If you could almost hear the familiar opening strains of Vivaldi’s “Spring” when you flipped the calendar over to March, you’re certainly not alone. The vernal equinox is just days away, with the promise of warmer weather on the horizon. Of course, even aside from the changing of the seasons, March offers a number of celebrations and observances, and hoopla is here with plenty of materials related to each of them.
Most notably, March is recognized as Women’s History Month. In the wake of the ongoing cultural transformation represented by the Women’s March and the #MeToo movement, which have brought increased attention to the issues of gender discrimination and sexual violence, hoopla is celebrating Women’s History Month with a series of collections across all our media formats. Included titles highlight women creators, such as in our music collection, as well as both fiction and non-fiction explorations of women’s history, as in our movie and TV, audiobook, and eBook collections. And don’t overlook the comics collection, which features some incredible female heroes—not to mention authors and illustrators.
Although less well known, March is also National Reading Awareness Month, a designation sure to be near and dear to every library’s core mission. The purpose is to promote literacy by encouraging parents, guardians, and other caregivers to read aloud to babies and children for at least fifteen minutes per day. Studies have shown that doing so can vastly improve a child’s literacy skills and prepare their minds for learning when they enter school. hoopla, with its 24/7 access to thousands of age-appropriate eBooks for children, can be a valuable tool for parents as they strive to accomplish this goal. Our wide selection of juvenile fiction and non-fiction eBooks will provide any number of perfect reading choices, and the read-along feature available on a number of eBooks can help children as they transition into reading for themselves as well.
To go along with these month-long observances, a handful of individual days stand out this month. First up is the Ides of March, made famous as the assassination day of Julius Caesar. That’s the perfect day for the famous play by William Shakespeare, available in both audiobook and eBook, as well as the novel by Thornton Wilder. A much less ominous occasion follows, with St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday. Patrons can find a collection of Celtic music perfect for their festivities, as well as plenty of other materials related to the holiday and to Ireland itself. Later in the month, March 25 is Tolkien Reading Day, when patrons can use hoopla to read The Hobbit or listen to the epic Lord of the Rings series, among other Tolkien offerings.
Finally, make sure patrons know they can check out and watch Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. hoopla’s Movie of the Month is another in a long line of delightfully dark and twisted films directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter. And, as always, they can keep their eyes on the hoopla digital app and website for incredible new content and collections added daily, all available 24/7 with no holds and no waiting.