Summer Reading
The six week summer reading program is observed June 23-August 2, 2025. The library offers amazing family programs that are sure to keep you and your family immersed in activity throughout the summer! Please note dates and times will vary from branch to branch. We encourage you to utilize the schedule of events below as you dive into the many summer activities your library has to offer. As always, we are happy to answer any questions you may have! Contact any branch of BRL for more information.
Summer Slide:
While we continue to promote the importance of daily reading, our focus during the summer months is to have participants visit the library to experience activities and to read for pleasure. However, we realize Summer Slide, the loss of academic and literacy skills, is a possibility. Therefore, we encourage parents to visit the library weekly to check out books of interest for children. If regular library visits are not an option, we also offer a variety of ebooks, e-audio books, and more through hoopla and Overdrive. Need a library card? Register online to receive your digital library card by email.
Events by Branch Coming Soon!
TAKE A ROAD TRIP THIS SUMMER! MUSEUMS AND AQUARIUMS IN THE HAMPTON ROADS AREA AND BEYOND:
Hampton Roads Naval Museum(Norfolk, VA)
The Hampton Roads Naval Museum, located inside Nauticus, is an accredited museum operated by the United States Navy, and celebrates the 234 years history of the fleet in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia.
Isle of Wight County Museum (Smithfield, VA)
Founded in 1976, the Isle of Wight County Museum tells the story of the county through its interactive exhibits including a turn-of-the-century country store as well as displays interpreting colonial history, the Smithfield ham industry, the Blackwater River, the Civil War and the Cold War.
The Mariners’ Museum and Park (Newport News, VA)>
For over 90 years, the history of the ocean and its relationship with humankind has been told and displayed in one of the largest maritime museums in the world.
Nauticus and the Battleship Wisconsin> (Norfolk, VA)
Nauticus, a maritime science museum, celebrates the economic, naval, and natural power of the sea. It features hands-on exhibits, wide-screen high-definition films, theaters with live actors, shark touch, and national-caliber traveling exhibits. Nauticus is also home to the Battleship Wisconsin.
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum (Portsmouth, VA)
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum and the associated Lightship Museum cover the 250+ year relationship with the shipyard – America’s oldest and largest naval shipyard located on the Portsmouth Waterfront.
Rawls Museum Arts(Courtland, VA)
Rawls Museum Arts features visiting curators, lecturers, jurors, artists, performers and educators to facilitate programs and exhibitions that are as diversified as the subjects, media, artworks, and lessons they present.
Science Museum of Virginia (Richmond, VA)
From virtual presentations featuring STEM experts to fun videos on social media, and from in-person experiential exhibitions to in-depth lab demos, the Science Museum of Virginia looks for all opportunities to encourage Virginians to enrich their lives through science.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center (Virginia Beach, VA)
The mission of the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is to inspire conservation of the marine environment through education, research, and sustainable practices.
Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum (Virginia Beach, VA)
The Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum honors and preserves the history of Virginia’s coastal communities and maritime heritage. The scope of the Museum’s exhibits begins with the Virginia Beach Community and extends to subjects related to Virginia’s oceanfront, coastal and water-related heritage.
Virginia Living Museum (Newport News, VA)
The Virginia Living Museum is an open-air museum located in Newport News, Virginia that has many living exhibits of Virginia’s indigenous species. The exhibits include aspects of an aquarium, science center, aviary, botanical preserve and planetarium.
Watermen’s Museum (Yorktown, VA)
The museum demonstrates the role Chesapeake Bay Watermen, from pre-colonial to modern times, have played in the shaping of our nation, providing historical exhibits depicting military and civilian water craft and activities, crafts and methods of their trade.