Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Read to your children

Can't say it too many times:

Children whose parents read to them become better readers and perform better in school. Other family activities, such as telling stories and singing songs, also encourage children’s acquisition of literacy skills.

Source: Every Child Ready to Read, the joint project of the Public Library Association and the Association for Library Service to Children

Friday, January 23, 2009

50,000 answers

In a world where knowledge is power, libraries make everyone more powerful.
Libraries bring people and ideas together. Think of the library as the living room of your community.

Libraries are unique. Where else can you have access to nearly anything on CD, DVD, the Web or in print – as well as personal service and assistance in finding it?

Libraries don’t just offer the hardware, but also offer the expertise of librarians in helping teach people how to use the Internet and find the information they need quickly. While Google can give you 50,000 responses to your inquiry, your librarian can help you find the one answer you need.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Storytime newsletter

We've put together a new storytime newsletter for grownups and their preschool children. Print copies are available at the library or you can read it online.

The storytime newsletter features short articles of interest to parents with young children. A short booklist of good books for children is included.

This newsletter joins our general library newsletter which features news about the libraries, books, and library services.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Libraries and the Internet

What you don't know really can hurt you.

Libraries in Florida provide free Internet access to the public. We encourage its use, but what you don't know can hurt you.

There is an excess of free information available on the Internet. This means that you have to be a smart consumer about information. Information can be out of date, inaccurate or misleading.

If you use the Internet as a source of information make sure that you visit a reputable site, and one that is updated frequently. You don't want to rely on health information from a report from Mrs. Jones' sixth grade class. Reports of all types from all people can be posted.

Libraries buy books that are authoritative. Library staff know Internet sources that are reliable. They will be happy to help you.