By FRANCES SMITH / Community Columnist

As students, teachers and librarians settle into the new school year, hopes are high for reaching educational goals.

Although summer reading helped kids build or retain literacy skills, three easy activities can also benefit.

They are: Reading aloud, talking about books and finding something kids like and encouraging them to read about it.

Such activities help pre-literate children, too.

Story times also introduce and reinforce the love of reading.

Our story times use singing, talking, reading and playing to ignite literacy.

Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. We have Tunes & Tales for the after school crowd.

Mr. Mac plays instruments, tells tales and has a huge bag of tricks.

Fridays at 10:30 a.m. Toddler Tales with Miss Jennie delights the 2- and 3-year-olds.

Her September themes are: Labor Day Fun; Cars, Trucks, Trains, and Planes; Let’s Go to the Fair; Music; and Safari.

September is National Library Card Signup Month.

Children getting their first library card at our library will also get a gift.

They must be with their legal guardian who must bring their proof of Shelby County residency identification.

This does not apply to replacement cards. The card will be ready in a few minutes after filling out a short form, and kids can check out books right away.

Our meeting room will be full of activities as we welcome fall.

For children:

•Sept. 8 – Lego League, 4-4:45 p.m. Kids can play with Legos of all sizes.

•Sept. 22 – Teen Beach Movie Mania, 4 p.m. Do your kids know the songs and the dance steps from both movies? We’ll have cool activities for kids 6 years old and older who sign up for fun inspired by Disney’s Teen Beach Movies.

•Sept. 25 – American Girls Club, 4 p.m. Girls 7 years old and older can sign up to learn about Saige. Our special activity will be face painting. Girls can come with or without a doll.

•Sept. 29 – Pete the Cat Book Club, 6 p.m. Kids 5 years old and older can sign up and join cool cats, reading and more. Children age 6 and younger must be with an adult at programs.

For adults:

•Sept. 10, 6 p.m. Lisa Holman of the Alabama Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention shares a presentation.

•Sept. 13, 2 p.m. During Cake & Culture, Lynda Dusseau shares her knowledge of herbs.

•Sept. 14, 1 p.m. ABC & Ds of Medicare helps navigating the process of Medicare.

•Sept. 17, 7 p.m. The Library Book Group discusses “I Shall Be Near to You” by Erin Elizabeth McCabe.

•Sept. 24, 6 p.m., The Mobile Device Workshop answers tech questions.

Computer classes continue Wednesdays at 10 a.m.: Sept. 2 – Word, Part 2; Sept. 9 – Excel, Part 1; and Sept. 16 – Excel, Part 2.