Holiday programming at the Library

Holiday Celebrations

Christmas is only a few short days away. I hope everyone is ready, with presents wrapped and stashed away somewhere they won’t be discovered.

We’ve all been enjoying the holidays at the library. There was a Bell Ensemble from the First United Methodist Church on December 3rd who played traditional and holiday music. The Redskin Singers came together and gave us a performance on December 12th, and we had our annual gingerbread house building event on December 14th, where children were invited to the library to test their artistic skills by decorating gingerbread houses. Santa even visited us during evening story time on December 17th.

 

Noon Year Eve Party

Children of all ages are welcome to our first ever Noon Year’s Eve Party. If you can't stay up until midnight, don't worry, because all through the day on New Year's Eve it's midnight somewhere. This year we’re going to celebrate the New Year during the noon hour. On December 31st from 11:00 - 12:30, we'll be celebrating the New Year with activities, crafts, music, games, a story, and fun.

Database spotlight

Did you know that you can search the state sponsored databases from within the library catalog and use it access magazines and journals (such as Consumer Reports)?

Suppose you wanted to find a new dishwasher in time for the big holiday get together aftermath but didn’t know which to buy. You could

1. login to our library catalog (http://catalog.lmlibrary.org) using your library card number and password
2. go to advanced search
3. under "Enter Search Terms" type in a search term “consumer reports” and change the drop down from “All Headings” to “Journal Title”
4. click on “Add Another Search Term” and type in “dishwashers”
5. on the right side of the screen under “Choose Resources”, uncheck Swiftnet (searches items within the library), and check “Magazines, Journals, Newspapers & Books” (searches online databases)
6. finally click “Search” on the upper right of the screen.

The first result in the list is “Dishwashers” from the Consumer Reports Buying Guide, publication date 2014. If you click on the blue underlined title, you will see information about the consumer reports article and you can click on “PDF Full Text” to see the full article.

Skip a jolly beat into the library this season

We’re upon the holiday season. Decorations are slowly starting to come out on lawns and the lights are going up.  The library is also getting into a festive mood.

Library and Lunch will meet on Tuesday, December 10 at 12 p.m. for holiday tales.  Read a holiday themed book and come discuss it at the library. Plan to join us over the lunch hour.

We have two musical events at the library in December.  The Bell Choir will be performing at the library on Tuesday, December 3 at 7 p.m. and we’re excited to welcome the Redskin Singers for their annual holiday appearance on Thursday, December 12 at 7:10 p.m.  Light refreshments will be served.

Our last Recipe Swap was a crockpot success! The next one combines the theme of two upcoming holidays and will be held on Monday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m.

The children’s department has plentiful activities for the kiddos the rest of the year.

Chess will be on Mondays at 6 p.m.  We have some kids who are becoming chess aficionados. Story Fun is held on Mondays at 11:15 a.m., Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m., and Thursdays at 11:15 a.m.  There will be no activities the week of December 23.

There will be a Family Place Play Day on Saturday, November 30 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  For all the kids and their families who were a part of our two Family Place workshops this past year, there will be a Family Place Reunion taking place on Tuesday, December 10 at 6 p.m. Come mingle and play.

The library’s Annual Gingerbread House Decorating for children ages 4 through 11 will take place on Saturday, December 15, with two sessions being offered. The session times will be 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.  All materials are provided.  Make sure your kiddo wears something that’s okay in case there are any frosting explosions. Reservations are required and will open on December 2, so phone or stop by the library today to secure a spot.

Santa will be making an appearance at the library before he starts his journey on Tuesday, December 17 at 6 p.m.

The library will be closed for the Thanksgiving Day holiday on Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29.  We will reopen on Saturday, November 30 at 9 a.m.

The library will also be closed part of the day on Wednesday, December 4 for staff development training. We will reopen at 4 p.m. that day.

If you’re passing by the library, everything may be returned via the book drops.  There are still individuals who ponder the return of DVDs in the book drops.  Besides e-readers and pre-literacy kits, all items may be returned to the book drops all year long.

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 question or suggestions about books or programs don’t hesitate to ask.  See you at the library this season!

Lots of Activities for Little Ones

The library joined in commemorating Fire Prevention Week Oct 7 – 13. Some of our young patrons tried on fire gear and had their pictures taken. Staff members joined in as well. During time with the little ones and their parents/caregivers, information was shared about library resources for fire safety. One of the 26 pre-literacy kits the library is titled Fire Safety. Chief Kelly Kirk of the Liberal Fire Department provided the final approval for materials that went into this kit

The National Fire Protection Association has just come out with a book to celebrate Sparky’s 60^th birthday entitled Sparky the Fire Dog. It provides good information in a non-frightening manner and also incorporates some letter recognition to spell out a special message along the edge of the pages. The library was fortunate to receive some materials geared to children from the Seward County Fire Department which were distributed at our preschool story times during the week.

The next few weeks will feature lots of things at the library for little ones. The biggest event is the 8^th Annual Kansas Reads to Preschoolers, which will take place the week of November 12. If you are unfamiliar with this event, a special committee chooses a book annually that is read to as many preschoolers across the state as possible.  Here at Memorial Library that includes programs that take place at the library, as well as journeying with our special story, Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn,  to preschools and to daycares, both the large ones and smaller home daycares.  The latter category is the one in which readers can provide us some assistance.  If you know of a home daycare provider who would like to have someone from the library come and read to the little ones in her care some time during the week, please have her phone the library (626-0180, ext. 4).  Library staff is always excited to make contact with the wonderful youngsters throughout the community.

Please note that our story times have resumed and will meet October 18 and November 1, 8, 15, and 29.  This is a fun time for little ones and their parents as well.  Check our website or phone the library for times.  November 15 is the day Lola Loves Stories will be shared in the library.  There are always more fun things than just the story library staffers read at their preschool earlier in the week, so plan to come and share the fun

It’s dress up time again!  Fancy Nancy will be held at the library on Saturday, November 3, from 10 to 11:30.  This is a fun time for children ages 4 through 7 to put on their fancy clothes and come down to our party.  This party will feature the posh puppy, so each child will celebrate the event by bringing their own plush puppy from home.  There will be a runway walk for the children to model their attire and show off their plush puppies.  Next we will share the story, do some puppy-themed crafts, and have a ‘people’ snack before the party concludes.  Reservations open October 18.  Either the children’s desk or the circulation desk can assist in getting your child signed up for this event.  As always, this is a popular program with limited spots available. If you find your child cannot attend once you’ve made the reservation, please give us a call and cancel so that another child can enjoy the event.

Another popular event for children here at the library is our annual Gingerbread House Decorating.  We will be hosting this once again during the first part of December.  Children 4 through 11 may make reservations for this event.  Watch the library website or in-library signage for dates and times. 

When young children tour the library, I always ask them, “Who do you think owns the library?”  Invariably, a lot of them respond, “You”, to which I am then able to say, “No, but you do.”  Then we talk a bit about the taxes that support our library.  Liberal has a wonderful facility in this library--don’t pass up the opportunity to check out its resources.  See you at Memorial Library!

Don't forget this week's events.  For our NASA series, Aaron Johnson from the National Weather Service in Dodge City will present a program on the Earth's atmosphere on Monday, October 15, at 4 p.m.  Thursday afternoon, October 18, is Chess from 4:30 to 5:30.  Anyone interested may attend these events.

Christmas Programs

Greetings from amidst the Christmastime bustle! Things have been moving right along here with decorating the library, the Redskin Singers coming to perform, and the Fancy Nancy Spendiferous Brunch & Soiree'. Two more events are approaching. One is the library's annual Gingerbread House decorating. New and exciting items are being added to the great assortment of goodies participants can use to create their own unique house. Everything is provided. Youngsters ages 4 to 11 are invited to take part. The event will take place on Saturday, December 17, starting at 9:30 a.m. This is a reservation activity, so give the library a call to reserve a spot for your child. Don't miss out on a good time! The second event is Poppa D. Clown's Magical Christmas. This is a free program that will take place in the Children's Library on Wednesday, December 21, at 2 p.m. The program will be approximately 45 minutes in length. Plan to come and join in the fun!

A number of new Christmas titles have been added to our collection in the last few weeks. Here is a sampling. Olivier Dunrea, best known for the Gossie & Friends series, brings us A Christmas Tree for Pyn. In spite of Pyn's father's objections, she manages to get him to help her find the perfect Christmas tree, and in the process forges a closer relationship with him. This is a heartwarming story indeed.

The Christmas story is beautifully told in Lauren Thompson's One Starry Night. All sorts of animals watch over their young as Mary & Joseph watch over their baby boy, Jesus.

Jennifer Holm provides another episode of her famous Babymouse series with A Very Babymouse Christmas. This series is for chapter book readers.

Home for Christmas is another of Jan Brett's books with her beautifully decorated signature borders. In this tale, Rollo the troll gets bored doing chores and runs off to spend some time on the tundra with various animals who live there. Finally he decides that he wants to be home for Christmas, even if it means he will have to behave better than he has in the past.

For those who are fans of non-fiction, check out Franklin and Winston: A Christmas that Changed the World by Douglas Wood. Shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, these two great world leaders met at the White House at Christmastime to decide how best to face the threats which were occurring worldwide. This was the beginning of an alliance between the United States and Great Britain. The book shows the human side of these gentlemen as they got to know each other better during that Christmas season.

A fiction story based on a true event is The Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo, a story of a family facing hardship in their newly assigned, isolated lighthouse post but how a special flight service, the Flying Santa Service, saves Christmas for the family. Here's a bit for information about that service. "In 1929, the first year of the Great Depression, aviation pioneer Captain William Wincapaw began the tradition of "The Flying Santa." Also known as the "Santa of the Lighthouses," Wincapaw oversaw flying operations for the Curtiss Flying Service at Rockland, Maine. He had a great deal of admiration for lighthouse keepers and their families, who served in isolated and inhospitable locations. On the morning of December 25, 1929, Wincapaw loaded his aircraft with a dozen packages of Christmas gifts and delivered them to a number of local lighthouses. By 1933, the Flying Santa program was so well received that Wincapaw expanded it to include ninety-one lighthouses throughout Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Wincapaw began to dress as Santa and he enlisted his son, Bill, Jr., to help pilot some of the flights." Since this title was checked out and exact facts could not be obtained from the back of the book, this information was taken from the Coast Guard Compass, which is the official blog of the U. S. Coast Guard.

Christmas Eve at the Mellops' by Tomi Ungerer is the story of the four Mellop brothers who each had the idea to provide their family with a Christmas tree. Now the family must decide what to do with four trees.

Our collection features many of the old Christmas standards, such as Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas and 'Twas the Day Before Christmas, which is the story of the poem The Night Before Christmas. In addition, there are a lot of books following the Night Before Christmas format--The Redneck Night Before Christmas, The Librarian's Night Before Christmas, and The Barnyard Night Before Christmas. A quick perusal of our card catalog will bring up a wealth of Christmas titles to be enjoyed. Stop by and check them out, as well as our Christmas activities. See you at Memorial Library!