It's that time of year when things start getting spooky at the library! Whether you prefer just a little bit of fear, full-fledged fright, or something in-between, the library is offering a variety of children’s and teen programs to help get you in the spooky spirit. We hope you’ll join us for stories, performances, writing, history, crafts, and more! Read on for details about this month’s spine-tingling fun.

September is National Wilderness Month, a celebration of the anniversary of the Wilderness Act.  Passed on September 3, 1964, the Wilderness Act was created in order to “establish a National Wilderness Preservation System for the permanent good of the whole people.” When passed, the Act designated 54 areas made up of 9.1 million acres in 13 states as protected wilderness. Today that has grown to over 111 million acres (that’s slightly larger than the state of California!) in 806 areas in 44 states and Puerto Rico. This month — and all year! — take advantage of the benefits and beauty of the great outdoors by exploring wilderness areas near you. Read on to learn more about our greatest national treasure, the American Wilderness!

September 15 is the anniversary of independence for several Latin American countries, and also marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, the Caribbean, and Central and South America (National Hispanic Heritage Month). The library is excited to celebrate and explore the history, culture, and contributions of the Latino community, and we hope you’ll join us for a month full of music, art, games, film, book discussions, displays, and more. Read on for details about participating in this month’s festivities!

Kids are back in school and getting into the swing of new routines. Along with academics, nutrition is an important piece of the school year puzzle, and what better way to find meal inspiration than by checking out some cookbooks from the library? Prepping lunches in advance is a great way to save time during the week, especially if you’re not a morning person. Make meal prep fun and easy and send your little ones off to school with lunches you feel good about. Not only will prepping lunches together encourage parental bonding and full tummies at school, but reading cookbooks can enhance mathematical and literacy skills too. Now that’s some food for thought!

School is back in session, and we just want to remind all the hard-working students out there that the library has your back! Between academic workloads, outside-of-school responsibilities, and planning for the future, we know you juggle a lot. We’re here to help, in-person or online, so that you can have a successful year. Read on to learn more about resources available to you at the library.

September 9-16 is James River Week, and the library is marking the occasion with programs to educate and celebrate one of our greatest community resources, the James River! Whether you enjoy hiking and biking its trails, spotting dozens of its native bird, fish, and plant species, swimming in its waters, or kayaking, canoeing, or rafting down its class II-IV rapids, join us as we learn more about Richmond’s beloved James River and how we can help protect its future.

September is National Library Card Sign-Up Month, so stop by a library near you to pick up your most essential school supply. You may be surprised to find that your card gives you access to much more than books (although we have thousands of those too!). Register today and start taking advantage of all that’s available to you with an HCPL library card.

Multilingual interpreter.  Lionfish hunter.  Master Naturalist.  Believe it or not, these aren't the professions of characters from recent bestsellers - they're areas of expertise belonging to some of our incredible staff here at HCPL.  In addition to library collections and programs, our staff members serve as incredible resources for the community. As students head back to school this fall, remember it’s never too late to learn something new and expand your knowledge and skills, especially with a little help from library staff. Read on to learn about some HCPL staff specialties, and stay tuned to our blog over the coming months to get to know more about the diverse skillsets of our amazing staff.

That’s a wrap on our Summer Reading Challenge! Thank you to everyone who participated and joined us as we celebrated kindness, friendship, and unity. It is incredible to see what we can achieve together. Read on to learn more about your collective accomplishments!