Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Children's Programs (continued)

Some summer program schedules are ready, check the online calendar for June and July. More programs will be posted as soon as the schedule is finalized.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Children's Programs

Brown Bear, Dr. Seuss books, Hungry Caterpillar...just a few great children's books. The library has many, many more of course.

Staff who work with children might use these books and many others in presenting programs for children. The spring schedule of programs is winding down...the programs will be over by the end of April. But staff is busy working on a schedule of programs for school age children during the summer.

Teachers know and research has shown that children need to keep reading during the summer to maintain the skills they have learned during the school year. Reading is like learning to play the piano: practice, practice, practice; you get better with practice.

Programs at the library during the summer keep children involved with books and reading. Staff are working hard to develop programs that children will enjoy. New books are purchased. We are working to keep children reading during the summer.

Schedules will be ready soon. They will be available through the schools, at the library and posted online.

Monday, April 16, 2007

National Library Week, April 15-21, 2007

April 15-21 is National Library Week, a time when libraries of all types and the people who use them come together to celebrate the contributions of all libraries, librarians and library workers in our nation’s schools, campuses and communities. .

The facts speak for themselves: library use is up nationwide. More than 2 billion items were checked out last year, and librarians serve nearly 1.8 billion visitors annually. At libraries in our area you will find a busy schedule of classes and children’s programs. Take a look about our online library newsletter for some statistics about the libraries in this three county area.

Rather than threatening our libraries, the age of technology has only complemented library services and expanded the library’s reach. This is because libraries are about more than information and data sharing.

Libraries are about community. They provide us with a physical gathering place, a crossroads for people of all ages with trained information professionals - librarians and library workers who are eager to help you find the information you need.

For many who don't have computers at home, public libraries make computers available for internet searching and other tasks that must be accomplished on line. Things such as choosing a Medicare drug plan are done online.

Libraries and librarians are more relevant than ever, providing a 24/7 information delivery service. And, of course, admission is free.

Friday, April 13, 2007

Online Learning

One of the most frequent requests for books that libraries receive are for test tutor books...books that help you prepare to take a test.

Many adults are working of GED (high school equivalency diploma) or ASVAB (entry into the armed services). We have a hard time keeping these books on the shelf.

So, we've subscribed to an online test tutor service called Learning Express. GED and ASVAB are available here as well as many other practice tests for adults such as real estate, nursing, law enforcement, and firefighter.

There are also practice tests for students preparing for SAT or ACT exams for college entrance.

Even elementary school students have practice tests available in reading and math.

You can work at the library or from home. You'll need your library card number to log in from home. If you can't finish the practice in one session you can save your work and come back to it at a later time.

This subscription was funded by a grant to the Cooperative from the State Legislature.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

April is National Poetry Month

Can you remember a poem from childhood...or even part of a poem? Little poems that we memorized long ago stay in our memories.

In April we take time to recognize poetry and the affect it has on our lives. Clever poems can make a point well. Poems are used to commemorate special occasions...from weddings to funerals to Presidential inaugurations.

The libraries have many books on poetry for children and adults. For poetry in English see the 811 and 821 non-fiction section. Here you will find poems of all types. Children especially like humorous poems...Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky are two who write funny poems for children.

Adults might remember limericks...Ogden Nash and Edward Lear are two authors who are known for their limericks.

There are many online sites that feature poetry. One of the best known and most reliable is www.poets.org. This site is sponsored by the American Academy of Poets which sponsors National Poetry Month. The site includes thousands of poems, audio recordings of poems, and biographies of poets. You can search for a specific poem and even search by occasion. If you need a poems for an anniversary or a graduation, this is a place to look.

Another poetry source is a new database that has been added to an already large collection available through the State Library of Florida. Log into www.flelibrary.org and choose LitFinder. (There are many good databases on this site, but LitFinder is a new one.)

LitFinder includes poems, short stories, essays, speeches and plays...a wealth of information all indexed and searchable. It is international in scope and updated frequently.

This database and others are available through www.flelibrary.org at your library or from home using your public library card.