Beyond the Bus

It's no secret that CATA is proud of our community’s library system. We have profiled the Capital Area District Libraries’ services during the COVID-19 pandemic and their special Library of Things, where adult cardholders can check out unique hands-on items from ghost-hunting kits to bus passes.

We are turning the page to another chapter in our partnership with CADL, as we proudly join their Summer Reading Challenge. You do not have to be a library member to get involved, and it is free to join.

But why would you want to read as much as you can between now and the challenge’s August 8 deadline? We’ll give you five good reasons to crack open a good book for the Summer Reading Challenge.

1. It can be tailored toward any age.

The Summer Reading Challenge offers four separate tracks, depending on your age group. Babies, toddlers, kids, teens and adults can all be part of the challenge.

2. You could win a computer, iPad, Chromebook, or other piece of tech gear.

Kids and teens who complete all levels of the Summer Reading Challenge can enter to win one of (at least) 20 tech devices. CADL is giving away these devices to close the digital divide between kids with easy computer access and reliable Internet, and kids without.

Click here for the official rules and entry form.

3. You can pay back library fines.

Kids and teens can earn a $5 coupon to help pay back any library fines. They can earn this coupon just by reaching the second level of CADL’s Summer Reading Challenge.

4. It’s a way to beat the summer slide.

When school is out for summer, children can lose many of their academic gains from the school year. Reading levels, spelling skills, and vocabulary can take a hit.

Click here to learn more about the summer slide and how the Summer Reading Challenge can help fend it off.

5. There are opportunities to win new experiences and prizes.

Read and be rewarded! Participants could win gift cards to the MSU Dairy Store, Traverse City Pie Company, Meijer, Target, Biggby and more. For kids up to age 13, the grand prize is a family getaway to the Bavarian Inn Waterpark in Frankenmuth. Teens have a chance to win a 10-pack of one-hour passes to Launch Trampoline Park.

For a full list of prizes by age group, click here.

In addition to the Summer Reading Challenge, CADL is also hosting community scavenger hunts, online escape room challenges, virtual storytimes, craft corners and more. View their catalog of summer activities and join us in extending a huge “Thank you!” to CADL for creating innovative ways to make summer learning fun.

In this time of uncertainty, it's more important than ever to show kindness to those around us. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are so many opportunities to show appreciation to others, even if we're bound to the confines of our own homes.

Here are some fun ways to keep yourself busy while giving back to the community.

1. Make handmade masks

Are you crafty or know how to sew? The City of Lansing has opened up donation sites where people are able to drop off handmade masks. Click here to learn more.

To learn how to make your own masks, click here.

2. Support local artists

Local artists are joining the movement to help make at-home quarantine a little more bearable. One artist released free Lansing-themed coloring pages you can print and colored, with new pages released daily! Once you’ve colored these pages in, be sure to share them with #coloryourlansing.

Check out all of her coloring pages here.

3. Thank people on the front line

Make cards to deliver to cashiers on your trip to the grocery store, or post a shout out to bus drivers and health care workers online. Do you have a neighbor working in one of these essential industries? Drop off goodies, letters or cheer them on to let them know you appreciate their work. 

4. Send letters to local nursing homes

People across the world are writing letters and creating drawings to send to people in assisted living and nursing homes. This is a scary time for many of them, and a letter of love or appreciation can mean so much. 

5. Shop local

Support your local businesses by ordering takeout, purchasing gift cards or leaving them positive reviews online! Places like Cravings Gourmet Popcorn, Blue Owl Coffe, and AnQi Sushi are still open for deliveries and/or curbside pickup. Other businesses like Nuthouse Sports Grill are taking a temporary hiatus, while offering gift cards in the meantime.

Lansing Brewing Company has even been hosting cocktail classes and deals on their social media! Check them out here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to make sweeping changes to our daily lives. Toilet paper is the hottest item on the market. Social distancing is the norm.

For the health and safety of our employees, riders and the general public, CATA even temporarily suspended its fixed-route services. We resumed limited summer service May 26 with rear-door boarding, fare-free rides and mask requirements.

Other public services are adapting as well, such as Capital Area District Libraries.

Since CADL is closed through late June, we're counting down three ways you can still connect with their services.

1. Tune in to a storytime show.

CADLtales is a kid-friendly educational series with stories, songs and learning activities. Shows are filmed at the downtown Lansing branch, so while you may not be able to visit the  branch in person, you can play these storytime shows whenever you’d like.

You can find a full playlist of episodes on CADL’s YouTube channel. Click here to learn more.

2. Go digital with download and streaming services.

Library cardholders can download or stream books, music, movies and more. No need for a Netflix subscription here. A bonus of going digital? You don’t have to go to the library to return borrowed items, so there are no overdue fees.

Explore CADL’s impressive digital library here. It even includes comic books!

3. Create your own historical adventure.

Explore our community’s history through thousands of images and documents with Local History Online. Conduct your own research, go on a virtual historical scavenger hunt or flip through photos that pre-date social media. No library card required.

Click here to start exploring.

Want another look at Stevie Wonder's time in Lansing? Check out this video testimonial from Below the Stacks.