Traverse Area District Library - March 2025 Newsletter
** What's new?
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Happy reading month! Welcome to the 184 new cardholders who joined us during Library Lovers' Month :)
1) Elevator update - Our 25-year-old elevators are being completely updated. The public elevator will be closed during the renovation. Please know there will be some noise and dust from the work, just ask at the front desk for directions if you need to use an elevator. We'll be providing access to our staff/freight elevator until the public elevator reopens.
2) Talking Book Library users - Check out Anita's March Madness BARD post (https://www.tadl.org/posts/march-madness-bard) with a full roster of basketball-themed selections!
Click to skim what's new at TADL:
* New Fiction (https://bit.ly/36KpU4N)
* New Non-Fiction (https://bit.ly/36KQVVH)
* New in Large Print (https://catalog.tadl.org/main/search?query=&qtype=shelf&sort=pubdateDESC&loc=22&shelving_location[]=534&search_title=Large%20Print)
* New Audiobooks (https://bit.ly/2I3Ry2o)
* New DVDs (https://bit.ly/3nv66bv)
* New Music (https://bit.ly/34Ai4Iw)
* Youth (https://www.tadl.org/services/youth)
YOUTH SERVICES (tadl.org/youth)
Youth Services is bustling all month long, with many visits from our area first-grade classes AND a fun-packed spring break week. (Find our spring break section below.)
March Madness
March Book Madness happens all month long. Vote for your favorite books each step of the way! Voting starts 3/1 and the winner will be announced on 3/31. (The photo shows our 2023 tally board.)
Save the date! MakerFest 2025 will be April 26 at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center.
Storytime Calendar
Please note - March is busy with 1st grade visits so we do not have our regular storytime schedule this month.
Special Family Storytimes
* 3/5, 3/12, and 3/19 at 11 am
3/16 preschool storytime at 2 pm
* 3/24 at 11 am
Other Events & Programs
* 3/1 - TC Phil Tots at TADL, 11 am
* 3/8 - 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Celebration, 11 am
* 3/11 - Tell-a-Tail, 4 pm
* 3/15 - Northwest Michigan Ballet Theatre presents Sleeping Beauty, 11 am (Free, but Tickets required (https://www.tadl.org/event/northwest-michigan-ballet-theatre-presents-sleeping-beauty-19838) )
* 3/18 - BINGO, 4 pm
* 3/29 - Yoga for Families, 11 am
Making & STEAM
Wednesdays Build & Create, 4 pm: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19
* 3/3 - Make Something, 4 pm
* 3/6 - Tween Time, 4 pm
* 3/10 - DIY Delights, 4 pm
* 3/13 - Bricks & Build, Motorized Lego®, 4 pm
* 3/17 - Coding Club, 4 pm
* 3/20 - Tween Time, 4 pm
Spring Break Staycation!
3/24 (Monday) - Family Storytime, 11 am
3/26 (Tuesday) - Nerf Mobile Games
* Ages 5 - 8 at 10 am (Must Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/nerf-mobile-games-ages-5-8-20642) )
* Ages 9 - 12 at 11 am (Must Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/nerf-mobile-games-ages-9-12-20643) )
3/27 (Wednesday) - Challenge Island STEAM program
* Ages 5 - 8 at 11 am (Must Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/nerf-mobile-games-ages-9-12-20643) )
* Ages 9 - 12 at 2 pm (Must Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/challenge-island-spring-break-program-ages-9-12-21969) )
3/28 (Thursday)
* Build & Create, 10 am - Noon
* Motorized Lego, 4 pm (Ages 9 - 12)
3/29 (Friday) - Movie time! Finding Nemo, 10 am
3/30 (Saturday) - Yoga for Families, 11 am
Our spring break staycation programs are a hit with families!
Teen (https://www.tadl.org/teen)
TEEN SERVICES (tadl.org/teen)
** Events
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* Twisted Quills Teen Writing Group - Every Tuesday at 4 pm; 3/15 - Sat. Workshop 1 pm
* Teen Volunteers - Every other Wednesday (3/5 & 3/19) at 4:30 pm
* 3/1, 3/15, 3/29 - Teen Chess Club, 11 am
* 3/17 - Anime Club, 4 pm
Spring Break Teen Staycation!
3/24 (Monday) - Cooking for Teens: Sushi, 2 pm (Must Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/cooking-teens-sushi-20772) )
3/25 (Tuesday) - Tiny Book Workshop, 2 pm
3/26 (Wednesday) - Polymer Clay, 2 pm
3/27 (Thursday) - Nerf Battle, 2 pm (Must Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/copy-teen-nerf-battle-20774) )
3/28 (Friday) - Derby Cars, 2 pm (Must Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/teen-fun-derby-cars-20777) )
Adults (https://www.tadl.org/adults)
Book Groups & Author Events
* 3/6 - Author Talk: Stephanie Carpenter, Moral Treatment (https://www.tadl.org/event/author-event-stephanie-carpenter-moral-treatment-19786) , 6:30 pm
* 3/18 - Queer Tales (https://www.tadl.org/event/queer-tales-book-club-17688) , 7 pm
* 3/25 - Tuesdays @ Two, 2 pm (The Woman They Could Not Silence (https://catalog.tadl.org/main/details?id=48336774) by Kate Moore)
Health & Wellness
* 3/7 - Tai Chi, Noon
* 3/13 - Yoga, 6 pm
* 3/21 - Tai Chi, Noon
* 3/24 - Ageless Grace, Noon
* 3/27 - Yoga, 6 pm
* 3/28 - Chair Yoga, 11:30 am
Let's Learn Together!
Digital Drop-Ins - Every Tuesday from 10-11:30am - Bring your device to the 2nd floor Ref Desk and we can try to help!
All events below are in the McGuire Community Room unless otherwise noted.
* 3/1 - Spanish Language Conversation Meet-Up (https://www.tadl.org/event/spanish-language-conversation-meet-11690) , 10:30am (Thirlby Rm)
* 3/4 - Microplastics - Local Research (https://www.tadl.org/event/draft-lwvgta-program-microplastics-20782) , presented by the LWVGTA, 6 pm
* 3/5 - French Language Conversation Meet-Up (https://www.tadl.org/event/french-language-discussion-group-17703) , 6:30 pm (Thirlby Rm)
* 3/8 - Let's get gardening!, 1 pm (Register (https://www.tadl.org/event/beginner-gardening-workshop-20751) )
* 3/10 - Blazing a trail to Congress: Historic firsts for women, 12:45 pm
* 3/16 - Traverse Area Historical Society, 2 pm
* 3/24 - Papercrafting Junk Journals, 6 pm (Thirlby Rm)
Just for Fun
TADL Stitchers - Every Tuesday evening at 6 pm (Join us to work on your own needlecraft project.)
* 3/2 - Super Smash Bros Ultimate Tournament (https://www.tadl.org/event/super-smash-bros-ultimate-tournament-teens-and-adults-20288) , 1 pm (Teens and adults, registration required.)
* 3/2 - Books to Movies: Invincible, 1 pm (Thirlby Rm)
* 3/10 - Adult Escape Room, 6 pm (At capacity)
* 3/17 - Anime Club, 5:30 pm (Join the Teens for a show and craft. )
** Spring Book Sale!
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Save the date - the spring Book Sale will be May 2 through May 4 - details will be posted on tadl.org/events!
East Bay Branch Library (https://www.tadl.org/eastbay)
Drop in for a relaxing crafternoon at East Bay! These photos are from our February candle-painting activity.
Ongoing
* Sing & Stomp Wednesdays - 11 am
* Sing & Stomp Fridays - 10 am
Find special editions of Sing & Stomp listed below!
* 3/4 - Adult Coloring Night, 5:30 pm - 7 pm
* 3/7 - Chair Yoga, 11:30 am
* 3/8 - East Bay Stitchers, 10:30 am - Noon
* 3/11 - Community Book Discussion - Supercommunicators, 6 pm
* 3/14 - Introduction to Tai Chi, Noon - 1 pm
* 3/18 - Cybersecurity Tips & Tricks with Scott, 6 pm
* 3/19 Special Women's History Month Sing & Stomp featuring local author Ashlea Walter, 11 am
* 3/20 - Adult Crafternoon - Paper Quilling, 2 - 3 pm
* 3/21 Special Women's History Month Sing & Stomp featuring local artist Rebecca Deneau, 10 am
* 3/22 - Cardio Drumming
*
+ 11 am (register here (https://www.tadl.org/event/cardio-drumming-east-bay-i-21911) )
+ Noon (register here (https://www.tadl.org/event/cardio-drumming-east-bay-ii-21912) )
* 3/25 - East Bay Book Club, 6 pm
* 3/26 - Tiny Art Show Kickoff, 3 - 4:30 pm
* 3/28 - Spring Break Family Movie, 4 pm
Kingsley Branch Library (https://www.tadl.org/kingsley)
Ongoing
Wigglers Storytime Tuesdays and Wednesdays - 10:30 am
Big Kid Storytime - Homeschool Edition, Thursdays - 11:30 am
* 3/6 - Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 3:30 pm
* 3/12 - Got Legos®? 3:30 pm
* 3/13 - Everyone has a Story (https://www.tadl.org/event/everyone-has-story-19918) , 5:30 pm
* 3/20 - Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 3:30 pm
* 3/26 - Afternoon Book Club 2 pm
From the Director’s Desk
Welcome to Reading Month!
While this month is a celebration of reading, we’ve never needed it more for a couple of reasons. First, reading proficiency test scores for Michigan fourth and eighth graders are historically low. The numbers are quite dire. Fourth grade reading scores show that just 24% of Michigan fourth graders were deemed proficient in 2024 - well below the 30% nationally in 2024. One in four Michigan eighth graders were deemed proficient in 2024 below the 28% nationally in 2024.*
This means that 76% of our fourth and eighth grade students are not considered proficient readers. We must do better!
How do we all do better? We must all read and encourage reading. I know this is a big ask, but put away your phone and read. Be seen reading at home, at the doctors office, on an airplane or any other place you frequent. Talk about reading to friends and family. Give the gift of reading. And of course stop by the library and bring a friend!
Read freely -
The second reason that celebrating reading is so important is that throughout our great nation, library patrons and librarians are seeing challenges and legislation to remove books from libraries. This is unquestionably unconstitutional and is un-American. The First Amendment explicitly grants everyone intellectual freedom - the freedom to hold, listen to, and share ideas (read books) without restriction. Book Banners are trying to remove the stories of people and ideas with which they don’t agree. It's unconstitutional to try and control or remove ideas just because you do not agree with them.
I'm regularly asked, "people don't try to ban books at our library do they?" We’ve had few official challenges. We’ve also had people damage, destroy, or hide books they don’t like. This abuse of taxpayer dollars is not acceptable. It's the public library's role to provide a collection of materials that reflect the interests of the entire community, not those of a few. It's the public's role to choose what they want from among the items on the shelves.
As stated in our board approved Collection Materials Selection Policy 1.7 , “The Traverse Area District Library (TADL) strives to connect people to the transforming power of knowledge.” and “The selection of any material should not be construed as an endorsement, by the Library, of the views contained therein.” A book is the easiest thing in the world to avoid. If you feel you won't like what's in it, don't open it!
We have teams of staff that are happy to help you find things you can agree with and enjoy! And leave the other books for those who do enjoy them because book-banning is a lose-lose proposition. If book bans succeed, tomorrow's banned book could be one you love.
Keep reading!
Michele
*Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress (Link (https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/) )