World Blindness Awareness Month and National Braille Week, Oct. 10-16, serve as a simple reminder: everyone deserves to enjoy their local library. Ask a librarian about Georgia Library Service (GLS) for the Blind and Print Disabled, which provides accessible reading materials, including Braille books. Anyone who is unable to read or handle standard printed materials, is legally blind or cannot see well enough to read standard print (even with glasses), is unable to hold or turn pages of print books, or is certified by a medical doctor as having a reading disability is eligible for GLS. Assistive toolkits also are available for readers and their families to borrow and take home. When you visit your public library, ask a staff member for assistance with this service.

Sequoyah Regional Library System also is celebrating Friends of the Cherokee County Public Library members as part of National Friends of Libraries Week, Oct. 16-22. Our volunteers donate their time to assist with library fundraising efforts, advocate for library services and coordinate the libraries’ book sales (including the Woodstock Public Library book store, which is open during library service hours). This month, visit your local SRLS library to learn about becoming a Friends member. It’s a great way to support your local library, help the community and even make a few new friends of your own!

It’s hard to believe we’re three paragraphs in and haven’t even talked about this month’s library Halloween programming. Our Cherokee County locations are exploring spooky (and not-so-spooky) opportunities for the entire family to celebrate fall and Halloween — at no cost! Events include a Fall Fun Fest, Halloween costume accessory crafts, guides to decorating and cooking with pumpkins, the annual Boo Bash and a special pumpkin spice taste-testing get-together for teens. For event dates, times, additional information and the full schedule, visit calendarwiz.com/sequoyahreglib or follow @SequoyahRegionalLibrary on Facebook.

October also is TeenTober, when we give thanks to the teens who keep our libraries awesome. Whether it’s with books, free programming or our Teen Advisory Board (TAB), the library strives to be a safe space for teens to learn new skills and fuel their passions. TAB helps plan library events, select materials and earn volunteer hours during programming, which look great on college applications. Teens can visit sequoyahregionallibrary.org/teenhub to find book lists and get information about TAB, which begins accepting new applicants in April.

– John Rodgers is the community engagement manager for the Sequoyah Regional Library System.

Grab a Book!

10 Recommended Reads for World Blindness Awareness

In honor of World Blindness Awareness Month, here’s a list of books featuring main or secondary characters with visual impairment or blindness, available from Sequoyah Regional Library System. In addition to the titles listed here, SRLS carries materials in Braille, including the King James Version of the Bible, the U.S. Constitution and a selection of youth and children’s books.

Autobiography
• “The Story of My Life” by Helen Keller

Biography
• “A Sense of the World” by Jason Roberts (e-book)

Children’s Picture Book
• “Looking Out for Sarah” by Glenna Lang
• “Rainbow Joe and Me” by Maria Diaz Strom

Historical Fiction
• “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr

Juvenile Fiction
• “Truesight” by David Stahler Jr.

Young Adult Fiction
• “Blind” by Rachel DeWoskin
• “The Tragedy Paper” by Elizabeth LaBan
• “She Is Not Invisible” by Marcus Sedgwick
• “Things Not Seen” by Andrew Clements