Drake Public Library

Seeking Excellence

JeNel Barth

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June is Jumping!

Yard signs purchased for the first 100 families to register for Summer Reading Program. Paid for by Friends of the Drake Library

Yard signs purchased for the first 100 families to register for Summer Reading Program. Paid for by Friends of the Drake Library

 

We have a lot going on at the Drake Library right now! Summer Reading Program is going strong. At last count we have 201 kids signed up. Registration is ongoing and free, so come on in and get signed up! The program is for kids ages 0-15.  They track their hours of reading and receive a prize for every hour spent reading.

Monday June 8th is our Superhero story time. We will be doing super hero stuff with capes, arm cuffs, super hero names and other fun events. It starts at 2:00 p.m and runs about an hour.

Friday June 12th is our free Family Movie night. Despicable Me will be on the big screen. Free popcorn and water will be provided. Movie starts at 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room on the top floor of the library.

All of our Summer Reading Program events are paid for and sponsored by Friends of the Drake Library. Friends are a dedicated group of people that believe in the importance of the library and the need for quality summer edu-tainment for area kids.

Bake Sale for Books will be Friday June 19th at the Wal-Mart in Centerville, Iowa. Friends are asking for donation of baked goods to be dropped off the day before (Thursday June 18, 2015) at the Drake Library during the normal operating hours of 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The actual bake sale will start Friday morning at Wal-Mart at 9:00 a.m. All proceeds benefit the library 100 percent.

Also stop by and put some “Drake” dollars on the tree to help grow money for new books at the library. Who says money can’t buy happiness?

 

Money Tree

Drake Dollars on the Money Tree

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Friends of the Drake Library merchandise

Stop by and buy a useful item. 100 percent of proceeds benefit the Drake Public Library.

Woman by card table

Winona Whitaker, a Friend of the Drake Library showcases the merchandise available.

 

16 oz. stainless steel tumbler $9.00

16 oz. stainless steel tumbler $9.00

$3.00 ea. or 2 for $5.00

$3.00 ea. or 2 for $5.00. Durable reusable tote bags.

 

Friends of the Drake Library Aluminum Water bottle

Friends of the Drake Library Aluminum Water bottle

 

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Have cape, will read

Summer Reading Program characters.

Every Hero has a story!

Spring and summer are yard sale season. Lots of advertisements for sales every week. If you have a yard sale or are cleaning out your house, remember the Drake Library accepts donations of books. We cannot come out in the community and pick them up, but donations may be dropped off at the library.

The books are evaluated by the staff. If we don’t add them to the library’s collection, we put them in the book nook. Books are sold for .10 cents each or a dollar per bag. All proceeds benefit the library

This year’s Summer Reading Program theme is “Every Hero has a Story”. The superhero theme will be present in the activities planned. The library will be providing capes to the readers. The superhero capes will be made out of sheets. The library is seeking donations of plain colored flat sheets. Sheets may be dropped off to the library. All sizes of sheets are needed.

JeNel has lots of activities planned for the Summer Reading Program. All children in Appanoose County are invited to participate in this fun free program. Friends of the Drake Public Library financially sponsor the event and some prizes are donated by area businesses. For more information, call JeNel at the library at 641-856-6676.

Super hero readers

Another window decal.

 

 

Summer Reading window decal

One of the “characters” of the Summer Reading Program.

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Mayday! Mayday!

Mother and daughter reading together.

Enjoying a story together.

I feel overwhelmed today! Monday was “May the Fourth be with you” and yesterday was Cinco de Mayo or Revenge of the Fifth. The month of May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Get Caught Reading Month, National Bike Month and Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month!

So many celebrations and events to honor and notice. Not to mention, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Graduation Day and don’t forget May Day! Or maybe you forgot your May Basket on May 1, 2015. I did! I was too busy filling out my calendar and planning my wardrobe around all the festivities.

Children reading books with JeNel and their mother

A group of readers with JeNel.

I propose we have a National Relax Day! Nobody has to wear a special ribbon or call out a meaningful catch phrase. Everyone can relax and do what they want.
Librarians feel pressure to honor or share all the special days, such as Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2nd or Children’s Book Week (May 4-10). We dress up and make crafty bulletin boards. Storytimes are geared around these themes as well.

Let’s just take a deep breath, find a comfy spot and read a book—for fun! Fun, remember what that is? Not an assigned book or one that makes a person feel intelligent, the trashier the better! It is a non-event so feel free to be tacky.

People reading books together.

People reading books together.

Maybe next year the powers that be will create a “Tacky Fun Book Day” event to mark the occasion.

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Award Winning books

Picture of All the Light we cannot See

Do you like to read award winners? What drives your next reading choice? Word of mouth, suggestions from friends, or best seller lists? Recently several award winners were announced.

“All the Light We cannot see” by Anthony Doerr won the 2015 Pullitzer Prize for fiction. The Drake Public Library does have a copy of this book. The Pullitzer prize is awarded in the spring of every year. Joseph Pullitzer established the award for writing excellence. Previous winners include “The Goldfinch” and “The Orphan Master’s Son”.

The Iowa Association of School librarians recently announced their winners. “Creepy Carrots” won the Goldfinch Award. The Iowa Children’s Choice Award was presented to “The Ghost of Greylock” by Dan Poblocki. “The Lost Hero” by Rick Riordan won the Iowa Teen Award. Iowa High School Book Award was presented to “Eleanor and Park”.

If you need help finding something to read, look for an award winner or visit your local library and ask a staff member for a recommendation. Nothing pleases a librarian more than offering a reading suggestion to a patron!

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National Library Week 2015

Girls with their dolls.

Party goers celebrating at a tea party.

  

Unlimited possibilities @ your library: celebrate National Library Week April 12-18

This week, the Drake Public Library joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week, a time to highlight the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers.

Libraries today are more than warehouses for books. Instead, libraries and librarians are change agents within their communities – transforming lives through innovative educational resources and forward-thinking programming. Libraries are doing their part to close the digital divide and level the playing field by providing free access to information and technologies that many in their communities would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.  Libraries help to ensure the American dream and promote democracy by providing service to all regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic status.

Librarians work with elected officials, small business owners, students and the public at large to discover and meet the needs of their communities.  Whether through offering e-books and technology classes, materials for English-language learners, programs for job seekers or offering a safe haven in times of crisis, librarians listen to the community they serve, and they respond.

Minecraft activity

Scenes from a library party celebrating Minecraft.

The Drake Public Library serves Centerville, Iowa by providing public computers, books, periodicals, audiobooks, DVDs, story times for children, access to e-books, and cake pans.

“The library has always been a place of unlimited possibilities,” said Jami Livingston, Library Director. “Whatever your interest or need, the library and the library staff are here to provide you the resources you need to accomplish your goals and dreams.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

 

For more information, visit the Drake Public Library at 115 Drake Avenue, Centerville, Iowa, call 641-856-6676 or see the library’s Web site at www.drakepubliclibrary.org.  Libraries hours are Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm and Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm.

 

Kids outdoors

Playing in the sunshine!

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Abbreviations in the library world

Books with spine labels

Picture of library books with spine labels.

Every career field or interest group has their own lingo. Librarians are no different. We use a lot of lingo.

ILL is a short term for Inter Library Loan. Libraries can borrow books from other libraries via ILL.  The Drake Library uses SILO to find the books and request them. SILO stands for State of Iowa Libraries Online.  We search for the books and place the requests through the SILO website.  We also receive requests from other libraries through SILO.

SRP is an abbreviation we toss around and don’t often elaborate. Summer Reading Program—happens every summer; it is awesome and totally exhausting! Librarians often need a SPA day after SRP concludes.

We have books designated with AR stickers; AR is the abbreviation for Accelerated Reading. Many schools use the AR program for reading scores. The AR score tells the grade level the book is rated. A book with a 3.2 AR level is third grade, second month. Books labeled AR also have a test available online for students to take to earn the AR points for the book. We label our books with bright stickers so students can easily spot them when they are doing reading homework.

ER and YA are two additional shortcuts you will hear a librarian speak if you listen closely! ER simply means Easy Reader. We have a section of ER books for emerging readers. They are different from picture books in that they use repetitive words and are geared for a certain level of reader. YA books are Young Adult books. They are for everyone! They often feature adult themes, controversial topics, and may be made into movie trilogies. See also: Twilight, Divergent, and Hunger Games.

My favorite abbreviation of all is ARC. ARC is short for Advanced Reader’s Copy. Books that haven’t been published yet! Library conferences often feature tables full of FREE ARCS! Wow if you want to see a group of librarians raise a ruckus, throw out some ARCS! At the Annual American Library Association conference, publishers will often feature famous authors with copies of their ARCS to autograph and give away. I have met many authors at the two ALA Annual Conferences I have attended. I met Stan Lee, Marie Lu, Lois Lowry, Linda Castillo, and Jan Brett.

I must go now, I have to hop on SILO and fill out this ILL so we can use it for our SRP!

 

Interlibrary Loan Form

The library’s classic ILL form

 

 

 

 

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Libraries–more than books!

Cake Pan

Another cake pan available at the Drake Public Library

 

Libraries are adjusting to the ever changing modern world.  Libraries now loan seeds, kindles, and prom dresses!  The Berkeley Public Library in California lends tools. The website lists the tools they lend.  Chalk lines, tile nippers, drill bits, and bolt cutters are just a few of the items available!

Seed libraries have been sprouting up all over—sorry, pun intended. But those seeds can grow trouble! Invasive plants and weeds can be introduced into areas with people using seeds from unverified sources. The library has to have a plant expert on hand to help with the implementation of the seed library.

The Drake Library lends cake pans. That is right, cake pans. We have over 300 pans donated by a local donor. The pans check out for two weeks at a time and are very popular! We have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, footballs, Pokemon, and many other popular characters. The program has been a success over the last two years with only one set of pans being lost. A patron has even started her own cake baking business by using our pans!

Several libraries are hosting prom dress programs. These costly items are loaned, swapped, or donated to girls for the spring dance season. Any parent that has ever shopped for a frothy formal knows how daunting and dangerous prom dress hunting can be!

Librarians are adaptive creatures! They can sense a community need and find the means to help their patrons find what they are seeking.

For more information about the Drake Library Cake Pan library, stop in and check out the Cake Pan Finder Binder!

Batman Cake Pan

Batman cake pan available for check out.

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Friends Fundraiser

26 oz. aluminum water bottle-$8.00

26 oz. aluminum water bottle–$8.00

Mini vinyl football $4.00

Mini vinyl football–$4.00

16 oz. stainless steel tumbler $9.00

16 oz. stainless steel tumbler–$9.00

 

 

 

Merchandise for sale! Come in to the library and buy your items today!

All proceeds benefit the Drake Public Library!