On the same page: Glen Cove Public Library forms new book club

Libraries provide a space to gather safely, provide access to information, resources and advocate for literacy and education. They are a haven for lifelong learning and serve as a safe space for the community to gather. So when Marissa Damiano, a staff member for the Glen Cove Public Library and a graduate student at the State University of New York at Buffalo, saw members of AHRC Nassau in the library last fall, she knew she wanted to offer the same feeling of lifelong learning to the group.

AHRC provides specialized support for children and adults with developmental disabilities, which often includes outings to local attractions and events. After seeing AHRC members wandering around the library last fall, Damiano worked closely with AHRC to form Hooked on Books, a weekly book club for members of the organization’s Glen Head and Carle Place locations to meet at a space of their own within the library.

“This weekly meeting is a place for them to get excited to enter a library,” Damiano said. “Sometimes they would come in and they would just sit and have no entertainment. They’re not really gonna pick up a book and just read-they like to be stimulated in a safe environment.”

Damiano meets with the eight members once a week at the library’s history room on the second floor. The room is a cozy space that provides members a sensory-friendly area to hone their reading skills, but it’s also a space to unwind, have fun, and socialize. When the group settles into their seats, they open their meeting with their playlist, which Damiano said includes their unofficial theme song, “Smile,” by Vitamin C. The playlist gets the club excited to start their one-and-a-half-hour meet up and transitions to members updating one another on their lives since the previous meeting.

Afterwards, the club will read the week’s designated book, which Damiano said is a balance of education without being too “babyish.” Some of the recent books they’ve read touch on the topics of the human circulatory system, educational books about animals, to stories surrounding the events of Juneteenth without focusing on the tragedy surrounding the federal holiday.

But the club isn’t limited to just reading books. Members also tend to the library’s seed garden, and work on arts and crafts. Oftentimes, they’ll read poetry during their sessions. They also have special guests like Nick Mondello, a trumpet player who demonstrates the magic of music.

Damiano said that although the program has a specific demographic, it mainly focuses on promoting togetherness, inclusivity, diversity acceptance and love. Damiano said creating Hooked on Books is the highlight of her 12-year career at the library.