The Library Vault

Summer at Russell Library is in full swing. If you haven’t joined in yet, it’s not too late. Even if you’ve already signed up for Summer Reading, we have plenty more to offer.

Join the almost 3,000 people who have already signed up for Summer Reading. With three age/ability levels, everyone can participate and it’s so easy. All you do is pick up a reading tracker at the library – or download one from home if you can’t make it in. Choose between Kids, Young Adults/Next Level, or Adult. We’re not picky about which one you sign up for. We’re just happy to have you join in.

Once you fill out your tracker, return it to the library to exchange it for prize drawing tickets. Young adults can even email their trackers to our teen librarian (see the tracker for details). Kids choose which of the 17 prizes they want to invest their tickets in. Their completed tracker becomes a ticket for the grand prize drawings of four $50 gift cards to Amato’s Toy Store in Middletown.

Young adults and advanced kids earn tickets that give them a chance at winning Starbucks and Dunkin’ gift cards. Adults complete a bingo card for tickets to win a variety of prizes, including downtown Middletown gift cards. For more information, read Briana’s post all about it. If you’re not a big reader, don’t worry: trackers include a variety of options to complete the challenges.

After you turn in your tickets, stay a while for some fun at the library. Or just need something to do on a lazy summer day? Take a peep at our new batch of incubating eggs next to the kids’ desk. Eggs are egg-pected to hatch on July 22nd, and they often begin to rock and roll the day before (July 21st). We often hear peeping from the eggs in the day or two before birth, but you have to be very quiet to hear them.

Chicks will remain in the library for petting and socializing until August 5th. Saturday July 26th and Saturday August 2nd, you can “Hang with the Chicks” in front of the kids’ desk from 10:30-11:30am and 3:30-4:30pm. Watch them from home 24/7 with the Chick Cam.

Next, if you’re a teen or part of a family, stop by The Space to try out our newest gaming PC. We now have two. You don’t need a library card to use them, just stop by the kids’ desk for a reservation. We now have four PCs in The Space, including the two gaming PCs. Need even more computers for your friends? Use your library card to check out a Chromebook or iPad from the kids’ desk or Information Desk. Don’t have a library card? You can get one mailed to your house for free just by filling out our form. You can also easily renew your expired library card online.

Want to take the video game fun home with you? Check out our growing video game collection. We lend out games for Switch, XBox, PS4 and PS5 systems: 150 games and counting. Stay tuned for Switch 2 games, coming soon.

But before you leave The Space, try out our air hockey and foosball tables with your family or friends:

Prefer something more cerebral? Our mega chess set is always available for play next to the graphic novels (including a growing manga collection). On Saturday July 12th and August 9th, join our new Chess Club that continue on the second Saturday of the month throughout the school year from 3-5pm.

(See that empty space behind the green column? That’s for the teen-sized Lego table coming soon.)

Got kids too young for air hockey and chess? Have you signed them up yet for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library? Kids ages 0-5 who live in Middletown are eligible to have a free book delivered to their house every month courtesy of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in partnership with Russell Library. You can sign up online, at the kids’ desk, or with Batman in the Lobby.

Next stop: the Activity Room. Kids 0-10 are welcome to play in our indoor play room. The room features pretend play, a ball pit, several wall mazes, building blocks, Sydney the climbing snake, a double-decker car tower, and rotating giant toys such as giant Lincoln Logs, buildable dinosaur bones, and giant blue blocks. Don’t see your favorite toy out on the floor? Just ask for it at the kids’ desk.

The rest of the children’s wing features a train table, toddler play room, wall labyrinth, Duplo wall, magnetic Make-Your-Own Coaster and gear machine, and assorted interactive wall installations.

Every weekday morning, we have something for kids and families. Mondays and Thursdays, drop into the Activity Room for Play Pals: a play group with toys, crafts, and more for kids ages 0-5. Wednesday mornings, try Fables & Frolic in the Activity Room: a story time with songs that includes play and socialization before and after the program. On Tuesdays and Fridays, join us on the South Lawn and at the Middletown Farmers’ Market for family story times. Saturdays, we mix it up with Summer Family Bingo, a Family Folk Concert with Middletown’ local’s own Sarah Lou Richards, Yoga for Littles, and more.

Specially for young adults, try Splatter Art in The Space on Saturday, July 19th at 3:30pm. Need to cool off? Don’t forget Crafternoons on July 8th and August 13th for all ages in the Hubbard Room. Our Monday Movie series continues with The Wild Robot and Wicked. Finally, need something to do the week before school starts? We have a week worth of special kids events during the day, including Yoga for Littles, Dance with Us, Chess Club (Wednesday and Friday), and an Art Party.

It’s not too early to mark your calendars for our Summer Reading Finale with Xen’s Critters’ Farm Friends. All ages (including adults) are welcome to a petting zoo on the South Lawn (weather permitting – we will move indoors to the Hubbard Room if it rains). Drop in for some animal therapy, and be sure to bring your completed Summer Reading trackers. Prize drawings begin on Monday, August 18th. So watch your phones and inboxes to see if you’re a winner of one of our literally dozens of prizes. Just be sure to sign up first.

We hope to see you soon!