Changing Lives Through the Library

The Liberal Memorial Library will be celebrating National Library Week beginning Monday, April 14.

During the week-long celebration, the Library will be holding several drawings for stuffed animals, chocolate, candy and of course, books!

We’ll also have a jelly-bean counting and coloring contests.

And since this year’s theme is “Lives change @ your library,” let us know how our Library has changed your life. We’d like to know and let others know as well. You can write it down and we’ll post it up on the wall to share with others.

Also, if you’re unfamiliar with the Library, come on down and we’ll be happy to show you around. Just ask a staffer and we’ll be happy to give you a tour of all our services.

During National Library Week and throughout April, libraries host special events to highlight the unique role libraries play in changing people’s lives.

Today’s libraries can help you and your family discover a new and exciting world. Visit your library for computer resources for teens and adults, help with your job search, access to subscription databases, library-recommended websites and homework help.

You also can obtain information about how to become a U.S. citizen, bilingual resources and neutral financial information to help you make important decisions.

Libraries are an oasis if you are looking for adult education classes, or for a recommendation on the best books or e-books to expand your horizons. Open the door to change, visit your library!

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support. All types of libraries - school, public, academic and special - participate.

New Non-Fiction Bedtime Stories

Most people think of bedtime stories as having talking animals, princesses, tractors that can talk or a blue cat with big white shoes.  While reading every day to your youngsters is important, it doesn’t have to be the same story books over and over again.  If you have a child who doesn’t like to read or be read to, try introducing non-fiction books into your bedtime routine.  The children’s department at Liberal Memorial Library just got in a whole lot of non-fiction books, a lot of which would make the perfect bedtime story.

Every kid likes gross things, and we just got the No Way series by Michael Rosen.  Learn about disgusting foods (for example, the world’s most expensive coffee – kopi luwak, which is basically kitty litter coffee) in Strange Foods.  Or learn about strange careers in Weird Jobs.  Who knows, maybe after reading this book to your son, he will become a manure inspector when he grows up!

I love, love, love Bedtime Math (and Bedtime Math 2) by Laura Overdeck.  It is so much fun for kids.  Plus, if you have more than one kid, you can read it to all of them at one time.  It will only take a few minutes to do one or two problems a night before bed.  There are three different math problems (each for a different age group) that are accompanied by a story (something that will definitely interest kids, like sharks, teeth falling out and ice cream).  These books definitely make math fun.  Oh, and the book even has the answers, just in case your math skills are a little rusty. 

Kids who like facts, records and oddities should check out the Ripley’s Believe It or Not series.  We just got 31 new books in the series.  Learn about amazing people, animal antics, or find out whether or not that was a good idea.  Each book isn’t too long, has great pictures, and facts that your kids are going to be talking about at the breakfast table the next morning.  I just read about a prison break in Mexico where the convicts spent months digging a tunnel.  It turns out that their escape tunnel came up in the local courtroom. 

Of course, no discussion of non-fiction would be complete without mentioning the new dinosaur books.  The Discovering Dinosaurs series by Jinny Johnson would be perfect for kids who are between five and eight years old.  Big, colorful pictures and big text make the book interesting and a really fast read.  It even tells you how to pronounce the names of the dinosaurs, so you won’t stumble over “yangchuanosaurus”.

For older readers, we just got in Cold Cases by Matt Anniss.  If you’ve ever wondered about the science of crimes and how detectives can solve old crimes, this book is going to answer some of those questions. 

Ok, and if you’ve read this far, you definitely deserve a super-secret tip on non-fiction.  A lot of the fairytales and fables that you know from a kid are actually classified as non-fiction.  So, if you are looking for Goldilocks and the Three Bears or Mother Goose, check in non-fiction. 

Every time that I walk down the non-fiction rows in the library, I discover something new that I want to read.   Plus, since we are always getting new books in, I don’t think that I will ever be able to read everything that piques my interest.  From animals to cookbooks, history and biographies, the children’s non-fiction section of Liberal Memorial Library has books for every child of every age.

                          

More ebook options for library patrons

Enki ebooks

The latest offering on the Kansas State Library’s Digital Book eLending page is Enki, an ebook lending platform created by libraries in California and Colorado to manage ebooks purchased by participating libraries directly from authors and small publishers. Using Enki, you can checkout up to five books at a time for two weeks with the option of early return. It follows the traditional library model -- one person at a time can check out a book, and you can place a hold on books that are currently checked out.

To checkout from Enki, go to http://ksl.enkilibrary.org and log in with your Kansas Library Card. Kansas Library Cards are not the same as regular local library cards. They are free to any Kansas resident and can be obtained from any Kansas library.

Once logged in, search the website using the browser on your device. After you find something you want, click Checkout, then choose Download. It will ask you to open the book with whatever reader you have installed on your device -- Bluefire Reader or the Freading app both work well. For more detailed instructions and for instructions for different kinds of devices, go to the Enki ebooks page on the Kansas State Library website http://www.kslib.info/digitalbooks/enki.html.

Unite for Literacy - Free ebooks for kids

Douglas County Libraries, the Colorado Library Consortium, and Unite for Literacy have teamed up to provide access to free ebooks for kids. Unite for Literacy’s ebook library is designed to be read from a web browser, either on desktop computer or mobile device. They wish to take advantage of the spreading usage and availability of mobile internet access to get books into the hands of emergent readers.

These online early literacy picture books are each available with optional narration in different languages. Currently they offer over a hundred books narrated in up to 15 different languages, but their goal is to support all the languages that are spoken in U.S. homes.

These ebooks can be accessed through our library catalog (http://catalog.lmlibrary.org) by searching for “Unite for Literacy” or directly from the website at http://uniteforliteracy.com.

Tumblebooks

Another source of online read-aloud picture books is Tumblebooks, made available to all Kansas residents free of charge by the State Library of Kansas and by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

The Tumblebooks website includes story books, chapter books, videos, puzzles and games, and a language learning section. As stated on their website “TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of animated, talking picture books which teach young children the joys of reading in a format they'll love.”

Tumblebooks can be accessed by any Kansas resident through the library’s website, http://lmlibrary.org, the Kansas State Library’s website, http://www.kslib.info/digitalbooks.html, or by using your Kansas Library Card.

Beginning Computer Classes

The library offers beginning computers classes every Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., downstairs in the computer lab. The classes are for both English and Spanish speakers and walk-ins are welcome. It is a basic introduction to keyboard and mouse and eventually builds up to creating email accounts and other helpful basic tutorials.

Mango Languages

Mango Connect is part of the new look of the Mango website. Kansas residents can use the website to start learning their choice of over 50 different languages free of charge. Creating a username and password is optional, but doing so will allow you to pick up where you left off between learning sessions.

The website now offers two apps -- Mango Conversations and Mango Premiere.

Mango Conversations uses real-life situations and conversations to teach a new language. Users listen to and repeat conversations, not just learning the individual words and phrases, but also learning how they're used in practical situations and conversations.

Mango Premiere uses movies to more effectively teach a new language. Users watch these feature films with or without subtitles in both their own language and the language to be learned. Mango Premiere gives the viewer the ability to break down scenes and subtitles, combining both spoken and written learning. It also brings in cultural notes and quizzes for an in-depth look at the language in the film. Premiere currently offers feature films in 7 languages.

Putting the Spotlight on Magazines

Did you know that the Liberal Memorial Library has almost 100 magazines for you to peruse? –Most monthly, some quarterly, a few weekly and some bi-monthly.

The magazines run the gamut from entertainment, sports, home and garden, fitness, money/finance, news
food/cooking, men’s and women’s interests. There are also magazines for kids and young adults.

Current magazines can’t be checked out. You can only read them at the Library. However, we have back issues from as far back as a year to six months ago and you can check those issues out.

And if there’s an article you’re looking for in a magazine we don’t carry, we can probably get the article for you through interlibrary loan. We probably can’t get you the magazine but we can probably get you the article. So come down to the Library and I’m sure there’s a magazine for you.

Here’s a list of magazines that the Library carries:
AARP Membership (American Association of Retired Persons)
AARP News Bulletin
AARP the Magazine
American Girl
Americas (Spanish Edition)
Architectual Digest
Arizona Highways
Automobile
Babybug
Better Homes & Gardens
Boys Life
Car & Driver
ChickaDEE
Christianity Today
Cobblestone (Discover American History)
Consumer Reports
Cosmopolitan en Espanol
Country
Country Living
Country Woman
Crafts n Things
Cycle World
Discovery Girls
Ebony
Family Circle
Fortune
Fortune 500
Girls Life
Glamour
Golf Digest
Good Housekeeping
GQ Gentlemens Quarterly
Highlights for Children
Horticulture Magazine
Hot Rod
House Beautiful
In Style
Jack & Jill
Jet
Kids Discover
Ladies Home Journal
Latina Magazine
Martha Stewart Living
National Geographic Kids
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic Society Membership
National Parks
National Wildlife
National Wildlife Federation Conservation Newsletter
New Yorker, The
Oil & Gas Journal
Outdoor Life
People en Espanol
People Weekly
Poder Hispanic
Popular Mechanics
Popular Science
Prevention
Psychology Today
Publishers Weekly
Quilter's Newsletter
Ranger Rick
Readers Digest
Real Simple
Redbook
Reunions Magazine
Reunions Workbook
Rolling Stone
Saturday Evening Post
School Library Journal
Scientific American Magazine
Series Made Simple
Shape
Sports Illustrated
Sound & Vision
Southern Living
Southwest Art
Sunset Magazine
Taste of Home
Texas Highways
Time Magazine
Travel & Leisure
True West
True West Source Book
TV y Novelas
Unconventional Oil & Gas Report
Vanidades Continental
Vanity Fair
Vogue
Western Horseman

Now if you’re into the electronic age and don’t need the feel of paper flipping between your fingers then we have something for you. As explained in last week’s column, there is Zinio. It’s an electronic newsstand in which you can borrow and read magazines right on your tablet or computer. And you can keep them forever!

It’s a free service which patrons can access through the Library’s website at www.lmlibrary.org. Click on the Zinio link, choose a magazine, set up a couple passwords and you’re ready to read on a computer or tablet.

There's a wide selection of magazines on Zinio, including several that the Library does not carry.

Just remember, you need a Liberal Memorial Library card to use the service.

Here are some FAQs for using Zinio:
* You will need to create two accounts to use Zinio for Libraries. One account for the library portal where you can check out magazines for free and another account with zinio.com (or via the Zinio app on your mobile device) to read magazines and manage your library online.

* Both accounts must use the same email address in order to synch properly. If you create a Library Portal account using a different email address than your existing Zinio.com account, you can edit your Zinio.com account to change your email address on record to match
.
* Please be aware – You can only check out magazines for free via the Library portal. If you subscribe to any magazine directly through Zinio.com or the Zinio app – you will be charged for it.

* Zinio.com and the Zinio app offer “Free Samples” but these are not free magazines from the Library. If you choose to partake of any of these “Free Samples” you will be asked to pay for them after a certain number of issues.
Zinio.com may send you emails offering you the opportunity to pay for a subscription to a magazine that you receive through the Library portal. You do not have to pay for any magazine that you checked out through the Library portal.

For more information or any questions or any questions about our magazine collection or Zinio, come down or call the Library. We’ll be happy to help you out!

Spring into the library this March!

It’s that time of year again. Don’t forget to turn your clocks ahead this weekend and don’t be late for any library programs this week.

Library and Lunch will be held this Tuesday, March 11 at 12 p.m. for Sara Paretsky’s “Bleeding Kansas”.  It’s the Kansas Reads 2014 pick and I didn’t tell the group yet but I was on the committee to pick it this year. It was selected through survey across the state by librarians and library folk.  As for Library and Lunch we look for new members all the time so even if you haven’t read the book come and join in on the conversation. 

If you can’t make it over the lunch hour, check out Book Chat on Thursday, March 20 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss books you’re currently reading.  If new books have come in that week, we let you browse the books that are about to hit the new book shelf.  For those who like the culinary arts better, check out Recipe Swap on the last Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m.  This month’s theme is loosely breakfast based. I recently discovered the wonders of coconut milk and have coconut cream sodas on the brain.

During spring break we have a slew of activities for the kids. On Monday, March 17 at 2 p.m. we will be showing a movie for teens. A 2013 movie about two characters that become targets of the Capitol after their victory sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.  There will be an animated movie on Wednesday March 19 at 2 p.m. for the kids.  Looms will be on Thursday, March 20 at 2 p.m.  Come to the library to use colorful rubber bans to create different patterned bracelets or rings. Those are just two examples. You can make other items as well.  If you have your own Rainbow Loom bring it! And lastly Board Games will be played on Friday, March 21 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The library's magazine to subscription began late last fall.  Patrons now have access to full color, interactive digital magazines that can be downloaded and read on mobile devices, home computers, or one of the library's computers.  There are no waiting lists especially for the brand new issue and there's no need to return any magazine issue once it has been checked out.  They can be held on a device until it is deleted.  There’s a really cool feature where you can bookmark aka ‘favorite’ pages. So if there’s a page you’d like to read later on you can do so. It’s a stellar feature.

Creating an account has two parts to it. First you create a library Zinio account to check out and a personal Zinio reading account to download and read your magazines.  Directions can be found on our website.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask us at the circulation desk.

At the end of the month in collaboration with SCCC/ATS Library we will be celebrating National Women's History Month with a panel discussion of prominent women who serve our community. It will be held here at Liberal Memorial Library on Wednesday, March 26 at 12 p.m.  We'll also be showing a movie on Thursday, March 13 at 5:45 p.m., a 1992 movie about two sisters who join the first female professional baseball team. Check out Debbie’s spectacular Women of Kansas alcove when you’re at the circulation desk!

For the latest library programming take a peek at the library website or grab a newsletter from the circulation desk. Stay tuned and connected through our social media pages. If you have any questions or suggestions about books or programs don't hesitate to ask. See you at the library this month!

Mark Your Calendars – March 8th – Children’s Healthy Fun Fair

Pancake Day will soon be over and done with.  Later this week, you (and your kids) may feel like you have a spare tire around your midsection from eating 27 pancakes during the pancake eating contest.  While stuffing your face can be fun, I usually regret it and try to eat healthier.  This Saturday, you have a chance to learn everything about how to get and stay healthy in Liberal.  That means it is time for the eleventh annual Children’s Healthy Fun Fair.  

This year, the fair will be held on March 8^th from 10:00 to 1:00 at the Ag building at the Seward County Fairgrounds.  Just as in years past, the idea of the fair is to bring together all the organizations in the community who work towards improving the health of children and families in one easy place.  These organizations will be giving out information, giving tips and showing kids and their families through games and exhibits that being and staying healthy can be fun.

Since this is my first year doing the Children’s Healthy Fun Fair, I am really excited to see how it is coming together, and it is kind of amazing to see just how many organizations are working together to make this thing happen.   Of course, Liberal Memorial Library is going to have an area there (complete with Wii, so kids can dance, play and move to stay healthy), so stop by and say hello. 

Here’s how the Fun Fair works.  You walk in the door and you grab a bag from the welcome table.  You will probably collect so much information and giveaways from the tables that you need to make sure to have a bag.  Go around to each table, talk, ask questions, get information, and have fun.  Some of the tables have information, but some of them have games and demonstrations.  Once you get home, go through the information and try to use in in real life.  The goal of the Fair isn’t just to have fun, but to also educate the community and get them active and healthier.

You are probably wondering who is going to be there and what you can do.  Liberal Parks and Rec bring games for kids to play.  They take up a good part of the new section of the Ag Building with sports related activities that get kids moving.  USD480 comes out with different things for children to do.  They usually have their photo booth up and running, printing pictures out for the kids.  Southwest Medical Center will be there answering the question of whether or not you really wash your hands well enough, so if you think a quick rinse under cold water is enough, stop by and see how yucky your hands can really get.  SCCC Respiratory Technology brings in pig lungs to show how smoke can damage your lungs.  The Seward County Health Department and WIC will also be at the Fun Fair, so stop by their table and find out about the services that they offer.  Both Seward County and the City of Liberal are sending representatives from their police and fire departments to help families stay safe.  

There are so many more organizations that are coming, that I can’t name them all.  Plus, a little mystery might just want to make you go!  I promise that next year (after I have actually seen the Children’s Healthy Fun Fair in action) I will be able to describe what everyone does better.  But I can guarantee that families looking for something to do next Saturday will have a great time if they do attend.  

Play, Chat, Mingle. Repeat Four More Times – Family Place Library

When you think of coming to the library, you think about it being relatively quiet with a cranky librarian shushing you if you dare to talk any above a whisper.  If you come to Liberal Memorial Library on the evening of Thursday, February 27^th (and the following four Thursdays), you are probably going to notice that your ideas of the library have changed. 

Driving into the library, you will notice that it is busier than you remembered it ever being.  So busy that you may have to park on Kansas Avenue or on Sixth Street.  Once you get in the building you will see all the kids.  There are going to be a lot more children under the age of five at the library than normal.  The kids are at the library with their parents for the five-week Parent/Child Workshop for Family Place Library.  Now, when most people hear the word “workshop” they think of lectures, PowerPoint slides and boredom.  It’s kind of a shame that the word “workshop” is even part of the title, because it is anything but boring. 

The format is simple – the library brings out bunches and bunches of toys (so many toys that we have to move all of the furniture out of the children’s area).  Then, children and their parents play for an hour.  It’s a little different than just a play group because each week a different person comes in and mingles with the parents and answers any questions that parents have about their expertise.  They’ll answer common parenting questions, work to get extra help for families that need it and serve as a resource.  You can ask as many questions as you want, or you can just play.  It’s totally up to you.  We have five great professionals coming in for the workshop. 

• February 27^th, Tammy Murillo, the child and family supervisor from Head Start is going to be our guest. 
•  On March 6^th, bring all your nutrition questions, because Jane Eisenhauer from K-State Extension will be answering all your burning questions about kids and what they should be eating. 
•  March 13^th, Holly McCarter is returning again.  Holly is a speech and language pathologist from USD480.  She is also part of the Autism Team. 
•  Jan Nondorf is our guest on March 20^th.  She is the director of PACT, which serves children from birth to three years.  
•  Our final guest is Dora Ponce from United Methodist Mexican American Ministries.  She will be at the Family Place Workshop on March 27^th.

For children, the best part of the program is that it is a place where children can play and interact with other children their own ages.  At first, many of the children are shy, but after the second week, they get to know each other and start interacting with each other.  The best part of the workshop for the adults is that they can talk with other parents. Most discuss problems with parenting, what they love about parents and even share tips and tricks.  Just like their children, the parents also need time to get used to each other.  At first, you probably won’t be super comfortable sharing your parenting problems or tips with others, but you will see the same families and the same children and start to talk with others.  If you don’t believe me, you will have to come and see. 

Family Place Library Parent/Child Workshop begins this Thursday at 6:30.  You can still register for the workshop.  To register, send an email to childrens@lmlibrary.org, call us up at 626-0180 or stop by the library.  Like all programming at the library, the workshop is free for all families.  If you are on social media, like our Family Place Library Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/lmlibraryfamilyplace.