Sign up for Summer Reading Challenge here
Get ready to dive into Oceans of Possibilities this summer. We’re kicking off another Summer Reading Challenge (SRC) on June 4, and live performers and programs are back! This year’s theme is oceanography and includes fun and programming for all ages.
SRC runs June 4–July 31 this year and is offered for infants through adults. Track your reading, participate in library activities, complete missions, and more for the opportunity to earn prizes and raffle entries.
Sign up beginning June 4 online, through the READsquared app, or in-person at the library.
Make sure to check out all of our exciting summer programming for youth and adults here.
How it Works:
Babies, Kids, Teens: Earn points for each minute read, for completing missions and quests, and for participating in programs and activities. Prizes: coupon pack, book, end of SRC raffle.
Adults: Read and submit book reviews to earn raffle points for end of challenge gift card raffle. Milestone prize after 5 reviews.
Summer Performers
*Please note: all performers will present at Grove City Library in the morning at 10:30 a.m. and at Westland in the afternoon at 1:30 p.m.*
Summer Storytimes
At Grove City:
At Westland:
This is no April Fool! Get excited because not only is the library restarting regular hours including Sundays, we will now be open earlier than ever Monday-Saturday!
Beginning Sunday, April 3, 2022, the library’s full hours at both locations will be:
That means more time for more books, movies, study, computer sessions, programs, and everything else you love about the library. Thank you for your patience for our adjusted hours during the Omicron surge. Come visit us and enjoy all the library has to offer!
When visiting the library:
FAQs
Wait, are you really open at 9 a.m. now?
Yes, we are, Mondays through Saturdays! We’ve seen you waiting to come in the doors each morning and observed when you like to use the library the most, early during the day and in the afternoons, so we’ve shifted our hours to better serve you and be here when you need us.
Are you open Sundays?
Yes, we are! We are open Sundays again from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Are in-person programs back?
Yes, they are! We resumed in-person programs for all ages earlier this spring. Check out our web calendar for events.
Are live storytimes back?
Yes, they are! We offer live weekly storytimes inside the library. Storytimes are currently scheduled through April. We’ll take a storytime break in May and be back for Summer Reading.
Is there going to be a Summer Reading Challenge this year?
Yes, there is! We are excited to kick off another Summer Reading Challenge on June 4 this year with the return of live performers. Stay tuned for more info.
Are the meeting rooms and study rooms open?
Yes, they are! Meeting rooms and study rooms can be booked online or in-person.
SPL is proud to present acclaimed author Margaret Atwood at 7 pm on Wednesday, June 15 at the Palace Theatre (34 W. Broad Street) in collaboration with eight other central Ohio Libraries. The event will feature a conversation between the author and Ann Fisher, host of WOSU’s All Sides. Books will be available for purchase through Gramercy Books. Some COVID restrictions may apply.
Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased at cbusarts.com. Ticket prices begin at $29.
Collaborating Libraries: Bexley Public Library, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Grandview Heights Public Library, London Public Library, Plain City Public Library, Southwest Public Libraries, Upper Arlington Public Library, Westerville Public Library and Worthington Libraries.
ABOUT MARGARET ATWOOD
Literary titan Margaret Atwood is the author of more than fifty volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction and is perhaps best known for her novels, which include The Handmaid’s Tale, The Edible Woman, The Robber Bride, The Blind Assassin, Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood. With The Handmaid’s Tale adapted into an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning television series, and its sequel, The Testaments, winning the 2019 Booker Prize, Atwood’s sharp eye is more crucial—and prescient—than ever.
Burning Questions, Atwood’s latest release, is a collection of more than 50 essays directing her intellect and humor at our world, covering a roller-coaster period including the end of history, a financial crash, the rise of Trump, and a pandemic.
Atwood is the winner of many international literary awards, including the prestigious Booker Prize, Arthur C. Clarke Award, Governor General’s Award, the PEN Pinter Prize, the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her work has been published in more than 40 languages.
Atwood is also a popular personality on Twitter, with over a million followers.
ABOUT THE EVENT
Tickets for A Conversation with Margaret Atwood are now on sale, available exclusively through cbusarts.com. Participating libraries do not have tickets to sell at their locations. Ticket prices begin at $29.00 each. Some Covid-19 restrictions may apply. Books will be available for purchase through Gramercy Books. The event was originally scheduled for fall of 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19.
ABOUT THE COLLABORATION
This Central Ohio Library Collaboration first formed in 2019 to allow libraries to host large, impactful events in Central Ohio collectively by sharing costs, resources, and expertise. In addition to resource sharing and encouraging partnership on various community-wide initiatives, these collective events enhance and further engage a community of readers and raise the visibility of libraries throughout Central Ohio.
The collaboration’s inaugural event, an evening with travel author and TV host Rick Steves at the Southern Theatre in December 2019, sold out within hours of going on sale. In 2020, the collaboration hosted a community read of Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You followed by an online discussion with author Jason Reynolds.
Borrow a doll
Our historical American Girl doll collection has launched! Kaya, Kirsten, Addy, Kit, or Maryellen can now visit your home. Anyone with an SPL library card may borrow a doll for a period of one week. Each historical character includes a booklet about what life would have looked like for a girl their age living in our local area at the time, plus a journal for you to record your adventures together. Visit the Grove City Youth Services desk to check out and pick up a doll or call 614-875-6716 ext. 502 for more information.
Dolls are available to pick up at Grove City only at this time. A similar American Girl collection will launch at Westland Area Library this fall.
Record your adventures
We encourage you to write in the journal and/or take pictures of all your adventures together to share with us. Tag and share your photos with us on social media:
Facebook @SPLFranklinCountyOH
Instagram: @southwestpl
Meet the dolls and their eras
The dolls in SPL's collection were selected to reflect similar characters appropriate to our local communities during their respective eras, with the booklets providing a bit of a “day-in-the-life” look had the characters lived locally.
With special thanks to: