

Thursdays @ 10:30 am (Fincastle) 

Miss Jaime 

Fridays @ 10:30 am (Buchanan) 

Therapy Dog Reading Sessions

Tuesday, March 8 Buchanan @ 3:00 pm- 4:00 pm 

Tuesday, March 22  Eagle Rock @ 3:00 pm –4:00 p 

Tuesday, April 5  Fincastle @ 3:00 pm – 3:00 pm 

Tuesday, April 19 Blue Ridge @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 p 

Therapy dogs offer students physical and mental health benefits. 

A therapy dog can help students become:   

• More comfortable and confident in the classroom. 
• Less stressed. Did you know that the simple act of petting a dog reduces stress levels? Not only will students become less stressed but have lower blood pressure.     
• More focused. The reduction of stress levels and anxiety offered by therapy dogs will help kids be more physically present during school. Plus, being able to play with a puppy helps boost the physical well-being of students.     

To encourage mindfulness and promote World Storytelling Day this event will rotate library branches through the month of March and April.  

• Students can sign up for 20-minute reading sessions where they will get to read one-on-one with a therapy dog in a private room.  (student, dog and handler) 
• Students can choose whatever they want to read 

Women in the Congo: Author Talk with Elsie McKee

March 18 @ 11:00 AM Fincastle 

Cradling Abundance: One African Christian’s Story of Empowering Women and Fighting Systemic Poverty (IVP Academic) by “Maman” Monique Misenga Ngoie Mukuna is the result of thousands of hours of conversations in French and Tshiluba that McKee translated and edited. The book recounts the experiences of Maman Monique, a lay leader in the Presbyterian Church in Congo, and includes historical background, cultural notes, and a study guide written by McKee. 

Storytelling Through Art:  Author/Illustrator talk with Bob Shea
Saturday, March 19 (celebrate World Storytelling Day)   

@ 11:00 AM 

Virtual broadcast at BR, BU and ER and FI available along with drawing stations 

Visit online library calendar for Zoom link   (bocolibraries.info)

Bob Shea is a beloved, award-winning author and illustrator of some of our favorite children’s books.  He has a YouTube series called Story Safari where he shows viewers how they can take a household item, such as a stapler, and create an entire story through their artwork.   

Participants will get to interact with Bob in this 45-minute virtual program as he creates art right before their eyes.  He will introduce them to his new book, Chez Bob, and show participants how they can create stories using what they have lying around the house. 

Stories, Songs and Stretches

Saturday, March 26 Fincastle @ 11:00 am 

Tuesday, March 29 Blue Ridge @ 4:00 pm 

Saturday, April 9 Eagle Rock @ 11:00 am 

Saturday, April 16 Buchanan @ 11:00 am 

Introduce yoga and breathing techniques to children through our mindfulness storytime series.  Each session will include movements that will help children develop balance, awareness and coordination.  Stories and songs will be incorporated into our poses and stretches, as well as through highlighted picture books that promote mindfulness. 

Virginia Career Works Blue Ridge……What Can They Do For Me?

March 29 Buchanan

April 7 Eagle Rock

Learn how Virginia Career Works can help give you the knowledge and skills you need to make future career and life decisions. 

Coffee Connections

April 4-April 9

Celebrate National Library Week this April by stopping by any of our branches for coffee and a chat.  Get to know your local government and community partners in this informal conversation.   

Visit our online calendar for a full list of partners, dates, and times. 

Big Library Read
April 4- April 18

Global ebook club 

Big Library Read is an opportunity for those with a valid library card to read the same digital title at the same time without any wait lists or holds. Participating in this event allows your library to offer a new simultaneous use title for community-wide access from your library at no cost. It’s a worldwide digital version of a local book club, and an opportunity for your library to generate more interest in your digital collection beyond the bestsellers. Thousands of libraries have already enjoyed great success engaging thousands of new and current users with Big Library Read. 

The next book is Music is History by Questlove 

From April 4-18, use #biglibraryread on social media for a chance to win Apple AirPods Pro. 

Carilion Wellness Workshops

April 8 @ 11:00 AM Buchanan 

April 12 @ 11:00 AM Blue Ridge 

Friday April 8:  Buchanan (meditations) 

Tue April 12:  Blue Ridge (mindful eating) 

Light lunch provided. 

Uncovering a Botetourt Legend:  Author Talk with Ken Conklin

May 21 @ 11:00 AM Eagle Rock 

Discover an unsung American hero as author, Ken Conklin, reveals the remarkable life of Norvel Lee, a Black Olympic gold medalist, Tuskegee Airman, military officer, and prominent educator who grew up in Jim Crow-era Virginia and brought a landmark civil rights case to court. 

Financial Well-Being For All
April 12 Fincastle 

April 14 Blue Ridge 

Participants will learn how to make (and stick to) a budget, savings and automation, how to manage your investments and what to do if you find yourself in debt. 

Grow BoCo: A Botanical Expo

April 23 Eagle Rock  

Come together and swap seeds, plants and stories as we explore the world of gardening through hands-on activities, demos and workshops.  Community partners will be onsite to answer all your gardening questions. 

A plant and seed swap is a forum for swapping out plants with fellow gardeners.  Seed and plant exchanges allow gardeners in the community to come together and share seeds, cuttings, and transplants from their own gardens to swap with others.   

Along with swapping of plants and seeds we will have gardening demos and workshops to participate in, plus informational tables by our community partners. 

Lily Williams, author of If Bees Disappeared will join us virtually for a discussion on why bees are so important to our lives.  12pm noon

Recycle and Remake Series
Friday, April 8 Eagle Rock @ 3:00 pm 

Friday, April 15 Blue Ridge @ 3:00 pm 

Friday, April 22 Buchanan @ 3:00 pm 

Friday, April 29 Fincastle @ 3:00 pm 

The activities in this series are designed to help our patrons make stuff from things that they might otherwise throw out.  Each participant will be given a list of items they can collect from the garbage to create these projects.  During each session we will also discuss how we can make little changes in our lives to help make a big difference in caring for planet Earth. 

Session 1:  Egg Carton Jewelry (Eagle Rock) 

Session 2:  Rescued Pencil Cups (Blue Ridge) 

Session 3:  T-Shirt Tote Bags (Buchanan) 

Session 4:  Recycled Bookmarks (Fincastle) 

 Health & Wellness Fair (Mindfulness Event)
Saturday, May 7 Fincastle  

Learn how to connect with yourself by talking to community partners, watching demos and participating in hands on workshops that promote health and wellness through mindfulness. 

–Submitted by Jaime DuVal