Thank you and congratulations to everyone who participated in our 2026 Summer Reading Program! A total of 101 children (through completed grade 6) were registered and 58 children met their reading goal each of the 10 weeks! 58 teens and adults were registered with 33 meeting their reading goal each week. Thank you to the Friends of the Library, the Niobrara County Library Foundation, The Branded Brew, Bloomers and Tiger Plunge for helping to make this a successful summer program!
Afterschool programs begin at the library on Thursday, August 20 for children in the 3-6 grades. The theme this fall is “Making Sense of Our Senses” with activities and experiments related to our five senses. The program begins afterschool and continues until 4:45 p.m. through Thursday, October 22. On Tuesday, August 25 children in grades K-2 will hop on the “STEAM Train!” Miss Tina has planned sessions that include science, building, crafting and art – there may even be a challenge or two! This series continues through October 20. Call the library at 307-334-3490 to register your children.
“Organized Crime” is the theme for the fall book discussion series. The Mafia can be traced back to 1860s Sicily and is still active in America today. You’ll read of the five Mafia families that had a tight control on all facets of organized crime and also learn of the way organized crime has adapted in today’s world. Tina Kitras-Seaman returns to facilitate and the first book in the series is “Borgata, Rise of an Empire” by Louise Ferrante. Stop by the library to register and pick up the book.
Lisa Jewell’s last novel is “It Could Have Been Her.” A lost dog and a missing teenage girl have Jane Trevally returning to a rundown house in the deepest backwaters of Hampstead. She recognizes the house. Conjuring memories from twenty-five years ago, Jane knows that this house holds the key… to the missing teen, her own traumatic story and to the dark secrets of the past. “It Could Have Been Her” is also available digitally.
Other new fiction books are “Forty Times a Killer” by William W. Johnstone, “Second Chance Prince” by Sara Bennett, “Girl Who is Hunted” by Georgia Wagner, “Deep Water” created by Stuart Woods, “Wait and See” by Iris Johanson, “Whisper Creek” by Allison Brennan and “Montana Passage” by Allan Vaughan Elston. “The League of Dangerous Young Ladies” by J.A. Morgenstein is available in the new young adult section.
Among the newer non-fiction books is “Monster of a Land: On the Road in Search of Modern America” by Lauren Hough.
The Lenna Lewis Slagle Children’s Library has these new chapter books: “Strays” by Gia Gordon and Penelope Positano Sees It All” by Katie Cotugno. Newer picture books are Lilibet Makes a Friend” by Kersten Hamilton, “The Dog Who Was (Almost) Perfect” by Jack Kurland, “Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library” by Barb Rosenstock, “Pete the Cat and the Family Tree” by Kimberly Dean and “Unicorns in Uniforms” by Beth Ferry.
“Polly Want a Cracker?” is the theme for Storyhour on August 18, 2026. Storyhour is held from 10 to 11 a.m. every Tuesday throughout the year for preschool-aged children. The Friends of the Library sponsor the 24/7 storyline, Dial-A-Story. Call 307-334-3274 anytime to hear a recorded story!
Visit the library’s website at https://niobraracountylibrary.org to see all of the upcoming activities, browse WyldCat and other digital resources and sign up for email notifications.
Library hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday 10 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.