Season’s Readings!

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated in United States and Canada on February 2.  The legend of Groundhog Day is based on an old Scottish couplet: "If Candlemas Day is bright and clear, there'll be two winters in the year."  Every February 2, people gather at Gobbler's Knob, a wooded knoll just outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.  Residents contend that the groundhog has never been wrong.

The ceremony in Punxsutawney was held in secret until 1966, and only Phil's prediction was revealed to the public. Since then, Phil's fearless forecast has been a national media event.  The groundhog comes out of his electrically heated burrow, looks for his shadow and utters his prediction to a Groundhog Club representative in "groundhogese." The representative then translates the prediction for the general public.

If Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, it means spring is just around the corner.  Approximately 90% o time, Phil sees his shadow.  Phil started making predictions in 1887 and has become an American institution.

The children's programs here at the library (Story Hour and Kids' First Afterschool Program) that week will be learning and having fun with Groundhog Day. They will be hearing stories on Groundhog Day, participating in activities and creating crafts that have to do with this theme.
Here's a little Groundhog poem: 
Here's a little groundhog furry and brown
He's coming up to look around
If he see's his shadow, down he'll go
Then six more weeks of winter, OH NO!

 

Calling all knitters & crocheters...
Have we got a great way for you to meet others and to learn new ideas and patterns.  If you are currently a knitter/crocheter you are welcome to meet with a group that gets together every other Tuesday. They started back up on January 6th and they will have met again this month on January 20th. Next month, they will meet Tuesday, February 3rd and the 17th from 7-8 p.m.   If you would like to learn to knit or crochet have we got the right people for the job.  We have 2 of the most caring & patient teachers, whom are so dedicated to helping you learn. So we offer a class for those who want to learn knitting and crocheting and we also offer a wonderful opportunity for those who already knit/crochet to come together to share ideas and conversation with others in our group.

The library offers scrapbookers a place to come together to share their ideas and their hobby. We have a scrapbooking group that shares their ideas and our wonderful teacher, Mary Pothast, is there to help you get started or to help spark an idea. She also brings various paper, stamps, scissors, punches, etc. for you to use. You may purchase and complete a page for $1.00. Come to create your albums or pages and hang out with others who enjoy doing the same thing you do- capturing those special moments and finding just the right way to accentuate them. They meet every other Tuesday also. Same dates as the Knitters/Crocheters but they meet from 7-9 p.m. So they will meet Tuesday, February 3rd and the 17th. Ages 10 and up are welcome to join these groups. 

Be sure to check out our website often for other Library Happenings. www.melbourne.lib.ia.us  We also have a news blog that you may subscribe to on our website and post comments. This is located on our homepage. We have one for the Young Adults also. Theirs is found on the Teen Tab, just click on the Teen Scene Blog. We try to keep these updated so you know what’s going on here at the library and other things for “your information.”  Until next time, Happy Reading!

New Children and Young Adult Books:
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Operating Codes by Nick Manns
Yubisaki: Milk Tea
Celestial Legend: Yuhi
Real Life, Here I Come
Chocolate for a Teen’s Dreams
Where do Babies Come From?
Toestomper and the Caterpillars by Sharleen Collicott
Lucia and the Light by Phillis Root

My husband and I are expecting a new baby in February of 2009. I will be having a maternity leave as soon as baby comes so there will not be any children and teen programs at the library during my leave. (As I am the one who works with this age group.) I will try to keep you aware of when the programs will stop and then again when they will start back up. Please watch for advertising and you can always check our website www.melbourne.lib.ia.us I will be leaving you in good hands- Karen and Rita will help you the best they can with your library needs while I am away.   These girls are great and are ready to assist you. Please don’t hesitate to let them know what you need. 

     With the economy the way that it is this can be a very stressful time in life.  Your library cares about the hard times that you may be experiencing and want you to know we are here to help you find ways to deal with these difficult times.  Remember how much your library can help you out as you’ve decided to get rid of certain extras in your home. We have high speed internet here at the library, we have 6 public computers for you to use, we offer wireless internet for those that have access to laptops. Who says you still can’t check your email or chat online to family just like you did in your home? We provide this service for you for free. Please feel free to stop in during business hours to use our computers or wireless internet. 
     We also know that many of you have given up buying books, books on tape or CD, magazine subscriptions, movies, & even cable TV. We have a wide variety of books, audios, magazine subscriptions for men, women, & children; and movies. All of the above is free with a library card. We know that at times we won’t have what you are looking for, but please let us know so that we can get you what you want- that’s why we’re here. We participate in the Interlibrary Loan program and we can borrow from many libraries in the state to get you what you need. For the most part, this service is free of charge to you.  

Children need education and entertainment and it’s important for it to be free.  We have many board games, learning kits, busy bags, & activities & programs that they can come participate in. We have:
Kids' First is our after school program for children who are in kindergarten on up. We meet every Tuesday from 4:15 - 5:15 p.m. We have stories, games, crafts, and a snack is provided.
Story hour is for 3, 4, & 5 yr. olds who are in preschool and this meets Tuesdays from 11:30-12:30 p.m. We have stories, games, finger plays, flannel boards, crafts, snack & drink.
“Teen Scene” is for the young adults- 10 yrs. on up.   We have that meets every 3^rd Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. We will have our Christmas Party this Wednesday. December 17. They will have a merry time with their friends playing our Christmas games! 

For the adults we have:
Scrapbooking: meets every other Tuesday of the month from 7 - 9 p.m. They will not meet till after the New Year.
Knitting/Crocheting Class/Group meet every other Tuesday from 7-8 p.m. If you are just starting out or would enjoy working with a group stop in. They will not meet till after the New Year.
Karen’s Coffee Clatch meets every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for coffee, tea, friendship and fun. Stop in any time to join this friendly group.   If you have suggestions for other programs or activities please let us know.

One of the real joys of the season is the opportunity to say “Thank you!” for choosing to use your Melbourne Library. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you with all your library needs.  We are wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a New Year of peace and happiness!! 

If you would like to give “End of the Year Donations” to the library or would like to give a memorial in someone’s name- please make your checks out to the “Friends of the Melbourne Library”.   Donations are more than welcome at any time of the year. We will also take book, movie, audio tapes or CDs, and board game donations if they are in good shape. If we can’t put them into our collection they will be given to our ongoing Friends of the Library book sale. Craft items & snack and drink donations for children and teens are also much appreciated.

We will be having another shutdown again this month. We will be closed December 24th – January 1st. We will reopen on Friday, January 2. All library programs will be cancelled during our shutdown, but will resume as normal after. You may come in and stock up on your books, movies, etc. to get you through the shutdown. We will extend all due dates. We are sorry for the inconvenience. 

We always know that there are others in our community that are less fortunate than we are.   We come to take those normal dinner items for granted- turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy- when there are so many others who won't even experience a special Thanksgiving meal.  We would like to help those in need and at the same time help you lose your fines- this is how it works...  For every canned food or boxed item you bring in we will deduct the value of those items-from your fines. Then when we have collected all that we can by the end of November we will turn them into our local food bank- making sure it goes to the people right in our local community.  We may continue this through Christmas as well.  

The library will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. We will be closed Thursday, November 27- Saturday, November 29.  We will reopen Monday, December 1. We hope you and your loved ones have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 9 Up–Headstrong, sun-loving, 17-year-old Bella declines her mom's invitation to move to Florida, and instead reluctantly opts to move to her dad's cabin in the dreary, rainy town of Forks, WA. She becomes intrigued with Edward Cullen, a distant, stylish, and disarmingly handsome senior, who is also a vampire. When he reveals that his specific clan hunts wildlife instead of humans, Bella deduces that she is safe from his blood-sucking instincts and therefore free to fall hopelessly in love with him. The feeling is mutual, and the resulting volatile romance smolders as they attempt to hide Edward's identity from her family and the rest of the school. Meyer adds an eerie new twist to the mismatched, star-crossed lovers theme: predator falls for prey, human falls for vampire. This tension strips away any pretense readers may have about the everyday teen romance novel, and kissing, touching, and talking take on an entirely new meaning when one small mistake could be life-threatening. Bella and Edward's struggle to make their relationship work becomes a struggle for survival, especially when vampires from an outside clan infiltrate the Cullen territory and head straight for her. As a result, the novel's danger-factor skyrockets as the excitement of secret love and hushed affection morphs into a terrifying race to stay alive. Realistic, subtle, succinct, and easy to follow, Twilight will have readers dying to sink their teeth into it.–Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Banned Book Week:  ALA says:

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. This year, 2008, marks BBW's 27th anniversary (September 27 through October 4).

BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met. 

To Kill a Mockingbird. Of Mice and Men. The Great Gatsby. 1984.  It's hard to imagine a world without these extraordinary literary classics, but every year there are hundreds of attempts to remove great books from libraries and schools. In fact, according to the American Library Association, 42 of 100 books recognized by the Radcliffe Publishing Course as the best novels of the 20th century have been challenged or banned.  Celebrate that you have the freedom to read! 

September 22nd is the first day of Autumn.  Autumn is the third season of the year. Autumn is a time of change. The green color of summer gives way to the yellow, red, and browns of autumn. Fruits and nuts are harvested, the days become shorter, and animals prepare for winter.  The idea of fall sparks a sense of new beginnings. Whether it’s the new school year, the new TV shows, the new football season, or the approach of the holidays, we all tend to feel a   sense of renewal as autumn begins. Celebrate the new season with a fun-filled get-together with friends!!   

"Knitting & Crocheting Class/Group"- We offer a class for those who want to learn knitting and crocheting.  We also offer a wonderful opportunity for those who already knit/crochet to come together to share ideas and conversation with others in our group.

"Scrapbooking"- The library offers scrapbookers a place to come together to share their ideas and their hobby.  We have a scrapbooking group that shares their ideas and our wonderful teacher, Mary Pothast, is there to help you get started or to help spark an idea.  She also brings various paper, stamps, scissors, punches, etc. for you to use. You may purchase and complete a page for $1.00.  Come to create your albums or pages and hang out with others who enjoy doing the same thing you do- capturing those special moments and finding just the right way to accentuate them.  This group will start Tuesday, September 16th from 7-9 p.m. and then will meet every other Tuesday after that.  For 10 yr. olds on up.

"Teen Scene"- Teen Scene is a program for 5th graders on up. We meet for activities, games, crafts, food and fun.  We meet every 3rd Wednesday of the month for a different program each time.  We will meet this Wednesday, September 17 from 7-8 p.m.  This program will be a game night.  We will have computer games, games on-line, plug n plays, board games, DDR, and even laser tag!  Bring your friends in for a great time and a little competition!! Many of the new games we have purchased were made possible by a special grant from the Martha Ellen Tye Foundation.  Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to provide great fun for the tweens and teens of the Melbourne area!

A library card is the most important school supply of all.  We think that every child should be able to obtain and use their library card.  We do not charge for a library card at our library, but we do require the child to have the signature of the parent/guardian and for the parent/guardian to show proof of identification.  Studies show that children who are read to in the home and who use the library perform better in school and are more likely to continue to use the library as a source of lifetime learning.  

We offer books, magazines, audio- and videotapes, computers, software and other multimedia materials.  We also offer many wonderful children and adult programs.  There is something @ your library just for you.  For any child or young adult whom comes in to receive there very own library card with their signing guardian, that child will not only receive the greatest gift ever(access to all your library has to offer)- but will receive a small prize of their choice also.  Stop on by and give the best gift ever to your loved ones- a library card!! 

Want an easy way to keep track of your summer reading, what books that you have read, what books that you want to read, what music you want  for the beach, movies you've seen or what you plan to see?  Discover a new and cool way to keep track of all these things and more.  You can also discover, rate, review, and share more than 100 million items.  If you are 13 years old and above, you can create a free online account.  Click on the WorldCat image below and discover a wonderful new tool that you can use to create lists, search libraries for books and materials, and contact others as well.
 

Friends' of the Library has their ongoing book sale all year.  But this July and August they are having a "Beat the Heat Summer Sale"  where all books and audios are only $.10.  What a great way to get you and your friends some books or books on tape.   This is a great way to get you and them through the summer heat, and any car or plane trips while going on vacation, or what a wonderful way to spend a lazy day at the beach or pool.  You can't beat the price!  Stop on by to see what goodies you can find.