You've heard it said that “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb,” but at Broward County Library (BCL), March is roaring all the way through! We're celebrating Women's History Month and Youth Art Month, and we have some spectacular events planned. Thank you for allowing me to reveal a few gems our staff have worked hard to develop.

The library is an epicenter of creativity! Youth Art Month programs include the Japanese practice of making a clay doll for Hinamatsuri-Girls Day; Stories and Slime, where we read with kids ages 4 and up and make our own slime; Decorative Hair Design, for kids 5 to 12, to design hair styles with a tabletop model; and teens and tweens get to paint a canvas. Each Friday, using a curriculum created by New York's Museum of Modern Art, artful kids grades K-5 make a composition inspired by a famous work of art, learning about different artists and techniques. NSU Art Museum will sponsor Museum on the Move: Elements of Art for Teens and provide free kits.

Do you have a secret ambition to write your own children's books? We've got you covered! Learn the craft with Writing a Picture Book with Stephen Krensky, a free online class. Speaking of which, we offer you Universal Class with over 600 free online courses, including 55 on writing.

March is also International Ideas Month. Here's an idea: learn a new language! We've got Rosetta Stone, free for you, with 30 languages online. If you prefer meeting in person, bring the little ones to Cultural Connections Storytime for a bilingual English/Arabic Ramadan story with activity for ages 2 to 5. We also have Bilingual Storytime in Spanish for a family night of songs and stories. If the language you want to learn is English or Spanish, adults will enjoy socializing at the library as they build new speaking skills at English Café and El Club Spanish Classes.

I am really enthused for programs coming up for Women's History Month. We'll look at women in the visual arts through a Fine Arts Series talk on "The Feminine Perspective," presented by the NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale. We'll explore the lives and legends of women of influence. Two civil rights leaders we will focus on are activist/journalist Ida B. Wells, and activist/entertainer Nina Simone, with a tribute performance by Jus' Cynthia.

Probe further by joining us in person or online for Women Who Tell Our Stories or drop by to view and discuss Killing Us Softly, a documentary examining how print and TV create ideals of femininity. I also invite you to a career seminar, How Women Navigate a Male-Dominated Industry, for success tips and a glimpse of women's history. My Director's Book Club selection for March is real history that will have you riveted by the daring women of Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA by Nathalia Holt.

Fiction or non-fiction, the curious mind is a wonderful thing, and your local library is the place to turn it loose. There's a book for everything! Did you know that BCL has over two million books? We've got books on paper, books on CD, downloadable books – you name it!

Make your March magical, relaxing and bursting with books!

Allison Grubbs

Broward County Library Director