Olympic Summer at the Library

by Hope Loman  Rowan Public Library

If you have watched any of the commercial breaks on NBC or read the sports section of a newspaper recently, then you probably know that the 2016 Summer Olympics are set to open in Rio de Janeiro this August.  There, over 10,000 athletes from 207 countries are expected to participate in a combined total of 306 events from 28 different sports.  Perhaps you’re curious to see how some of the storylines the media is already hyping will play out: if swimmer Michael Phelps will win his 20^th Olympic medal; if gymnast Gabby Douglas will win back-to-back gold; or how far the USA men’s basketball team will go now that various NBA all-stars will not be attending the games. Whether you’re counting down the days until Opening Ceremonies or consider yourself more of a Winter Olympics person, there is still something you can get excited about in the weeks leading up to this big event: exercising your mind (and maybe your body too!) at the Rowan Public Library.

The summer reading programs at the Rowan Public Library this year all have a sports theme, with weekly events that often have a distinctive Olympic Games influence: “On Your Mark, Get Set…Read!” is for kids ages 1 through 5^th grade, “Get in the Game…Read!” for teenagers going into the sixth through the twelfth grade, and “Exercise Your Mind…Read!” is for adults ages 18+.  Weekly programs are free and open to everyone in the community, and include a wide range of activities--from hands-on crafts and trivia games to interactive story times and sessions on learning stress relief techniques. Be sure to check out the days and times of the programs that appeal to you, as they will vary by library branch.  On Tuesday nights at HQ and Wednesday afternoons at South we will also be hosting a variety of sports-themed movies, including the true story about the Jamaican bobsled team that raced in the 1988 Winter Olympics, Cool Runnings.    

I would be remiss if I failed to mention all of the materials we have available to check out at the library that are Olympics- and sports-related. For juvenile readers, there is the Olympic Sports series, which covers a range of games from combat sports to cycling, as well as how-to guides for beginners trying to learn a new game or hone their skills. YA fiction readers might want to try out titles written by John Feinstein or Mike Lupica, and teens that gravitate more towards non-fiction can learn about the science behind sports or about potential careers in the sports industry. Adult readers might be inspired from reading biographies of Olympic athletes like runner Jesse Owens or may wish to read various social commentaries about our sports-centered culture. There is even more to discover, so be sure to explore all of your options--and don’t forget to record all of the time you spend reading over the course of the summer for a chance to win raffle prizes at the end.

So what are you waiting for? Head on down to the library today and check out all that we have to offer you—mentally and physically!--this summer.