A COOL PLACE IN THE HOT SUMMERTIME

by

Cyndi Desrochers, Assistant Director

West Warwick Public Library

Ahhh, the dog days of summer…..they bring back memories of childhood. As a child, my favorite place to be on a hot summer afternoon was my local library. I’d spend hours in the cool quiet, tucked away with a book or a magazine. I had my favorite books – I knew exactly where to find them on the shelves – and I would read them over and over again…From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweilwer by E.L. Konigsburg, The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon, the Katie Rose books by Lenora Mattingly Weber, Constance by Patricia Clapp, The Survivors by Anne Edwards and many, many more.

The library is still a wonderful place to lose yourself on a hot summer day. Today’s libraries provide even more ways to spend time.

The books are still there -- the old favorites as well as the current bestsellers. If the latest Mary Higgins Clark, Sue Grafton or Robert B. Parker is checked out, you can catch up on some of their older titles or try out a new author. Read up on history or gardening, learn how to use your new computer or fix your car – the possibilities are endless!

Magazines are a great way to while away the hours – read up on current events, learn how to get and stay fit, redecorate your house (at least in your mind!), find some delicious new recipes to try, or see what the latest fashions are.

Keep up to date on local news and events by reading your local papers. West Warwick Public Library has the Kent County Daily Times, Providence Journal, Warwick Beacon, Coventry Courier, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Sunday New York Times, and Providence Business News. Want to know what happened on the day you were born? We have the Pawtuxet Valley/Kent County Daily Times on microfilm dating back to 1892, Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner from 1876 through 1906, Providence Journal to 1993 and many magazines dating back to the 1960s.

There have been many changes since my childhood, and libraries have kept pace with these changes. Libraries now lend movies on videocassette and DVD. Compact disks have replaced record albums and cassettes tapes. For those with long commutes, books on tape and books on CD are now available to help pass the time.

Computers are now available for public use. Surf the Internet, research your family tree, read the current day’s newspaper from different cities around the world, look for a job, check out colleges, send and receive email, type up your resume or start working on your first novel!

Museum passes are now available to check out. West Warwick Public Library has passes to the Providence Children’s Museum, Roger Williams Park Zoo, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Mashantucket Pequot Museum, Slater Mill, Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, the Norman Bird Sanctuary and the All Children’s Theatre Ensemble. Check with your local library to see which passes are available.

So if you’re searching for a place to while away the hot summer days, remember: the library is still a cool place to spend your summer.