Happy National Cookbook Month! As the weather begins to cool off, we look forward to cozying up indoors and cooking with family and friends. And while many of us now turn to our phones and social media for recipes, why not skip the ads and flip through an old-school cookbook instead? Our collection includes cookbooks for everyone in the family. Read on for a selection of kid, teen, and adult titles as well as delicious programs coming up this fall.

May is Older Americans Month. Since 1963, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) has led a national campaign to honor the contributions of older adults to their communities. To commemorate, we are highlighting some of the many HCPL programs and resources that may be of interest to older adults.

As Varina Area Library celebrates its eighth anniversary, we’d like to highlight the only HCPL library situated on the Capital Trail! Opened in June of 2016, Varina’s current LEED-certified location on New Market Road replaced the smaller Varina branch which served the community since 1970. Varina Library is a 43,885-square-foot two-story building equipped with designated adult, teen, and children’s areas; study and meeting spaces; a Digital Media Lab; a demonstration kitchen; a grand stairwell for events; and a nature trail. In 2017, Varina won the prestigious Library Building Award presented by the American Institute of Architects in conjunction with the American Library Association. Read on to learn more about this serene and nature-inspired library nestled in the East End!

This Spring, there’s a lot to discover at the library.  We’ve got a full slate of programs suited to every interest, new features added to popular resources, a new catalog look and feel, and of course, new additions to our collection.

Our online catalog has an updated look and feel. The home page of the new catalog features scrollable carousels with popular entry points for browsing titles in our collection, from new books to bestsellers. 

Introducing 100 Books Before Graduation, a new program that encourages teens in grades 6-12 to read by keeping track of the books you have to read, alongside the books you want to read, and earning prizes along the way!

Since 1992, May has been designated Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month by Congress. The month was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese to the United States in May of 1843 and to mark the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May of 1869—which was predominantly built by Chinese immigrants (asianpacificheritage.gov).

With a library card, you can access stories by and about AAPI voices this month and all year round. Read on for recommendations of kid, teen, and adult titles to add to your reading list.

In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Assistant Library Manager at Varina Library and chair of the HCPL IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism) committee Cristina Ramirez has penned a special guest contribution to our blog. Please read on to discover how you can learn more about Latinx culture and history and the library, and how members of the Latinx community can engage with library resources.

Starting June 15, the more books you read and the more activities you take part in this summer, the more prizes you will be eligible to win! Log reading, writing, and other literacy activities online to earn badges and prizes. Summer Reading is sponsored by the Friends of Henrico County Public Library. Keep reading to find out more.