Enoch Pratt Free Library

Summer’s here! Whether you prefer your fun under the sun or in the great indoors, there is no better time to catch up on your reading. What better way doing it than by joining the Enoch Pratt Free Library’s Summer Reading Program running from June 12 to August 7? This year, we have a program for every member of the family from the youngest ones to the young at heart!

Kids up to age 12 can Make a Splash, READ! and decorate a fish to be placed in our giant "aquarium". If you’re a teen (13 to 18), go ahead and Make Waves @ the Pratt Library; when you sign up, you’ll get a free copy of Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson. For both of these programs, read four books and win a prize; finish eight books, and you complete the program and receive a certificate, a t-shirt, and an invitation to our summer reading party. Keep reading after eight books and make sure we record it in our database – top readers in each branch win something special.

For adults (18 and up), we invite you to play Beach Blanket Bingo, where each book you read give you an entry in the prize drawing at the end of the summer.  Every adult who participates will receive a small gift at the end of the program as a thank you.

It's going to be a great summer...see you at the Library!

Teens -- have you been to our new and improved Teen Site?  It has a cool new design and an easy-to-use layout. There’s lots of fun stuff – links to some of your favorite magazines (ESPN, Sister 2 Sister, GamePro, etc.), blogs and websites from your favorite authors, and good booklists. Videos have been added to the site with more to come. You can submit your own opinions about a book you’ve read that will appear on the site in a section called “You Are the Critic.” You can learn about earning community service credit hours at the library and even receive live homework help at any time of the day! Whether in the Southeast Anchor or the comfort of your own home, these services & many more are ready for you, absolutely free, 24/7. Check it out!

Beginning in October, the Southeast Anchor Library formed its very first Library Garden Club! Our focus for the group -- open to anyone from a novice planter to an expert gardener-- is to help with plantings and clean ups around the library property, assist in the neighborhood as needed, and to help one another with gardening challenges and solutions. In 2009, we held two planting days in which we weeded, mulched trees, and planted close to 300 bulbs and 2 grasses! In addition, we officially became a member of Parks & People Foundation’s Community Greening Resource Network (CGRN) for 2010—which means we can get additional resources for the garden AND members can attend CGRN sponsored workshops for FREE!

Now that it’s winter, we’ve put together some free workshops and programs here at the Library. We held our first program on Monday, January 11 called Planning for Your Spring Garden with guest speakers Anne Fleshman from Baltimore Contained and Ashley Traut from Herring Run Watershed Association. About 30 people came out to learn about native plants, hear about resources, and network with fellow gardeners. It was a great success and a special thanks to all who attended!

Here is a list of our other upcoming workshops & programs for February, March, and April:

Indoor Potted Plant Decorating, Monday, February 8, 4-6 p.m.
Creating a Green Patio...and More!, Monday, March 1, 6:30-8 p.m.
Exploring Rain Gardens, Monday, April 12, 6:30-8 p.m.

But, please don’t think this is all we are doing! We’re also going to hold some additional planning and planting sessions for the library garden space. We’ll post those on the blog and on the Library Garden Club bulletin board set up in the front lobby of the library—so be sure to check it out! 

And finally, if you want to join the Library Garden Club, attend any of our programs, or find out more information, please contact Amanda Smit, Community Outreach Coordinator, at 443-984-3904 or asmit@prattlibrary.org.

From now until January 20, the Southeast Anchor Library is proud to display on its second floor an exhibit from the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture.  Titled “Sisters, Soldiers: Black Women and the Modern Military”, this display features the heroic life’s work of freedom fighters, spawning the Revolutionary War to conflicts waged to this day.

Come learn about Revolutionary War hero Mary Touvestre, Civil War hero Harriet Tubman, and many prominent officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines who have served, fought, and/or died for their country in armed conflicts ever since.

A special display is dedicated to Army Specialist Toccara Green of Rosedale, Baltimore County, Maryland. Specialist Green died heroically during an insurgent ambush in Al Asad, Iraq, while assisting troop movement and supply shipment. Specialist Green was honored with the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star for Valor, and a Good Conduct Award. She had become the first woman Marylander to give her life for her country while deployed in Iraq. 

We encourage you to visit this display to learn more about our fascinating history while also paying tribute to heroes.

Rock 'n roll renegade Frank Zappa is coming back home to his birthplace of Baltimore! Donated by the good members of a Zappa fan club in Vilnius, Lithuania, the countercultural icon’s bust will be placed in front of the Southeast Anchor Library, and we’re proud to have him here! According to Frank’s beloved widow Gail, he would of wanted it that way, because “That's where he went to school, in the library. The library was a really important place for him in his teen years."  There has been no word yet on a date set for the unveiling ceremony, which should take place sometime next year. In the meantime, enjoy your holidays, and as Frank sang, “Don’t Eat That Yellow Snow!” 

Current and future chess champions, of all ages and skill – do you have what it takes to enter our gigantic chessboard, or what we at Southeast ominously refer to as “The Square?” Our jumbo pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, queens, and kings are ready to rumble. Meet them on the second floor. They’ll be waiting.

For those about to be checkmated: We salute you.

Starting Tuesday, September 1, picking up your materials on reserve at the Southeast Anchor Library just got easier. There is now a designated Holds Pick-Up Shelf located on the first floor near the Circulation Desk and the DVD section. Items will be filed on this shelf by the first four letters of your last name and the last four digits of your library card number. The only materials that will not be placed on the self-service shelf are Direct Loans and any interlibrary loan materials.  As always, you will be notified that your materials are available either by a telephone call or an email, if there is a valid email address associated with your account, and we will continue to hold these materials for one week. 

So, if you're in a hurry and just want to run in to pick up the latest bestseller that you've been waiting for, you can grab it from the self-service pick-up and head over to the self checkout station. You can be checked out and on your way in no time at all. Of course, you can always bring the holds to the Circulation Desk and be checked out by one of our friendly and helpful staff if you prefer. The choice is yours! 

We are beginning a new adventure at the Southeast Anchor Library -- blogging!  In our blog, we will feature upcoming programs and events, new books in our collection, and items of interest to the community in Southeast Baltimore.  Come back often to see what's new at your library!