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16th Annual Family Reading Festival

Celebrating the Week of the Young Child

2023-04-22 10:00:00 2023-04-22 15:00:00 America/New_York 16th Annual Family Reading Festival Fun for the entire family! Hands-on activities, free books, balloon twisting, Outback Ray, and of course, musician Jim Gill! Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust. Main Library -

Saturday, April 22
10:00am - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2023-04-22 10:00:00 2023-04-22 15:00:00 America/New_York 16th Annual Family Reading Festival Fun for the entire family! Hands-on activities, free books, balloon twisting, Outback Ray, and of course, musician Jim Gill! Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust. Main Library -

Fun for the entire family! Hands-on activities, free books, balloon twisting, Outback Ray, and of course, musician Jim Gill! Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust.

Get ready to sing, clap, dance and spin along during this visit by award-winning musician and author Jim Gill.

Jim Gill’s distinctive music play creates the spirit of a family room in the concert hall and is an invitation to children, parents and grandparents to sing and play together!

Jim Gill is a musician and author with unique credentials among children's artists. Jim is a child development specialist, completing his graduate studies in child development at the Erikson Institute of Chicago with a special emphasis on the study of play. For this reason, each of Jim's recordings and books is created as an opportunity for playful interactions between a child and a caring adult. Anyone who has experienced one of Jim's family concerts knows that rather than performing for the children and parents, Jim leads them to sing and play together.

Jim has released ten award-winning CDs of music play for young children that are favorites in family rooms, classrooms and playrooms. Jim is also the author of two children's books, "A Soup Opera" and "May There Always Be Sunshine."

Performers are sponsored by the Lucy & Emily Beasley Charitable Trust.

10:45 am - He's Back! Musician Jim Gill's Sing-a-thon of Celebrated Songs

11:45 am - Outback Ray and his amazing animal friends. See captive-born exotic animals up close and personal!

1:00 pm - Jim Gill - afternoon matinee performance

Local community organizations will share hands-on activities and information about services for families.

Each child in attendance will take home a free book sponsored in part by Children & Books.



Week of the Young Child: Join us for a fun-filled week, April 17-21, celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities. Visit our online calendar to discover more events and activities encouraging movement and healthy lifestyles through music, food, and art.

Main Library

Phone: 330.643.9000
Branch manager
Michael Bianchi

Hours
We're closed Sunday March 31
Mon, Mar 25 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Mar 26 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Mar 27 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Mar 28 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Mar 29 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Mar 30 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Mar 31 Closed

About the branch

Main Library, located in the heart of downtown Akron, combines compelling public space with meaningful and relevant public library services for all members of our community. Since opening in 2004, the downtown library welcomes more than one million visitors each year.

Subject divisions include: Business, Government & Science, Culture & AV, Magazines & Newspapers, Special Collections (local history & genealogy), TechZone@Main, Teen, and a 12,000 square feet Children's Library.

Special services available at Main Library include: a Patent & Trademark Resource Center; U.S. Passport and Notary services; a Microbusiness Center; a Maker Space; a resource lab for early childhood educators; and regularly scheduled computer training classes. Also available at Main Library are more than 125 public access computers, color photocopiers/printers, laminating, scanning, faxing, and free Wi-Fi.

Specialized spaces include a 425-seat auditorium, public meeting rooms, and a used bookstore. An interior glass block walkway leads to a 600-space parking garage owned by the City of Akron. An outdoor amphitheater and landscaped park complete the complex.

Upcoming Events

Thu, Mar 28, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Mar 28, 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Quiet Study Room 1

Thu, Mar 28, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Mar 28, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Mar 28, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Mar 28, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Thu, Mar 28, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Mon, Apr 01, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Mon, Apr 01, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Tue, Apr 02, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Wed, Apr 03, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Wed, Apr 03, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Wed, Apr 03, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Meeting Room 1

Thu, Apr 04, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 04, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Apr 04, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Apr 04, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 04, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Mon, Apr 08, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Mon, Apr 08, 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Auditorium,Atrium,Library Park/Amphitheater

Mon, Apr 08, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
TechZone

Tue, Apr 09, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
TechZone

Tue, Apr 09, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Wed, Apr 10, 10:30am - 11:30am
Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Apr 10, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
TechZone

Wed, Apr 10, 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Wed, Apr 10, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Apr 10, 5:30pm - 6:30pm

Wed, Apr 10, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
TechZone
This event is full

Thu, Apr 11, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Programming Room,Children's Library Educators Lab

Thu, Apr 11, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Meeting Room 1

Thu, Apr 11, 1:00pm - 2:00pm
TechZone

Thu, Apr 11, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Apr 11, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Apr 11, 3:00pm - 4:45pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 11, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Thu, Apr 11, 8:00pm - 9:00pm

Sat, Apr 13, 10:00am - 2:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Apr 13, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Children's Library Programming Room

Sat, Apr 13, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
TechZone

Mon, Apr 15, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Tue, Apr 16, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Wed, Apr 17, 10:30am - 12:00pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Apr 17, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Wed, Apr 17, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Zoom

Wed, Apr 17, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Wed, Apr 17, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 18, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 18, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Apr 18, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Apr 18, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 18, 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Auditorium

Fri, Apr 19, 10:00am - 6:00pm

Sat, Apr 20, 8:30am - 11:30am
Special Collections

Sat, Apr 20, 10:00am - 5:00pm

Sat, Apr 20, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Auditorium

Sun, Apr 21, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Auditorium,Meeting Room 3

Mon, Apr 22, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Tue, Apr 23, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Wed, Apr 24, 10:30am - 12:30pm
Meeting Room 2AB

Wed, Apr 24, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Wed, Apr 24, 2:00pm - 2:30pm
Children's Library Programming Room
This event is full

Thu, Apr 25, 10:30am - 11:00am
Children's Library Programming Room

Thu, Apr 25, 11:30am - 1:00pm
Meeting Room 1

Thu, Apr 25, 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Quiet Study Room 1

Thu, Apr 25, 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Meeting Room 2AB,Meeting Room 3,Atrium,Auditorium

Thu, Apr 25, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Microbusiness Center

Thu, Apr 25, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Computer Lab 1

Thu, Apr 25, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Teen Meeting Room

Thu, Apr 25, 6:15pm - 8:00pm
Auditorium

Sat, Apr 27, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
Meeting Room 2AB