We will have activity grab bags for kids to pick up until May 13. Each bag will have crayons, coloring sheets, an activity packet and stickers. It will be one bag per child, and each child will get a free book.

Adults will also be able to get a free book, a packet of coloring sheets and word game sheets.

***

The weekly interactive Zoom storytime will continue 11 a.m. Tuesdays until May 25. At that time, we will decide whether or not we should continue or postpone. All are welcome to attend, though the stories will be geared toward toddlers through second-graders.

Contact Mrs. Santaliz at santaliz.l@whitehallpl.org to receive the Zoom links. These will be available every Thursday before the following Tuesday’s storytime.

***

The 2021 summer reading program theme is Tails and Tales, and it will feature all kinds of animals with tails or tall tales to be told. The program will run 9 a.m. June 7 through 1 p.m. Aug. 14.

You can register and log books online any time during that period, so watch our website for the registration link or pick up a book log sheet at the front desk. Adults have the option to register and log books online or on paper.

You can also watch for the different contests, virtual programs and at-home activities we’ll have available for you. We’re currently scheduling programs with Super Science & Amazing Art, the American Swedish Historical Museum and other events of our own, so stay tuned!

***

Since we can’t have our annual book sale, we’re selling brown bags full of new or gently used books. The exact books will be a surprise, but each bag has five to 10 books and has a card on it giving the theme of the bag, such as James Patterson, Civil War, romance, cooking, etc.

***

All of the children’s, adult and family programs have been canceled or postponed until at least June 1.

***

Do you want to learn more about the world around you? We have a collection of databases that can help you discover more about the history, geography and cultures all around you. All you need to use these free resources is to have a purple LCLC card and a PIN to log in to the database. To find them, you can go to the Research & Learn page on our website - whitehallpl.org - and scroll down to the A to Z collections.

A to Z Food America has thousands of recipes, hundreds of fascinating culture and ingredient articles and essential culinary resources.

A to Z Maps Online is the world’s largest database of royalty-free, downloadable maps for academic use.

A to Z the USA has unmatched coverage of the country’s people, history, economy, geography, symbols, culture and society.

A to Z the World offers information about world history, cultures, languages, foods, religions and much more. With 175 country culture guides covering more than 60 topics each, this database offers a breadth and depth of content that is unmatched by any other single resource.

A to Z World Food is the only food database that contains traditional recipes for 174 countries in course categories including appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main courses, side dishes, desserts and beverages. Food culture is covered in six categories: National Cuisine, Regional Cuisine, Daily Meals, Dining Etiquette, Special Occasion Foods and Food Trivia.

***

All patrons must wear a mask or other facial covering unless medical reasons prevent it, use gloves or hand sanitizer which are available inside the library and maintain social distancing. We also encourage you to only touch materials you plan to check out.

The library hours, for now, are 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Fridays.

We will do curbside pickup only 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. The library will be closed to patrons on Saturdays and completely closed Sundays.

At this time, we will be staying with these temporary hours. We hope to expand hours in June.

We are following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Office of Commonwealth Libraries guidelines to protect our staff and patrons during this pandemic.

***

All library items need to be returned to the yellow drop boxes in our parking lot. No materials will be accepted at the front desk.

After they are returned, we put everything in a two-day quarantine before we check it in. We use the date you returned it as the check in date.

Fines will be waived from March 14, 2020, to Sept. 6. You will need to pay for lost or damaged items.

***

If you have questions or need help with a database, I can help you. I check my emails daily at vahey.p@whitehallpl.org.