Summer reading helps kids stay engaged when school isn’t in session, ensuring that students are prepared and ready to learn when they return to the classroom in the fall. Libraries have long played a key role in hosting summer reading programs that are free and accessible to everyone in their communities, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, in-person events aren’t possible this season. Still, libraries across the country are offering virtual summer reading programs that allow students to safely participate while maintaining social distancing.

Readers can stock up on free eBooks and audiobooks from their libraries’ websites to enjoy over the summer. Many libraries are using online systems that allow community members to track their reading progress over the course of the summer; participants can enter to win prizes for accomplishing their reading goals, with libraries offering everything from books and gift cards to tablets and e-readers. Librarians have also been hosting virtual storytimes and other programs so that kids can experience the fun of the library from home.

Some libraries are seeking out community partnerships to expand the reach of their summer reading efforts. Muskingum County Library System in Ohio teamed up with WOUB Public Media’s Learning Lab to kick off their summer reading program with a virtual scavenger hunt. Kids can pursue an educational online adventure themed around the PBS Kids series Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, learning about historical figures like Johann Sebastian Bach and Marie Curie along the way.

In addition to hosting expansive programming for children, some libraries are also providing summer reading opportunities for adults. Milwaukee Public Library has summer reading content for readers of all ages—adults can even take on special challenges focused on themes like history or poetry. Meanwhile, local kids can enjoy performances from guest educators like musicians and scientists to complement the learning they’re getting from books. “We know parents have been serving as teachers since school buildings closed, and some of them have done all the lesson planning they can stand,” the library’s youth services coordinator, Kelly Wochinske, told Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “The reading program helps them out this year with a bunch of ways to keep learning that families can mix and match.”

Looking for awesome book recommendations for summer reading? Children’s librarians have compiled more than 100 recommendations for kids and families.

The recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other Black Americans are an urgent reminder of the importance of learning and self-reflecting about structural racism and racial justice. Wondering where to get started? The American Library Association’s Great Stories Club has reading lists, discussion questions, and other resources for critically examining race and privilege, all created by librarians and humanities scholars.

The Great Stories Club is designed as a program for libraries to host with underserved youth, but anyone can access these free resources for having difficult but necessary conversations about racial equity. You can use their reading lists and discussion prompts in a book club, classroom, or household—or just for your own learning and introspection.

The initiative has three programs that are themed around truth, racial healing, and transformation. “Deeper Than Our Skins” focuses on the historical legacy of racism in America and features books like Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates and The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano. “Growing Up Brave on the Margins” addresses the challenges of coming of age for BIPOC teens living in marginalized communities; the reading list includes The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and March: Book One by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell. “Finding Your Voice” highlights the power of young people to move our society forward toward racial justice, with recommended reading including The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo and I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina. For each theme, a team of Great Stories Club project advisors have put together a thought-provoking essay that frames the multi-book series, book-specific discussion questions, and lists of additional recommended reading. A glossary of terms, resources on structural racism, and customizable digital promotional materials for each series are also freely available.

“For real transformation to take place around race, both laws and hearts must change across the land. Literature offers an accessible first step to encounter feelings as well as facts,” Maria Sachiko Cecire, Director of the Center for Experimental Humanities and Associate Professor of Literature at Bard College, writes in the introductory essay for the “Deeper Than Our Skins” theme. “Through fiction, nonfiction, comics, poetry, short stories, and art, [these books] uncover the often-hidden histories of America’s Native, enslaved, and immigrant communities. Each one offers points of connection that reach across time and cultures to affirm our shared humanity.”

Visit the Great Stories Club website to use the program in your library, classroom, book club, or home.

Families across the country count on library storytime programs to teach kids early literacy skills—but with most libraries closing to the public to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, these in-person read-alouds have been put on hold. Fortunately, America’s libraries have gotten creative, using video and audio technology to keep reading to children while maintaining social distancing.

Many librarians have found whimsical ways to make these virtual storytimes extra special. Amy Bayes, head supervisor of children’s services at Newton Public Library in Kansas, has been self-isolating at home on a farm, where she’s enlisted goats, pigs, and other animals to guest star in her videos. Denton Public Library in Texas has incorporated puppets, musical instruments, and crafts to keep their weekly livestreams engaging for viewers. And Betsy Thomas of Nebraska’s Kooser Elementary School has made such a splash with her creative backdrops and elaborate costumes that her virtual storytimes were featured on NBC’s Today.

Some libraries have even found high-profile guest readers to join their storytimes. Chicago Public Library’s Live From The Library series has featured appearances from actress Jane Lynch, Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy, and city mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Libraries have also worked with multilingual staff to offer storytimes in additional languages, thus reaching a larger segment of their communities. California’s Long Beach Public Library has converted their monthly Cuentos y Cantos series to a virtual format; in the videos, librarians Luisa Leija and Sheridan Cazarez share stories and songs in both English and Spanish.

Social media sites like Facebook and YouTube have been popular channels for libraries to share their storytimes with the public, but others have taken a different approach to meet the unique needs of their communities. Alaska’s Homer Public Library serves a rural population where many households lack reliable internet access, so they partnered with the local public radio station to broadcast read-aloud programs via AM radio. “We’ve been apart while the library is closed and we’re all staying home, but we’re still here together in our community,” youth services librarian Claudia Haines told Anchorage Daily News. “This is a way to stay connected.”

For more examples of how libraries are expanding their services during the pandemic, subscribe to the I Love Libraries newsletter.

National Library Week is April 19 – 25—and what better way to celebrate than by downloading free eBooks and audiobooks from your local library system?

Through the end of April, participating libraries are offering unlimited free loans of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone as an eBook and audiobook through the Libby app. With no wait times, you can download the book immediately. The novel is also available in more than 20 languages, so that non-English speakers can also enjoy the kids’ classic.

This year, the Harry Potter series was among the American Library Associations’ Top Ten Most Challenged Books list for 2019, which tracks censorship in libraries and schools. Critics of the novels cited the presence of magic and witchcraft as a reason to remove them from school and library shelves. Still, libraries and their staff continue to fight for everyone’s freedom to read, sharing access to a variety of materials (even those considered controversial).

If you’ve haven’t already, be sure to visit your library’s website to see what other digital resources they have for free—from eBooks, audiobooks, and movies to virtual storytimes and online courses. While most libraries have closed to the public due to the pandemic, they’re still finding innovative ways to keep their communities informed and entertained.

We’re celebrating National Library Week through April 25; here are more ways to join the festivities.