January Library News
2026
Thank you for being a valued member of the library. As we move into the new year, we are excited to announce the return of our Winter Reading Challenge on January 12! This challenge is an excellent opportunity for adults to explore their TBR pile and for families and teens to beat the post-holiday blues.
We look forward to seeing all the reading goals you achieve during this exciting season.
At PCL, we truly value your support and loyalty. Because of you, we can continue to provide top-notch services and materials that meet and exceed your expectations. As we navigate through another year together, we are committed to making your experience with us enjoyable and rewarding. Your satisfaction is our priority, and we are grateful to have you as part of our community.
As we approach the new year, we look forward to the exciting opportunities and events lined up for you. We can’t wait to see what this year has in store; we know that with your continued support, it will be a successful one. Thank you again for choosing Parkland Community Library as your community center. Let’s make this year the best yet!
Closures
New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1, 2026
Featured Events
We have exciting new programs for teens and children that you won’t want to miss!
2026 Storytimes
Baby Massage: Saturday, January 10
Weekly Toddler and Preschool Storytimes Begin January 15
Kickstart the new year with books!
Celebrate the new year with our reading challenge! Perfect for parents teaching kids, teens seeking a cozy winter activity, and adults beginning their 2026 reading list.
Log reading to earn prizes!
Paper logs are available for adults at the reference desk. Children can pick up their paper log at the Youth Services Desk.
Teens will sign up with Beanstack and track their progress toward earning a gift card and entering for the grand prize—no paper option. Download a PDF of the Beanstack App Instructions located in the Winter Reading entry of the event calendar.
We’re excited to celebrate this season with you!
Join a Book Club in 2026
Engage with others that share your passion for reading! Parkland Community Library has three adult book clubs available to our patrons. Questions? Email Adult Services.
Short Story Society
Monthly on the second Thursday, 2pm
Senior Book Club at Luther Crest
Monthly on the second Tuesday, 3pm
PCL Book Club: February New Date & Time
Monthly on the fourth Wednesday, 10:30am
Now Showing: Valerie Schramak through February
Bio: Valerie Schramak
I was always creative, but I never saw myself as artistic. In 2015, at my husband’s urging, I took a class in colored pencils. To my surprise, I discovered I could draw. While I enjoyed colored pencils, I felt drawn to learn about pastels. After taking some classes, I was hooked. I fell in love with the purity of the colors and how they can be layered to create new colors and variations within the subject. Since I never had any formal art training, I needed to catch up. To broaden my art experience and meet other artists, I joined the Parkland Art League and the Lehigh Art Alliance. I’ve been painting regularly with friends, which I believe has significantly accelerated my growth. My love of gardening and nature led me to focus on painting flowers and wildlife. However, the beauty of the places I’ve traveled to now lies in landscapes that call to me. Becoming an artist has changed how I see the everyday world for the better. I have many paintings inside me, just waiting to be completed.
The Parkland Art League will rotate artist displays every two months at PCL. Head to the right of the Zirkel Meeting rooms to our gallery space. The public is welcome to view the gallery at any time the library is open. Purchase inquiries can be made through the Parkland Art League.
Discover Dairy
Fluff, Our Adopted Dairy Cow
Moo U Station at the Pennsylvania Farm Show: Join Kurtland Farm at the Moo U Station of the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, PA, on Wednesday, January 14, or Saturday, January 17. Stop by to say “Hi” and make butter!
The Pennsylvania Farm Show is a major agricultural event and accessible to all, even those unfamiliar with farms. Highlights include animal exhibits, food stands, and the popular Calving Corner, where calves are born during the show, offering a rare glimpse into dairy farm life. Visitors can also shop for Pennsylvania products, handmade goods, and local specialties. Admission is free, but parking costs.
Recommendations
Explore the latest collections and find new stories to dive into this month! From exciting mysteries to heartwarming romances. Whether you enjoy a gripping page-turner or a feel-good novel, our curated collection offers it all. Don’t miss the chance to escape into a new world with these captivating reads!
Now Available:
PCL’s The Most Circulated of 2025
For Fans of Stranger Things
Feeling a bit sad that Stranger Things has wrapped up? Don’t worry—there are plenty of exciting options for fellow fans just like you! Take a moment to explore our catalog and hoopla, and discover even more adventures waiting for you.
Stranger Things: Erica the Great
Stranger Things. Suspicious minds
Roll to Hit: an Unofficial History of Dungeons and Dragons
Play Dungeons & Dragons at PCL
If you’re craving a more immersive experience, join us for our adult or teen Dungeons & Dragons nights. Come on in and find your guild at your library—it’s a wonderful way to connect and have fun! Details on our events calendar.
2025 Hoopla Year in Review
2025 was a standout year for entertainment! Check out hoopla’s most borrowed books, comics, movies, music, and TV shows of 2025. From trending series now receiving recognition to brand new titles released this year on hoopla, there is something here for everyone of all ages.
hoopla offers access to a vast collection of books, videos, and music, all free with your library card. Borrow, stream, and download the most borrowed titles of 2025 on iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, and more.
Kanopy and hoopla are free at-home streaming apps available only to Parkland School District and paying nonresidents.
Resolutions
Start 2026 with a spark of inspiration. Discover Kanopy’s New Year’s Resolutions collection featuring uplifting documentaries, motivational films, practical videos, and instructional videos to help you achieve your 2026 goals!
Biopics
Best of Biopics collection launches on January 1, 2026.
From visionaries to rule-breakers, heroes to the infamous, Kanopy’s Best of Biopics collection captures the people and moments that defined history.
Museum Passes
Parkland Community Library partners with local museums in Philadelphia and New York City to provide patrons with exclusive access to educational experiences through free museum passes. Dedicated to the four most influential pages in America’s history, the National Constitution Center focuses on honoring and studying the U.S. Constitution. Visitors can see exhibits, artifacts, the 360-degree theatrical production Freedom Rising, and 42 bronze statues of the Founding Fathers.
Borrow a Laptop
Job seekers can borrow a free laptop with their library card and access online career tools. Parkland School District residents and paying nonresidents with valid adult library cards may check out laptops for home use.
In summer 2025, PCL added 20 HP EliteBooks for use in the library. The program aims to close the digital divide by offering access to technology for career development, healthcare, and education. The Tech Center assistant will check out the laptop for you and return it upon your check-in.
Try Playaways
Extend your phone’s battery life with a Playaway. These preloaded audiobook devices are battery-powered, include headphone ports, and can connect to speakers, making them well-suited for use in the car. These devices are located just past the newspapers, near the young adult section. New Playaways are displayed in the center aisle.
POWER Library-Pennsylvania Now Available on Libby
POWER Library-Pennsylvania is now searchable on Libby! Users can access both PCL and POWER Library collections. Toggle between library cards; eight checkouts are available with the LCLC, and five loans at a time with POWER Library. Enjoy collections of eBooks, audiobooks, and magazines, including backlist and YA titles – all for FREE for PA residents with your Parkland Community Library card.
How to access the POWER Library on Libby:
- Visit the Libby App
- Go to the Home Menu and click the PCL logo in the top-right corner.
- Scroll to the bottom and select “Add Library.”
- Search for “Power Library.”
- Select your Home Library from the list.
- Sign in with your library card number to start reading.
- Toggle between library cards to get more items!
Questions? Visit or contact the reference desk!
OverDrive TEENS
E-Books & Audiobooks
Discover engaging titles on subjects such as: biographies & autobiographies, fiction, Hi-Lo, science & nature, sports & recreation, STEAM, world & culture.
Also included are thousands of comics and graphic novels from Disney, Marvel, IDW, Image, and Dark Horse.
POWER Teens: Perfect for school research papers. Students will have access to age-appropriate content from magazines, journals, newspapers, reference books, and engaging multimedia across a wide range of subjects, including science, history, literature, political science, sports, and environmental studies. PowerTeens is a free, reliable resource for library cardholders.
OverDrive KIDS E-Books & Audiobooks
Read from over 800 titles on subjects such as animals and nature, beginning readers, emotional well-being, graphic nonfiction, and STEM.
POWER Library gives kids the POWER with a website that meets their information and learning needs. POWER Kids allows families to watch videos and books online safely. Subjects include nature, the universe, culture, family, art and music, ABCs and 1, 2, 3’s, and more. Enjoy reading aloud with word highlighting and interactive games. Some items are also available in Spanish. This database is suitable for recommendations, STEM projects, homework questions, research, and more.
“This is a wonderful library in our community. The staff is kind, friendly, and helpful. My children and I enjoy the various activities offered here. The library staff is also very dedicated to improving the programs and services. Thank you to all the staff here!”
—Lilli L.
PA Forward® Gold Star Award
Parkland Community Library has retained its “Gold Star” status in the PA Forward Star Library Program through 12/15/2026! In recognition of this achievement, earned between October 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025, PA Forward will present the library with a commemorative certificate. The library effectively demonstrated how to integrate PA Forward’s five literacies into its programs and resources. Using PA Forward, the library continues to build capacity and actively engage patrons, helping them see that libraries are about more than just books — they offer a world of possibilities. Thank you for your active participation in PA Forward and for all your efforts to advance the mission of Pennsylvania libraries! — Rob Lesher, PA Forward® Program Manager
PCL Learning Center
Welcome to the PCL Learning Center! Your library card grants you access to many online learning resources! Our staff has compiled an age-based educational list to help you and your family prepare for school and thrive throughout the school year and semesters. Whether you are preparing a little one to start school, priming a child…
Language Tools
Parkland Community Library is happy to offer free language tools for both native speakers and those interested in learning a new language. Our online databases and apps are perfect for language research and studying, with no ads. Our language tools are crafted to help users improve their communication skills, enrich their vocabulary, and gain a…
For Fans of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons has maintained a lasting following over the years for its creativity, engaging gameplay, social interaction, friendship-building, and storytelling within a rich, lore-filled universe. Players form guilds to strategize, solve puzzles, and immerse themselves in a vast world of magical creatures and treasures. This role-playing game (RPG) features a customizable tabletop board that…