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!

Catch a library program before the summer’s over!

The summer reading programs have wrapped up for the year. It was an astounding success! The adult program finished a week ago and we’re in the beginning stages of planning a Murder Mystery for the lucky individuals who received bingo's on their bingo cards.

Library staff has so far been out in the community twice this month.  First at the Five State Fair where we met a lot of patrons and non-patrons, a nice opportunity to showcase our services and secondly at  the Teacher Fair this past week welcoming the new teachers at USD 480 into the community.   We’ve been particularly excited over the fact that many new teachers have already stopped by the library to sign up for library cards before the fair!  It establishes a great connection for us particularly when they have projects and assignments for the kids throughout the school year. We love being prepared for requests from the kids particularly if we can get more materials into the library. We are most definitely here to provide extra resources!  I even have had the chance to get to know one of my new neighbors, a new fourth grade teacher. 

This week, kids (and adults alike) had a chance to learn about bike repair.  We had a few bikes that kids brought in and were shown how to fix all the ailments of their bicycles by Mr. Ed.  Some of us may also have learned how to pump bicycle tires.

Ms. Casandra, our children’s librarian, has a few programs in the works this month before the start of school.  There will be a program “Back-to-School with Amelia Bedelia” celebrating her 50th birthday this year. It’s a back to school event with crafts, fun, and stories, on Tuesday, August 13 at 6 p.m. Registration is required so call the library at 626-0180.  There will also be “Camping at the library” on Wednesday, August 14 at 2 p.m.  Come set up a tent, learn about camping, and tell scary stories.  Join the camp out!  Ms. Casandra will also be hosting Chess on Thursdays, August 15 at 2 p.m., Monday, August 19 at 6 p.m., and Monday, August 26 at 6 p.m.  Come beginners and advanced players!

And of course our much awaited adult programs!  Library and Lunch will be held on Tuesday, August 13 at noon for “Ladies Night” by Mary Kay Andrews.  Last month, we decided an end of the summer book was in order.  The novel follows Grace Stanton who finds herself locked out of her home, checking account, and her beloved blog after she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car.  She starts attending court-mandated weekly therapy session with three other women and one man.  Their “divorce coach” starts acting suspiciously and they decide to start their own Wednesday “Ladies’ Night” sessions.  

The theme for this month’s Recipe Swap on Monday, August 26 at 6:30 p.m. is noodles!  My favorite food group in the form of homemade chicken noodle soup which my aunt made when my sister and I were growing up or lo-mein by far the best comfort food or my attempts at pierogi (they’re so noodley!) for which after years of experimenting I have found the perfect dough recipe.  Next on my personal list is tortellini.  In the meantime at this Recipe Swap, Mr. Tian will be demonstrating noodle-making at the library.  One of these days he will teach me how to make his Chinese dumplings.

So 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!

Catch a library program this month!

There are a few more weeks left of summer before the kids go back to school.  Schedule a visit to the library in the coming weeks! We have a lot of great programs scheduled. Library card not required! Though if you don’t have one, check out the details on the library website and we can set you up with one before the school year commences.

The summer reading program has wrapped for the kids and teens.  The High Readers Party was this past week for those who read more than 35 hours in the month of June.  The Ice Cream Party, a chance to pick up certificates and t-shirts for the kids and teens will be held on Friday, August 2 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.  The adult summer reading program has a few more weeks to go. 

On Tuesday, July 23 at 2 p.m. a session of Pictionary will be held with our children’s librarian Casandra.  Let your inner artist out in a friendly game.  Don’t worry if your dogs look a little bit like elephants.  Bring your friends for even more fun.

Other kid programs this month include Chess on Thursdays at 2 p.m. and Sports on the Lawn on Fridays at 11 a.m.

On Thursday, July 25 at 6:30 p.m. Book Chat will be held. Share and discuss what you’ve read lately with your fellow readers.  It’s also a time to see what the library has recently acquired.

Local author Markie Adcock will be holding a book signing on Saturday, July 27 at 10 a.m.  She’ll be selling and signing copies of her first book “Palomino Blue”. 

The theme for this month’s Recipe Swap on Monday, July 29 at 6:30 p.m. is ice cream.  Bring recipes for ice cream (or something cool and sweet).  One of our staffers is quite the fan of making ice cream.

The library will have a booth at the Fair this year the first week in August. If you’re out and about, stop by and say hello!

It’s not this month, but check out “Ladies Night” by Mary Kay Andrews, to get a start on the August Library and Lunch pick. The chat will take place on Tuesday, August 13 at noon.  The novel follows Grace Stanton who finds herself locked out of her home, checking account, and her beloved blog after she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car.  She starts attending court-mandated weekly therapy session with three other women and one man.  Their “divorce coach” starts acting suspiciously and they decide to start their own Wednesday “Ladies’ Night” sessions.   

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!

Roll into the library in the New Year

Happy New Year! The library has exciting programs in the works this year.

 The next Library and Lunch will be held on Tuesday, January 15 at 12 p.m. “A gift of hope” by Danielle Steel will be discussed. In this non-fiction work, Steel shows how she transformed the pain of losing her son into a campaign of service that enriched her life beyond what she could imagine.  For eleven years she took to the streets with a small team to help the homeless of San Francisco.

While you're at the library this year, make sure to go on a blind date with a book. Grab a title that you wouldn't normally take off the shelf whether it is non-fiction, fantasy, science fiction, or mystery. Try something new.

Book Chat will meet on Thursday, January 17 at 6:30 p.m. Come down to discuss what books you are currently reading and discover what new books have hit the shelves.

The Kansas Center for the Book pick this year is “Then We Came to the End: A Novel” by Joshua Ferris. The characters in this wickedly funny, big-hearted novel about life in the office cope with a downturn in the time-honored way: through gossip, secret romance, elaborate pranks, and increasingly frequent coffee breaks.  By day they compete for the best office furniture left behind and try to make sense of the mysterious pro-bono ad campaign that is their only remaining ‘work’.  The library will be having a special book discussion sometime this year. Stay tuned.

The Gardening Club resumes this month on Tuesday, January 15 at 6:30 p.m. They meet every third Tuesday of the month.  Someone who has not come up with any New Year Resolutions this year is curious to hear the group’s suggestions on growing kitchen herbs.

A new program this month Recipe Swap will hold its first meet on Monday, January 28 at 6:30 p.m. Join us at the library to share your favorite recipe with fellow cooks and bakers. Whether you are a newbie or a veteran to the kitchen world, come down and share your experiences with others who share your passion.

The next session for middle and high schoolers will be a Teen Pizza Party on Thursday, January 24 at 4 p.m. Stop by the library to hang out after school.

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. Make a resolution to visit your library this year!

Variety of Things for Patrons at Your Library

Some exciting things are happening here at the library!  Last week staff attended a training session for a new early literacy concept called 6 by 6 Ready to Read.  The library also applied for a grant to help update our parenting collection, which has found its way once again to the children’s side of the library in the non-fiction section.  Watch for more news on these exciting ventures in the weeks to come. 

 If you haven’t come to one of our NASA sessions, be sure to check the schedule for more information on the upcoming programs. The next program in the series will take place on Monday, September 24, at 4 p.m. when a speaker from the Kansas Cosmosphere will be presenting “Living in Space” in the Cooper Clark Room and will address such things as what an orbit is and how it is achieved, what micro-gravity is and how it affects human physiology and function, and how an astronaut spends a typical day in space.   This is a great opportunity to hear a Cosmosphere program without having to leave Liberal.  Plan to join us at 4 p.m. on Monday.

 Some of the new books to recently arrive are now in our non-fiction section.  Learn to Speak Fashion – A Guide to Creating,Showcasing & Promoting Your Style by Laura deCarufel  provides the interested young person with information on every aspect of fashion from creating to modeling to photography to marketing.  The author is very down to earth, shares her opinions, and uses lots of examples from her own experiences.

 Nature’sPatchwork Quilt – Understanding Habitats is by Mary Miche’ with wonderful illustrations by Consie Powell.  This book explains several different habitats and their occupants and how the existence within the habitat fits together like a patchwork quilt.  Terms such as adaptation, interdependency, and biodiversity are explained in easily understood terms.  Age range is listed as 4 to 10, lending itself well to some parent and child time with lots of discussion about the various smaller pictures in each spread.

 Note on the schedule below that our story times will take place on September 27.  That day will mark the end of the first session of story times for the school year.  Though we normally take a two-week break between sessions, this next session will be the exception.  We will only break for one week and resume story times on October 11.  Check the library’s website or in-house postings for the complete schedule, or stop by either the circulation desk or children’s desk for a printed copy. 

 The library is seeking national political campaign buttons and other small memorabilia from past elections to place in the glass display case in our hallway for the month of October up through the election in November.  If you have any items you would be willing to loan, please phone 626-0180, ext 4 or stop by the library.  Make sure the person who accepts your loaned items catalogs them and gets your name and phone number to insure their safe return. 

 Another thing the library is seeking are names of daycare providers who cannot bring the children in their care to the library for our special celebration of Kansas Reads to Preschoolers the week of November 12 and would be interested in lining up a home visit from a library staff member to share the selected story.  If you know someone in this situation, please have her call the library to get on the schedule. 


Check out what’s going on below, and we’ll see you at Memorial Library!

Happenings at Your Library the week of September 24

Sept 24         4 p.m.          “Living in Space” presented by KS Cosmosphere

Sept 27         9:15             Infant Storytime

                   9:55             Toddler Storytime

                   10:15            Preschool Storytime

Sept 27         4:00             Teen Gaming

 

Saunter into the library this September!

The kids are back in school.  Autumn is slowly approaching. The library has a lot of activities planned for September.

Teens looking for activities after school can stop by the library on Thursdays. Chess classes run every two weeks.  They will be held on Thursday, September 6 and 20 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.  Teen Gaming will be on Thursday, September 13 and 27 from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  for video games, board games, and card games.  Snacks and refreshments will be served.

The library will be holding a Knit In on Saturday, September 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the Kansas Children's Service League Period of PURPLE Crying. Come and knit purple baby caps for newborns across the state.  The library's goal is 100 hats! Purple skeins and light refreshments will be provided. The gals at the circulation desk are furiously working on their hats through looming.  It is remarkably similar to knitting.  Some of us are trying our hand at it for the first time and bring our mistakes for our master expert Debbie to fix until we learn how to fix them ourselves.

Our weekly NASA program for middle schoolers will commence on Monday, September 10 at 4 p.m. with Space Rocks! A Giant Meteorite Board Game where students assume the roles of meteorites and learn about meteors, meteoroids, and meteorites competing to get to Antarctica! On Monday, September 24, a speaker from the Cosmosphere will be at the library for a Life in Space program detailing what an orbit is and how it is achieved, what micro-gravity is and how it affects human physiology and function and how an astronaut spends a typical day in space…  still harboring dreams of becoming an astronaut.

We will be hosting a Mexican Independence Day Carnival at the library in Cooper Park on Saturday, September 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Entertaining activities will include: raffles, bingo for books, musical chairs, soda toss, basketball toss, piñatas, chicken chuck, fishing, kissing booth, fortune telling, tortilla toss, beauty salon, and many more! 

The Library and Lunch gang is growing!  The next meeting will be on Tuesday, September 11 at noon.  The book “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn will be discussed.  A husband comes home and discovers his wife missing… Trying to avoid spoilers from patrons at the circulation desk until my copy comes in utilizing a lot of shushing.  The book has been making its rounds on the New York Times Bestseller list. 

The Gardening Club meets every third Tuesday of the month.  The next meeting will be on Thursday, September 18 at 6:30 p.m.  Discover what autumn and winter plants and activities are in store for the group.

Book Chat will be held on Thursday, September 20 at 6:00 p.m.  Come down to discuss what books you are currently reading and discover what new books have hit the shelves!

Out in the community, the library will have a booth at the Duck Races on Saturday, September 22. So before you get a duck, stop by the booth and say hello!

The final stages of programs are in the works for a lot of excitement for all age groups this coming fall so stay tuned!

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 coming month!

Rocket into the library in August

The summer reading programs have winded down this month.  Adults have two more days to get their tickets into the library for drawings.  The High Readers Party was a bowling feat. Participants in the Murder Mystery say it was a smashing success.  Our last event of the summer will be on Friday, August 10 where those individuals who earned t-shirts and certificates can pick them up beginning at 2 p.m. lasting till 3:30 p.m. They can be claimed any time after that as well.

In the month of July, the library hosted a weekly space-themed film.  The library received a NASA Summer of Innovation Mini-Grant this month from the National Space Grant Foundation with the plan to continue this theme with a six-week program during the fall (from September through October) to educate on the wonders of NASA.  The weekly sessions will be geared toward middle school aged children.  During this period, we will be presenting programs and activities that will incorporate aspects of the NASA Summer of Innovation modules.

Sessions in store during the fall will include Mars vs. Earth where we will compare the two planets showing the physical differences and similarities between the planets and taking a look at the lore between the two planets in popular culture.  What is the fascination with Mars?  Discussion will be focused on the events of NASA and its mission to Mars, in particular the Mars Rover Curiosity.

A Space Food program will also be held.  We will make Asteroid Potatoes and examine foods that were taken into outer space such as Tang and Freeze dried food. Nutritional value and the physical demands of eating in space will be examined.

Space Rocks! Meteorite Game will spark curiosity about the universe and reinforce a better understanding of the origins of meteors, meteoroids, and meteorites.  To discover why space does indeed rock!

The library will have a speaker from the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center in Hutchinson. By focusing on the human story of space exploration, they will entertain and educate as they present.  We anticipate that the program will enlighten and have a positive effect in our community.

In other news, the next Library and Lunch will be held on Tuesday, August 14 at noon. ”Lone Wolf” by Jodi Picoult will be discussed.

The library will have an award-winning acoustic duo Stephanie Bettman and Luke Halpin on Tuesday, August 7 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  They create a “fully acoustic, delightfully eclectic sound that is far greater than the sum of it[s] parts.  Together they weave a spell that takes the audience from up tempo down home fiddlin’, to soulful sorrowful ballds, to super hooky folk/pop. You’ll be hooked from the first fiddle line to the last sweet harmony.”

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!