One of the reason public libraries reliably poll well with rank-and-file Americans is because they’re free for everybody to use. Another reason? They have a lot more to offer than “just” books, though it is The Lookout’s considered opinion that, as a rule, books rule. The Richmond Public Library’s (RPL) offerings, for example, include everything from musicals, to archival British television, to lineage-tracing programs, all free of charge. And this summer, the city’s network of biblio bases—including the East End Branch—is once again running its summer reading program, stacked with activities and challenges designed to keep kids of all ages reading while school is out. Guess how much it costs?

“It’s all free,” said Adam Zimmerli, the library/community services manager at RPL’s North 25th Street location, in a phone interview earlier this week about “Unearth a Story,” the dinosaur-themed summer campaign that kicked off in earnest at branches all over the city this month and runs through August. “If you're an adult who's got small children, this is a great opportunity to help socialize them” while school is out, Zimmerli said, adding that the library’s air-conditioned spaces and restrooms are always open to all.

Keeping kids—and yourself—cool during the sweltering months is one thing. But RPL’s programming is also designed to prevent neighborhood students’ hard-won reading and writing progress from cooling over the break. “If you don't take the time to read in the summer—you know, you’re a kid, you're outside, you're running around, you're playing on the swings, doing all those kind of kid things—but if you're not reading, you're going to lose some of that comprehension,” said Zimmerli, describing a learning-loss dynamic known to libraries and educators colloquially as the “summer slide.” While the exact amount of proficiency loss is difficult to quantify thanks to the vagaries of standardized testing and student demography, these declines tend to be more severe in low-income communities like Richmond’s East End, where schools have been chronically underfunded and working parents have less time to assist their children in extracurricular learning.

The good news is, the summer slide isn’t inevitable. “Studies have shown that if [children] even read as little as 15 minutes a day, that can counteract it,” said Zimmerli. “When the school year starts up again, you haven't lost anything, you're ready to go, you're still warm, and ready to hit the ground running.”

This is where RPL’s programming comes in. Created by the American Library Association, the country’s largest library advocacy (libradvocacy?) group, “Unearth A Story” features events designed to keep kids entertained and educated over the summer months. In June, the East End Branch will host:

And so on. In addition to these Jurassic-style special events, the library is also promoting a summer-long reading challenge, in which kids pick up a log at any RPL branch (or download one online), log their reading at home (with adult sign-off to counter any temptation to exaggerate), then present it at a branch for prizes throughout the summer. The challenge is available in both English and Spanish. “Couldn’t be easier,” Zimmerli said.

Parents who don’t dig dinos will be glad to know the branch’s calendar is also bursting with non-themed weekly events to target learning loss, too, like “Toddler Time” (Mondays 11am-12pm) and “Book Babies” (Tuesdays 10-11am.) Ensuring the branch has different programs to appeal to different ages—from what Zimmerli calls the “read to me” cohort, all the way to tweens and teens—is crucial to cover as many gaps as possible, especially towards the upper end of that range.

“As cool as the library is, sometimes we can struggle to win over” older school-aged children, Zimmerli chuckled. But that doesn’t mean the East End Branch isn’t trying. “Our teen librarian is out of this world,” he said. “She's gotten us a [Nintendo] Switch and a subscription, so we've got a ton of different games, and then we've also got a really good anime and manga program as well.”

If you’re an adult and you’re feeling left out, well… I mean first of all, that’s a little weird, honestly. But less judgmentally: RPL has got you covered, too, with an adult summer reading log and more grown-up workshops and events scattered across the next couple months. “We're doing a ‘mend your own clothing’ session in July,” said Zimmerli. “We've got sewing a decorative patch in August.”

Again, this is all for the price of “on the house,” and all in addition to RPL’s vast trove of year-round resources, which includes everything from ebooks and streaming services to light technology troubleshooting. “There are only two things that we’ll ever charge you for,” Zimmerli said—a book or DVD that you check out and straight-up lose, and printing services. (Having run off a bunch of flyers for The Lookout at the East End Branch over the past 18 months, I can attest to the convenience and low cost.) Keeping things free means keeping the library accessible to all, and that’s an integral element of this venerable civic institution no matter the season.

“Where else in the country is there that you can you go, and you don't have to buy anything, you can just come and be?” said Zimmerli.

I don’t know the answer. But if one exists, I bet the East End Branch’s librarians will be able to help you dig it up.

Possum Poetry is original verse written exclusively for The Lookout by Penelope Poubelle, the Lookout’s litter critter-at-large. If you spot roadside trash you’d like her to immortalize in doggerel, email a photo to [email protected]. All submissions anonymous!

Last week, I reported that the long-delayed construction project to shore up and repave Government Rd. would take place in the spring of 2027. That was wrong: work will begin as soon as next week, with the Department of Public Works (DPW) planning to issue a formal notice-to-proceed on June 15th to the contractor on the job, Posillico, Inc. A city spokesperson, Paige Hairston, confirmed this timeline to The Lookout on Friday in response to emailed questions.

(The error occurred because I misinterpreted a previous email from Hairston. in keeping with The Lookout’s ethics code, I’ve appended a correction to my original report.)

Per a memo from DPW’s principal engineer on the project, Tim Lewis, relayed on June 6th to select Church Hill groups and individuals by 7th District City Council liaison Sam Patterson and reviewed by The Lookout, the project is budgeted at $10 million. Hairston also confirmed this figure.

Lewis’ message outlined six improvements DPW plans to make with the construction, which is still scheduled to end in the spring of 2027, as previously reported. They are (quoting directly from the note):

In response to a question about traffic-calming measures included with the project, Hairston noted that “the plans include a double yellow marking around the curve.”

Temperatures are in the low 90s, humidity is hovering around 50%, and I’ve caught myself daydreaming about drinking cold Legend brown lager in The Hill Cafe’s exuberantly conditioned air no less than thrice this afternoon alone. It may not technically be summer on the calendar, but it is very much summer in practice out on the streets of Church Hill. A case in point: street squash!

Longtime Lookout readers will recall a certain editorial fixation last summer with the thriving ground-cover produce that sprung up from certain tree wells, grass easements, even cracked sidewalks around the neighborhood. As I reported a year ago (almost to the day) on June 6th, 2025:

Having just today clocked several of these plants returning to multiple tree wells along E. Broad St. this summer, I’ll reiterate: would you eat the forbidden street squash?

And of course, if you have any idea how these plants got there, I’m all ears.

Happenings on The Hill is a digital bulletin board for events, causes, and other items of interest to East Enders that don’t necessarily merit full editorial treatment. Got something for a future edition? Email the relevant details, links, etc. to [email protected] for consideration!

Want to share your Very CHill Photo from the neighborhood? Email it to [email protected] with your name as you’d like it to appear for publication, and the camera you shot it on.