27 June 2014

27 June 2014 The Summer Reading programs have gotten off to an excellent start. This past monday we the the Zoomobile as you noticed on our homepage. It was a fun time and the kids got to pet the bunny on their way out the door. Tuesday there were two sessions of the science fair. The morning session was geared toward the grade school children and the afternoon toward the middle and high schoolers. In the children's department the straw sculpture from both sessions is on display. You can register for the summer reading program until closing time on 26 July. This coming Tuesday the Teen Program is Doctor Who Day. There will be a Doctor Who trivia contest as well as treats and showing a Doctor Who special video. The Brown Bag Classics Club is taking the summer off. If you want to get ahead in your reading,we are going to read East of Eden by John Steinbeck. We'll be back on September 15, the third monday of September. A reminder for everyone, if your overdue fines or lost book fees exceed $5.00, your account will be blocked until the charges are paid down so that the amount owed is less than $5.00. Minimum payment is 10 cents. Next Friday is the Fourth of July and the Library will be closed that day and reopen on Saturday for the regular hours. With summer vacations many people will be traveling, take along an audiobook for the ride. We have a wide slection for young adults and adults and a few for grade school age and younger. Michigan has produced many stars over the years, among them are: George Peppard who is best known for his role in The A-Team but in his movie career he starred opposite Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Madonna was raised in Bay City and attended the University of Michigan. Robin Williams father was an auto-executive and they lived in Bloomfield Hill though Willams himself was born in Chicago. Those old enough to remember the T.V. show, Mork & Mindy, Pam Dawber who was Mindy was born and raised in Farmington Hills. Tom Selleck was born in Detroit and is a big Tigers Fan. Speaking of a Tiger's Fan, Kate Upton was born in St. Joseph. Wally Cox, born in Detroit, was the voice of Underdog. Jana Kramer, the Nationawide Insurance Girl, is from Detroit. Finally, William Lucking, Piney on Sons of Anarchy was born in Vicksburg. I knew there was a lot of talent in town. This list does not include the contribution of Michiganders to the music world, and there are a lot. Thanks to everyone for being patient with staff as we are mastering the new circulation system. There are still a few bugs that we are working out but we are getting on well with it. We are still hoping to offer email notification for overdue and reserve materials before the end of September. The Library of Michigan has just rolled out the updated Mich E-Library or MeL. Go to MeL.org and follow the links. There are buttons for kids, teens, business, health, books & literacy, jobs,legal and government. Under the kids button there is a homework helper, there are games and activities, storytime and about Michigan. For teens there is homework help, the reading zone for you to select books to read and can download to a reader. Life happens and that button can give you advice from social issues to health to vocations and jobs. A great help for teens who are at a rather confusing time in life. MeL is a great resource for the whole family. I encourage everyone to get on and to click on all the buttons to discover all that is available to people living in Michigan who have a card at their local library. Until next week, be safe and read. John

18 June 2014 The Brown Bag Book Club is taking a break during the summer but we will be back in September. We will be reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. With the Summer Reading Program going on it is too busy to prepare for the book club and there would be scheduling conflicts while the Summer Reading Program is going on. Speaking of the Summer Reading Program, the kick-off day was Monday, June 16, and was it busy. Everything went smoothly with everyone who came in to sign up for the program getting to the proper workstation, getting library cards renewed and getting books checked out to everyone. You can register your child anytime during the Summer Reading Program however, the later you sign-up the more likely the program you want to attend may be filled. Among the programs still open are the Marble runs and straw competition where you construct a track for your marble and race your friends. Then you get to use straws to construct something you would like to see. On July 7 the pre-schoolers will be making rainbows then on July 10 from 6-7 the popular VMS Robotics team returns to fascinate people with their robots. Magician Jeff Wawrzaszek will perform at the library on July 17 starting at 4P.M.and let's face it, magic is always cool. The Teen Program also has some great events. On June 24 the Science Fair demonstrates the fun things you can do with science. On July 1, it is Doctor Who Day with snacks, a trivia contest and movie. CSI Vicksburg on July 15 will test the teens skills in forensic science to catch a killer. On July 22, the Kalamazoo Air Zoo comes to the Library to show amazing ways you can generate electic energy. The End of Summer Reading Party for the Teens in on July 29 and for the Children it will be on July 30. The Library is offering some help for parents as they make vacation plans or just plans to get away for the weekend. For the second year the Library is giving the Michigan Activity Pass (MAP) free. There can be used for places from Ann Arbor to Ypsilanti, Empire to Marquette. The MAP will get you into Yankee Air Museum in Belleville or the Toonerville Trolley, at Soo Junction. Maybe you would rather tour the U.S.S. Mackinaw, the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker at Mackinaw City or the Gilmore Car Museum at Hickory Corners. To help you find all of these towns, the Library is giving the first 50 parents the newest road map of Michigan printed by the Michigan Department of Transportation. There's a lot to see in Michigan and with a free pass and a map, it makes it easier to go. Did you know that Michigan has the third most diverse agriculture following California and Florida. It is the largest producer of tart cherries, hazel nuts and mint in the United States. While Minnesota may the the Land of 10,000 lakes, Michigan has over 11,000 lakes of 10 acres or more. The only county in Michigan that does not border one of the Great Lakes or have a natural lake is Saginaw County. That is all for this week, come in for a book or a movie, the Library is always glad for your coompany. John

Only 10 days before the Annual Book Sale! At 10:00 a.m. Friday, June 13 the book sale opens with a wide variety of books, movies and audio resources. For the next week the books are being set-up in the meeting room downstairs. There are plenty of books for most reading tastes. All proceeds from the book sale go to support the children services. The book sale also runs Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and the last day will be Monday from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Monday, June 16, is also the beginning of our Summer Reading Program, Fizz, Boom, Read! Children will learn how much fun science is by attending programs that cover chemistry and working with animals. The Teen program is Spark a Reaction and the teens will be able to do some science experiments in the library. All students will learn how much science is in our lives everyday. Learn about geodes, those hollow rocks with crystals inside of them. There is a family program on Tuesday, June 10 from 4-5. Pre-registration is required and it is limited to 50 people. This month we are featuring mysteries in our West Window Display. We have Sherlock Holmes, Spenser, and Ellery Queen among others. Take a look at our display and pick up a good mystery. If you are traveling this summer, remember to get an audiobook for the road. We have over 500 audiobooks available on CD's both fiction and non-fiction. Make your trip a listening experience. This Friday marks the 70th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Europe at Normandy, France. There are very few Veterans left who took part of these landings. It was the largest invasion fleet ever assembled and it resulted in the liberation of France by the end of August and after 11 months, the war in Europe came to an end. Remember you fathers and grandfathers who fought in those dark days. The staff is slowly getting used to the new operating system and out goal is to have a general mastery of it before Summer Reading begins. As the summer comes nearer, remember to check out the Farmer's Market on Friday afternoons for fresh vegetables, honey and real maple syrup. It helps to support our local farmer's and you can't do better than garden fresh vegetables. Until next week, be safe. John