At The Library, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time for engaging the whole community in reflection, learning, volunteering, and reading that keeps the spotlight on the power of individuals to change lives.                       

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on January 16 this year, offers The Library a chance to showcase its rich array of resources that introduce Dauphin County residents to the history and context behind the holiday. As organizers like to say, “Make it a day ON . . . Not a day off!” With help from The Library, people can find the tools and connections to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a time for tangible impact.

“We want the community to have an understanding that The Library is here for them,” said The Library’s Public Services Director Lori Milach. “We support social justice. We support social change. We want to make sure the community has the resources to help them build an understanding of what social justice is and to highlight different cultures and races so there’s more of an understanding and comfort with differences.”

Paired with Black History Month in February, The Library’s commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day offers a way to start the year by seeking out pathways to racial and social justice, equality, and opportunity:

• MLK Day Essay Writing Contest: The Library is working with local elementary schools and their teachers, providing a prompt that will encourage students to reflect on what Martin Luther King Jr. Day means to them. Library staff will judge the entries by age group, and if tentative plans materialize, the winners will have a chance to read their essays on a local radio station.
   
• MLK Volunteer Fair: While Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a nationally recognized holiday, many people might not know that it is also one of two National Days of Service, along with 9/11. The Library is spotlighting its own role among the county’s premier nonprofit, volunteer-reliant organizations by hosting a Martin Luther King, Jr. Volunteer Fair, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, January 14, at East Shore Area Library. From fire companies to Hospice of Central Pennsylvania, about two dozen local organizations have been invited to showcase the vital services they provide for area residents and the contributions that volunteers can make. The event, with giveaways and snacks, “highlights the reason for Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” said Library Programming and Outreach Administrator Tynan Edwards. “The goal is to help people be a bigger part of the community.”
   
• Guest readers: Readers are leaders, and in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The Library is inviting prominent leaders to read to young children at The Library’s  Storytimes, January 9 through 14.

  Young readers will get to hear books read by leaders of the Black community, including state Rep. Justin Fleming, at East Shore Area Library; Joseph Robinson, Jr., Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Leadership Development Institute, at William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library; literacy advocates Karen Love and her 100-year-old mother, Hattie Love, at McCormick Riverfront Library and Kline Library; and Iris Brown, member of The Library’s Supercool Book Lovers Club, at a library location to be determined.

While continuing to forge the bonds between children and their beloved librarians through Storytimes, The Library also plans to celebrate themed months of the year by inviting local leaders to read meaningful titles and “bring a little difference to our Storytimes,” said Edwards. “They’re so well attended that we want to make sure that the families and kids who come get a really great, diverse look at everything we have to offer.”

Find information on this month’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day events at dcls.org.