Bring your creativity and imagination...and explore all the colors of the world this summer! Join in the fun with East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s 2025 Summer Reading Challenge, Color Our World!

Beginning Sunday, June 1 and running through Friday, August 15, enjoy an entire summer of FREE programs, workshops, story times, concerts, and performances for all ages, scheduled throughout the Library system. Learn more at www.ebrpl.com/SummerReading.

Track your reading and earn rewards! It’s easy! First, sign up at your local Library location or online at ebrpl.beanstack.org. Then, read books and log them into your Beanstack account to earn virtual badges and completion rewards, as well as entries for weekly prize drawings! There are reading challenges and incentives for kids, teens, and even adults!

Teens and young adults are invited to Cool Careers, a fun and engaging series about various in-demand careers from experts in their respective fields, brought to you by EBRPL’s Career Center. Join us at 10a.m. each Friday in June at the Main Library at Goodwood to hear presenters share their knowledge and experiences, and give an overview of their career fields, followed by a hands-on activity. To register, visit ebrpl.com/career-center/events. For more information, call 231-3733.

• June 6: NASA – Space

• June 13: King Crow Studios – XR Technology

• June 20: FACES Lab – Forensics

• June 27: LSU and BRCC – Drones & Robotics

In the summer of 2024, Ruth, Iris, and Miles Linder had a bold idea! Why not attempt to visit all EBRPL locations in one day? They mapped their journey, packed lots of snacks, and set off on an adventure! After eight fun-filled hours, their quest was complete! Inspired by their amazing feat, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library calls upon you to follow in their footsteps (or tire tracks)! There are a couple of different options for completing the Linder Challenge*:

Option 1: The Scenic Route

Visit all locations of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library at your own pace throughout the summer (June 1 – August 15). Pick up a map at your first location and receive a stamp at each library you visit. At your last stop, turn in your completed map to receive your Linder Challenge achievement certificate.

Option 2: The Heroic Act of Literacy

Visit all 15 locations of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library in one day! Start by calling (231-3710) or emailing ([email protected]) that morning, so we can let our staff know to expect you! Pick up a map at your first location and receive a stamp at each library you visit. At your last stop, turn in your completed map to receive your Linder Challenge achievement certificate. Families who accomplish this heroic act are also invited to create a special Linder Challenge medallion at the Main Library at Goodwood and join us for the Linder Fête celebration. Just call or email the programming department to schedule an appointment.

Local filmmaker and puppeteer Clay Achee is partnering up with your Library to bring FREE filmmaking summer camps to teens ages 13 and up! Students will learn hands-on the basics of video production, including design, writing, production, filming, effects, and more! See camp dates and locations below. Teens may only sign up for one week-long camp. Space is limited to 15 teens per camp. Registration is required. To register, call 231-3770.

The final projects from each camp will premiere at the Main Library at Goodwood on Wednesday, July 30 at 6 p.m.

• Monday, June 2 – Friday, June 6

10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Main Library at Goodwood

2-5 p.m.: Jones Creek Regional Branch Library

• Monday, June 9 – Friday, June 13

10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Greenwell Springs Road Regional Branch Library

2-5 p.m.: Zachary Branch Library

• Monday, June 16 – Wednesday, June 18 & Friday, June 20

10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Bluebonnet Regional Branch Library

2:30-6 p.m.: South Branch Library

• Monday, June 23 – Friday, June 27

10 a.m.-1 p.m.: Delmont Gardens Branch Library

Movies on the Plaza are back! Join us at the Main Library at Goodwood at 7 p.m. each Friday in June for a family-friendly movie on the big screen in the outdoor plaza. Admission is free! Bring your lawn chair or blanket to sit comfortably while you watch. Refreshments will be available for purchase, and, as always, there will be an after-movie dance party!

The Library continues its Author Talk Series with three new authors in June! Each live, virtual event features a different bestselling author, along with an interactive Q&A session where participants can ask questions directly to the author. See June selections and dates/times below. Visit libraryc.org/ebrpl to register for these virtual events, learn about other upcoming conversations with bestselling authors, and view previous author talk recordings. For more information about these and other virtual events, visit ebrpl.co/virtual.

• Wednesday, June 4 at 1 p.m. – Extinctopedia tells a complex story, not just of those species

who are extinct, but also of those in greatest peril, with explanations of what threatens their

survival. It is also a story of hope—hope for animals that have been rediscovered, hope in the

form of newly-discovered animals, and hope that we might hear the warning call and act to

preserve the amazing biodiversity of Earth for future generations to come.You’re invited to grab

your family and friends and join us as Smithsonian scientists, Brian Gratwicke and Dr. Gina

Della Togna, highlight information found in the Smithsonian’s book, Extinctopedia: Discover

what we have lost, what is at risk, and how we can preserve the diversity of our fragile planet.

Extinctopedia provides a fascinating catalog of life on earth and encourages the reader to find

ways of preserving the incredible diversity of species, so we may all thrive, and life itself can

endure on this amazing and beautiful planet.

• Tuesday, June 10 at 1 p.m. – You’re invited to an exclusive preview event with New York

Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell as she introduces readers to her forthcoming title Don’t Let

Him In (release date: June 24, 2025!). Along with an introduction to her newest bone-chilling,

psychological thriller, Jewell will chat about her life as a writer and her critically acclaimed body

of work. In Don’t Let Him In, three women are connected by one man in this kaleidoscopic

thriller. Nick Radcliffe is a man of substance and good taste. He has a smile that could melt the

coldest heart and a knack for putting others at ease, but some things don’t make sense. Nina,

Martha, and Ash are on a collision course with a shocking truth that is far darker than anyone

could have imagined. And all three are about to wish they had heeded the same warning: Don’t

let him in.

• Tuesday, June 24 at 3 p.m. – As part of our K-12 Summer Series, join us as award-winning

author and summer reading champion Katherine Applegate talks to viewers about her

enthusiastically heartwarming novel in verse, Odder. Everyone wants to meet Odder, the Queen

of Play. Odder spends her days off the coast of central California, practicing her underwater

acrobatics and spinning the quirky stories for which she’s known. She’s a fearless daredevil,

curious to a fault. But when Odder comes face-to-face with a hungry great white shark, her life

takes a dramatic turn, one that will challenge everything she believes about herself―and about

the humans who hope to save her. This poignant and humorous tale told in free verse examines

bravery and healing through the eyes of one of nature’s most beloved and charming animals.

The Baton Rouge Botanic Garden Foundation will host a FREE Garden Discoveries event, “Hurricane Preparedness for Trees” led by Scott Courtright, at the Main Library at Goodwood on Saturday, June 14 at 10 a.m. Scott is a senior arborist and owner of Trinity Tree Consultants, LLC, and Louisiana Tree Service, LLC. He will discuss how often to prune your trees, which trees make for a better “yard trees,” and whether you can prune your neighbor’s tree that is hanging over your house. Be ready before the storms come! Weather permitting, a tour will follow of the Baton Rouge Botanic Gardens adjacent to the Library. Registration is available at ebrpl.co/events or call 231-3750 for registration assistance. Learn more at ebrpl.co/garden.

 

Have you ever wanted to try out a musical instrument but never had the opportunity? Join Baton Rouge Music Studios for Pick Up and Play at the Main Library at Goodwood on Sunday, June 15 at 3 p.m. Connect with the music inside you and jam with others with a little guidance from music professionals. Registration is required. To register, visit ebrpl.co/events.

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