Greetings,
It’s National Zombie Preparedness Month in Kansas and Illinois. While that’s not something on our Broward County Library (BCL) calendar, we do have some pretty important awareness holidays this month.

The month starts out with Banned Books Week, October 1-7, in celebration of the freedom to read. At BCL, you will always find a lot going on, but you won’t find any book banning here. We do not restrict what adults read and leave it to parents to decide what their children may read.

Intellectual freedom is what libraries are about 365 days a year. I invite you to visit one of BCL’s Book Sanctuaries, designated areas where endangered stories are protected and made accessible for exploration or check out; where we honor your right to choose. Our Sanctuaries are among the over 2,000 Book Sanctuaries across the United States. Every BCL branch has one, each is unique, and all are on display permanently. Take in some of our Book Sanctuary and Banned Books Week programs or join Hollywood Branch’s Banned Books Club – it’s your right.

Another right that is critical to our American way of life is the right to vote. Thousands of people in Broward exercise that right by voting by mail. However, recent Florida legislation automatically canceled all standing vote-by-mail ballot requests at the end of 2022 and requires voters to submit a new request. Hurry to do that online with the Broward Supervisor of Elections or in person at one of their Broward County Library satellite offices at South Regional/Broward College, Miramar, Northwest Regional, Southwest Regional and Tamarac libraries. Good news: If you are not already registered to vote, you can do so in any of our libraries.

More good news! There are new Director’s Book Club gathering places. We still meet up in libraries and online. Now we’re adding local coffee shops and cafés. For October, we will be in Helena’s Coffee in Plantation.

I choose my Director’s Book Club selections from the full spectrum of great reads, searching for a variety of perspectives, ethnicities and viewpoints across all genres – and I don’t shy away from controversial titles when they are first rate and worth reading.

This month’s Director’s Book Club selection, in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15), and with a nod to Halloween, is The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, a supernatural thriller set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence.

Let’s not overlook National Friends of Libraries Week, October 15-21. Being a member of the Friends myself, I’m keen to celebrate the Friends at our BCL branches and all of the wonderful things they do to support our libraries and library programming. Tell those great folks how appreciated they are…and become a member! 

There are so many holidays and seasonal programs going on for you at the library in October. Find anything you fancy by going to the Events Calendar, entering a keyword, and selecting your desired date range.

Drop by for Halloween! You can watch Retro Creature Features or explore opera ghosts with the Palm Beach Opera; toddlers can bounce through a Halloween dance party, attend a live performance with Marci Poppins or come costumed for Manatee Story Time; teens can make Mexican sugar skulls; and the very boldest of you can show up for Hunting the Haunted 2023 with the Paranormal Existence Research Society.

October is the month of mystery but it’s no secret that our creative librarians love to engage you. Let’s revel in the fun as we swivel our hips with Indian Classical and Bollywood Dance, open our ears to hear David Pedraza’s live performance on viola, revive our 1990’s moves with Jus Hip Hop Dance School and so much more.

My girl Kaylee would also like you to know that it’s Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. I will never forget the thrill for all of us when my husband and I picked her out at the shelter and took her home! See who’s waiting for you at Broward County Animal Care, and then scope out the books, magazines and videos — hundreds of them — that we have for you to check out free about your new best friend.

Come see us at the library – all treats, no tricks!

Allison Grubbs
Broward County Library Director

Happening Soon...

Looking for an upcoming free event? Visit the Events Calendar - just type the event name into the search box and choose your desired date range.

Library Events Calendar

Book Sanctuaries

View photos of the dedicated Book Sanctuary spaces located throughout Broward County Library locations.

Click Here for more information