See you in 2007!

As of 5:00 p.m. today, Friday, the Library is CLOSED for the holiday weekend. Regular hours will resume on Tuesday, January 2nd at 9:00 a.m. From all of us at the library, have a safe and happy New Year's celebration, and we look forward to having you visit us throughout 2007!

One more piece of Harry News before the New Year

As we head toward 2007, we may be seeing more snippets of interesting news related to J.K. Rowling's final "Harry Potter" book as she nears it's completion and it's publication. An article was posted yesterday talking about how the British postal service, The Royal Mail, has already begun putting in place plans for properly distributing the book once a publication date is released, to be sure that everyone gets the book as promptly and quickly as possible.

Even though there is no date for the book's release, it remains at the top of Amazon.com's pre-order list. Have you reserved a copy yet?

Future Marathon Themes...

Based on the response so far, we think that the Movie Marathon has been a successful concept, and we're thinking ahead to the possibility of doing it again in the future. If you have suggested themes for us to build movies around, please let us know!

Final Movie Marathon Rundown

We thank you for your attendance so far this week at our movie marathons, and we invite you to close out the week with our "Snow" theme tomorrow, at the following times:

9:30 a.m.-- Cool Runnings

11:15 a.m.-- Snow Dogs

1:00 p.m.-- Ice Princess

2:45 p.m.-- Snow Day

Wednesday's Movie Rundown

We hope that you're joining us during the course of today for our Christmas movies. Tomorrow, Wednesday, is Disney day with the following films being shown:

9:00 a.m.- Cinderella

10:20 a.m.-- The Little Mermaid

11:50 a.m.-- Beauty and the Beast

1:20 p.m.-- Aladdin

3:00 p.m.-- Emperor's New Groove

Warm wishes to you and yours!

From everyone at Lancaster Public Library, we wish you the most wonderful holiday season, and a successful start to 2007! For information on our holiday hours and schedule, please see our post from yesterday.

Harry Potter Title...

The title of the final "Harry Potter" book has been released today. Book 7 will be called "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Scholastic confirms.

Library Funding Restored!!

On Tuesday, we mentioned to you that Lancaster County's library funding for next year may have been cut in the 2007 budget. We are very happy to report that at yesterday's meeting, the commissioners reversed course and approved a budget that provides the full amount of funding that was originally expected. We thank them for this move, and hope to continue to provide great services to you and your families throughout 2007.

For more information on the county budget, check out this article posted this morning at Lancaster Online:

http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/28858

Holiday Schedule

In order to allow library staff to celebrate the holiday season, there are some adjustments to the library's regular hours.

Tomorrow, Friday, December 22nd, the Leola Branch will be CLOSED, the Mountville Branch will close at 12:30 and our main location here on Duke Street will close at 1:oo p.m.

All locations of the library will be closed on Saturday the 23rd and Christmas Day, Monday, the 25th.

Next Tuesday through Friday, the 26th to 29th, all locations will be open only from 9:00 a.m-5:00 p.m.

The library will again be closed for the New Year's Holiday on Saturday the 30th and Monday January 1st.

Movie Marathons to Start Tuesday

During the week between Christmas and New Year's, many kids are off from school, and families are looking for something to do. Next week, the library has your solution, as we present movie marathons on different themes each day Tuesday through Friday. On Tuesday, all of our films have a holiday theme. The brief descriptions of each film are from the Internet Movie Database (at www.imdb.com) a great source of move information anytime!

Here's the rundown for Tuesday's films:

9:00 a.m.-- It's a Wonderful Life (An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed.)

Appx. 11:15 a.m.-- Miracle on 34th Street (A department store Santa tries to convince a little girl who doesn't believe in Santa Claus that he is Santa Claus, and winds up going on trial to prove who he is.)

Appx. 1:oo p.m.-- Scrooge (An old bitter miser is given a chance for redemption when he is haunted by ghosts on Christmas Eve.)

Appx. 2:30 p.m.--White Christmas (After leaving the Army after W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, is the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General.)

All four of these films are rated "G" for enjoyment by your whole family! We hope to see you here!

Library Funding Cuts

The Library System of Lancaster County and our library are both in the news today, as part of the 2007 Lancaster County Budget Process.

Read this article from today's Lancaster Online for information:

http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/28779

More on the story will appear on tonight's "Fox 43 News @ Ten" as well, featuring interviews with our director, Debra Rosser-Hogben, and our system administrator, Susan Hauer.

Some box office numbers...

For their opening weekend, two movies, one for teens and one for families, placed 2nd and 3rd in box office totals, with only the Will Smith film "The Pursuit of Happyness" taking the first spot. "Eragon" brought in $23.4 million dollars, and the newest remake of Charlotte's Web brought in just over $12 million.

Did you or your family members see either film? If so, please share with us what you thought.

Eragon Movie Really Panned

As we've glanced around the Internet today, we're finding that the reviews of "Eragon" based on the novel by Christopher Paolini, are very bad. The highest rating we were able to find was a B-, but a lot of the other reviews are in the D and D- categories. The film opened today.

Do you plan to see the film this weekend, or during it's theatrical release? If so, visit this post again after you've done so and leave us your review.

Please remember to shop tomorrow!

For those of you now in the last phase of your Christmas shopping (only 9 more shopping days as of today) we remind you that if your holiday lists have someone looking for a book or other item that our partners at Barnes & Noble may have available for sale, tomorrow, Saturday, is the day to shop. Remember to take your voucher (which we hope you picked up at the library, or you can download a new one here: http://www.lancaster.lib.pa.us/lcl/lib/lcl/bnbfvoucher_0001.pdf) so that the Youth Services Department here at the library can benefit. We'll be putting any book fair funds to good use in 2007, so we look forward to your support tomorrow!

We know some Grammy Nominees!

It's not every day that you can say that you know anyone up for a major award, but the guys from Trout Fishing in America, who played at our Memorial Day concert in Long's Park earlier this year released a new CD this fall, called "My Best Day." And, in their most recent newsletter, they shared the word that they've been nominated for a Grammy for their work! Winners will be announced on February 11, 2007.

The concert was a great, "best day" for the library, and we wish them a lot of luck!

A few cool candids...

Here are a couple of photos from Wednesday night's snowglobe making program, where families of all age ranges participated and had a good time.

Another holiday film

As part of our busy December, we'll be showing "Prancer" this coming Monday at 6:30 p.m. to complete our holiday Movie Monday series.

Movie marathons are coming later in the month (more details on those next week) and in January, our movie nights become "Fairy Tale Theater."

Craft Series to Conclude...

Last night, we had a terrific response to our Snowglobe Making activity, with 30 people in attendance here at the library.

Families are invited to return next Wednesday, as we revive the annual tradition of making gingerbread houses at the library before the holidays. The gingerbread house making will start at 6:30 p.m. Pre-registration by next Tuesday is strongly, strongly encouraged so that we make sure to have enough supplies on hand. Pre-register your family by calling 239-2124.

Holiday Toy Recall

Just as an FYI for parents, Wal-Mart has issued a recall on a holiday toy. Check this link for more information...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16205505/

What's your choice? Email or IM?

A new study released last week indicated that more teens prefer to communicate via IM than via email. We're just curious, is that true for you too?

New Teen Space is in place!

The library is proud to announce today that we are just about completed with the process of relocating most of our Young Adult Materials to our new "Teen Space" on the 2nd floor near the elevator in the rear of the building. Be watching this space through the week for new pictures of the space and other information!

Don't be left Home Alone

As we continue our holiday movie series, the library will be showing Home Alone starring MacCaulay Culkin on Monday, December 11th at 6:30 in the Bates Auditorium. Join us for this newer holiday classic and get yourself in the holiday spirit.

Holiday Craft Series Continues

12 people were here for our first ever Cookie Icing Night on Wednesday. Our "holiday craft and activity series" will be continuing next Wednesday, December the 13th, with your chance to make a homemade snow globe! We hope you'll join us for this event!

Happy Birthday, Santa...just a day late!

Did you know that yesterday was Santa's official birthday? One of our groups of librarians, the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) have put together some very cool web links with information on one of the most famous people in the world. Take a look through some of them!

The Saint Nicholas Center, http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23,
is certainly the Virgin Mother-in-Law of all Nicholas sites, with excellent historical, cultural, and artistic resources, including a kids section. A must for any internet stocking.

http://www.livius.org/ne-nn/nicholas/nicholas_of_myra1.html
The second-best site in the English speaking realm for information on the origin and evolution of "Saint Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Santa Claus" in the historical record and popular imagination.

The American Antiquarian Society has a fantastic online exhibit of the transformation and history of St. Nick, and Christmas in general, in the United States, with images of many rare and famous book covers and artwork.
http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Christmas/index.htm

Did you know that Rev. Clement Moore LIED about the authorship of "The Night Before Christmas?" One Henry Livingston was the actual author, and you can read excerpts from the Don Foster book which proved this, here:
http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/sources/authorunknown.htm

The site also has a page of evidence for this literary hoax the Clement foisted upon a zillion editions of that poem. It has news articles from when this fraud was uncovered, as well as poetry by Livingston and Moore for students to decide for themselves.
See: http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/writinghenryjr.htm

It turns out that Livingston was the first person in the 13 Colonies to use the politically-incorrect phrase "Happy Christmas,"in a letter to his future wife in 1773:
http://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/henry/writing/letters/tosally73.htm

Another urban myth refuted: The modern image of Santa Claus - a jolly figure in a red-and-white suit - was created by Coca-Cola?
http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/santa.asp

Speaking of "The Real Thing," this site got permission from Coke to post many of the Santa advertisements which have appeared in the last 75 years.
http://www.hillmanweb.com/xmas/xmascoke.html

Create a Cool Christmas Cookie!

As part of this year's holiday celebrations, come to the library on Wednesday, December 6th at 6:30 p.m. for your chance to hand decorate and ice Christmas Cookies. It promises to be a lot of fun!

Make it a Muppet Holiday!

Our Monday Muppet Movie Nights have been a success thus far. We invite you to join us this Monday, December 4th at 6:30 when the Muppets celebrate the holiday with "A Muppet Christmas Carol," being shown in the Bates Auditorium.

Are you an Otaku?

It's alright, you can tell us. We've got a couple Manga and Anime Otaku on staff here at LPL and we're looking for teens aged 15-18yrs. who can say the same.

For those of you who don't know what we're talking about...

An Otaku is a Japanese word that originally meant a person who was so invested in a particular hobby that it took over their life. In the U.S. this word has taken on a slightly lighter meaning. Otaku generally refers to a person who is very knowlegable about a hobby or activity. Maybe even a little geeky about it!

We're looking for anyone who might be interested in joining an Otaku Anime and Manga Club. If we can get enough consistant members (at least 10) we could have the oportunity to screen new Anime each month before it's released!

If you'd like to know more give us a call 717-396-9313 X124

There is also a fun poll here.

Book Fair Activities

The activity schedule has been finalized for the December 16th Barnes and Noble Bookfair! Come join us for some fun, and don't foget to bring your voucher!





1:00 PM -- Guest Reader -- A member of the Youth Services Staff will be reading a story for children in the store.

3:00 PM -- Holiday Craft -- A Preschool aged craft will be provided. Join us for some fun!

6:00 PM -- Live Music -- Be sure not to miss our local Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, Dane Mountain. He will be playing holiday music as well as some original compositions.

Teen Writer Burnout?

Some of the hottest teen literature recently is being written by young adults. This article shares some very interesting perspective on the pressure that they as writers face.

http://www.villagevoice.com/arts/0646,wigginton,75019,12.html

Now, you can download one...

If getting into the library to collect Barnes & Noble Book fair vouchers is a difficulty for you with the growing hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we've made it easy. You can now download a copy of the voucher coupon (printing 3 to a sheet so that you can share it with others you may see!) by visiting our web site at:

http://www.lancaster.lib.pa.us/lcl/lib/lcl/bnbfvoucher_0001.pdf

Vouchers Available Now!

We mentioned here on the blog a few days ago about the upcoming book fair at Barnes and Noble, the proceeds of which will benefit the Youth Services Department here at the library. The vouchers that you would need to present at the time of checkout for us to receive credit are now available at the library, so please come pick them up...and give them out to family and other friends you may know who want to shop and help us out as well!

Giving Thanks....

As we head into the holiday season, we are thankful for your patronage of the library all year long. To celebrate the holiday, we will be closed on Thursday, the 23rd of November, but our regular hours will resume on Friday, November 24th.

Make & Take Workshops this December!

Our holiday programming slate continues to fill up, with your chance to make handmade iced cookies, snowglobes, and the annual traditional favorite, gingerbread houses, at the library this December!

Programs run from 6:30-7:30 p.m. each Wednesday night! Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, so call now to join us for the holiday fun!

Your vote counts!

Election day may be over, but teens across the country are invited to vote in a new online Young Adult book award contest, the Cybills.

Check out this link for more information:

http://dadtalk.typepad.com/cybils/

Do you visit a blog?

Other than our blog, which we hope you check regularly, have you found any other blog on the internet that you visit on a regular basis? If so, we ask you to share it with us today!

Book Fair Coming in December!

The Youth Services Department is partnering with Barnes and Noble, located on Fruitville Pike here in Lancaster, for a book fair where the proceeds will benefit the library's ability to produce more programs such as storytimes and other Youth Services events like our movie nights! More information on picking up your vouchers and other ways that you can help us that day will be posted here soon!

More Freedom to Post...

It was brought to our attention today that when you would have attempted to respond to posts on this blog, you would have had to register to leave your thoughts.

Starting today, the access to post your comments is completely free, and you can go ahead and comment on anything you see at our website or here on the blog!

Who's Your Favorite Author?

Who is your favorite author? Tell us now! We are looking to build a list of favorite authors and their web sites that we can add into our blog for quick and easy access to information about their newest writings and more! Reply to this post with your suggestions and watch for your author's web sites here in the blog!

Welcome to November!

Now that Halloween has passed us by, we are now in the home stretch of the calendar year! Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. As we go through November, and especially into December, there's a WHOLE LOT of cool stuff happening here at Lancaster Public Library, which we'll tell you about right here!

First and most important, remember, if you haven't signed up for FRIDAY's Teen Mystery Night, being held after the library closes from 6:30-8:30 p.m., call in today and do so at 239-2124.

Favorite Scary Books and Movies

On this Halloween, we want to hear from you!

What is your favorite scary story or favorite scary movie? Let us know by leaving us a comment!

Eragon Trailer!

Last night during the World Series, FOX aired an extended trailer for the Eragon film, coming out on December 15. In case you missed it, you can download and view it for free courtesy of AOL:

http://movies.aol.com/movie-trailer-clip/eragon-ed-speleers-jeremy-irons

Remember to Fall Back

Just as a reminder, this is the weekend when we all need to set our clocks back one hour for the start of Daylight Savings Time. That means an extra hour of sleep for all of us!

The history behind Daylight Savings Time is an interesting one, and can be looked at by going to:

http://www.timeanddate.com/time/aboutdst.html

More on Teen Mystery Night

Anyone wanting to register for the Teen Mystery Night should call 239-2124 to register. Please use this phone number at any time to reach the Youth Services Department.

Teen Mystery Night!!!

The Young Adult Department and Teen Advisory Board invite you to be a detective in the interactive mystery "The Disappearance of Angela Day." Join us on November 3rd at 6:30 for pizza and your chance to solve the mystery! Prizes will be awarded to the best detectives! Register by calling 285-3231.

Earthquake Information

This weekend's earthquake in Hawaii brings up again the variety of places that these natural occurances have happened, and the impact that they have. For those seeking information on earthquakes in history, we've found this well organized informational site:

http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/earthquakes_famous.htm#Notable

Trash or Treasure?

On Saturday morning, the library will be hosting a program on "Trashformations," a program providing instruction on how we can recycle a lot of our standard trash into a piece of artwork. You're welcome to call us at 239-2124 to register if you haven't already, and check this space on Monday for pictures of these unique creations.

Literature Prize Announced

This morning in Stockholm, Sweden, the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2006 was awarded. The honor this year goes to a Turkish author. Details on him and his works are available in this article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061012/ap_on_en_ot/nobel_literature

Seeking Series Suggestions

For anyone who is a fan of Lemony Snicket (where the final book in the series comes out on Friday!) or Harry Potter (due out sometime in 2007) we are often asked about suggestions for other book series by those who like to follow characters between books and become more invested in what happens to them.

Recently, the Dallas/Fort Worth Star Telegram offered up some suggestions

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/living/people/family/15722062.htm?source=rss&channel=dfw_family

Voting & Election Info

For anyone seeking information about the upcoming general election, including information on the types of voting machines that you may encounter when you get to the polls, check out this new site from the PA Department of State.

http://votespa.com/

Another method to offer condolences...

Monday's tragedy continues to impact the area. The newspaper's online website, www.lancasteronline.com continues it's coverage, and has now provided a link to an online condolence book for the victims at http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/26440.

For more information about the Amish, their beliefs, and their culture, there is a great basic summary available through the county visitor's bureau at http://www.padutchcountry.com/our_world/the_amish.asp

Thanks to our county Youth Services Coordinator, Renee Christansen, we've found a link to a bibliography from the American Library Association that offers suggestions on books related to death and tragedies (that was first compiled after the 2001 attacks.)

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/dealingwithtrag/dealing_with_tragedy_books.pdf

Supporting our Amish Friends

As the area continues to deal with the tragedy at the Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, there are several different ways that we can help the families suffering through this tragedy, either financially or via cards and letters. We provide that information here:

Nickel Mines Children’s Funds
Coatesville Savings Bank
1082 Georgetown Road
Paradise, PA 17562

Roberts Family Fund
Coatesville Savings Bank
1082 Georgetown Road
Paradise, PA 17562

Web Site: address for both above to bank: http://www.coatesvillesavings.com/

Nickel Mines School Victims Fund
Hometown Heritage Bank
100 Historic Drive
P.O. Box 337
Strasburg, PA 17579

For cards and letters:

Bart Township Fire Co.
P.O. Box 72
11 Furnace Road
Bart, PA 17503

Thoughts and Prayers

The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Lancaster Public Library go out to the Amish families in our community who have suffered as a result of yesterday's school shooting.

First Day Results from Book Sale

Thank you to everyone who shopped the first day of our Fall Book Sale yesterday. The total sales from Day 1 were $30,782!

More details from the sale as the week goes on!

Harvest Book Sale Begins Monday!

The library's main fall book sale, the Harvest Sale, begins on Monday morning, September 25th, at 9:00 a.m. at the Overlook Activity Center, 2042 Lititz Pike!

Hours for the sale are 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and 9:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the 27th.

Hundreds of great bargains are available, all waiting to be discovered by you!

Important Toy Recall for Parents

Parents who are readers of this blog, this link is for your information, about a recall of a Playskool product:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/22/news/companies/toy_recall/index.htm?cnn=yes

New tool from Yahoo!

Yahoo has been a leader for a while in resources to help kids with their homework after school (great to use in tandem with the Homework Help database sponsored by the Library System).

Recently, Yahoo partnered with American Heritage to make available online a comprehensive Spanish/English dictionary.

Give it a try out at http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dict_en_es/;_ylt=AgW74bsUVmvBAJiB3twv0uXak7MF

International Award with Lancaster Connection!

In one of our first posts at the beginning of this blog, we talked about the American Library Association's annual special prizes for children's books, the Caldecott and Newbery Awards.

Today's Lancaster Online has an amazing story of how an author of children's books and a local doctor in Lancaster have a connection through a very special award given worldwide. We invite you to take a look at the story.

http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/25921

Word of the Week Defined

Onomastics, our word of the week, is the actual study of names, name history, and naming things.

If you can find an interesting or unique word that you think we should define for others, or have one you need defined, let us know, and it may just become part of the blog.

Our 50th Post: The World Gets Warmer

It's our 50th post in this blog. And, it is another cool and damp day outside our window here at the library, but according to this article we found today, the world is getting warmer, and it's having an impact on wildlife and animals:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060915/sc_nm/enviroment_arctic_dc

Word of the Week

Another new feature on this blog, a word of the week. Definition for this one comes on Monday, but before that, can you figure out what it is?

Word of the Week: Onomastics

Poll of the Week: Newest Service?

Starting today, once a week, we will try to ask a poll question here, and we'll welcome your responses either by clicking on the "comment" option at the bottom of the post, or by emailing us.

Today's question: What one service, not presently being offered at the library, would you like to see us add in the immediate future?

Bookmark for Harry News!

For fans of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling's web site has been the home for small tidbits of information as she continues working on the 7th (and what she says is the final) book in the series. And today, for the first time in a while, her site has been updated. There's not much news, but for die-hard series fans, they'll take every morsel they can get!

www.jkrowling.com

"Eragon" makes news

Lately, Christopher Paolini's "Eragon" and it's sequel, "Eldest," have been two of the most popular titles in our Young Adult section. Today, there was a behind-the-scenes look at both the movie and the companion video game posted at the Business Week web site at:

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/sep2006/id20060912_923334.htm?chan=tc&campaign_id=rss_tech

Do You Pay your fines?

If you have library materials that are returned late, our fines are 10 cents a day on books and audiobooks, etc. and up to 50 cents per day on VHS and DVD items. Have you ever had a fine like this one, though? Click the link for a story about a library fine from upstate New York.

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=5394770&nav=menu183_2

Another book buying opportunity...

If you can't make it downtown tomorrow (or even if you can) for our hometown days book sale, the FRIENDS of the Mountville Branch of the library will be holding a fall book sale from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 16th. Baked goods will be available for purchase too, and all proceeds will benefit the Mountville branch.

Frog & Toad Visit

As part of your visit to the library on Saturday for Hometown Day, stick around and visit with Arnold Lobel's famous storybook characters, Frog and Toad, who will be moving throughout the library starting at 1:30 p.m.

Enjoy the weekend!

Book Bargains This Weekend!

As part of the celebration of "Hometown Days" here in Lancaster on Saturday, the FRIENDS of Lancaster Public Library will be holding a book sale in the Bates Auditorium on Saturday, the 9th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come shop and get a look at some great book bargains for the holiday season (can you believe it's around the corner again?)

The Staff of the library will have a white elephant and bake sale as well.

Visit Russia tonight...

From our Reference Librarian, Sue Bowser, about a special program tonight:


Unique Russian Travelogue

Mark Gallagher will give a special multi-media presentation on the culture of Russia on Thursday, September 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the Bates Auditorium of the Lancaster Public Library. Famous Russian attractions such as the Hermitage, Peter the Great’s Summer Palace, the Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral will be represented, but Gallagher will also touch on less known sites and the people of Russia.

A veteran Manheim Central teacher and owner of Unique Global Tours, Mark Gallagher has traveled extensively in Russia and spent a year long sabbatical in the country. He is particularly interested in the homeless problem resulting from Russia’s break from communism.

Shifting Around Series...

The Youth Services Department has shifted around our paperback materials, and has expanded our offerings of series books (such as Boxcar Children, Hardy Boys, etc.). Since locations of several titles may have moved since your last visit, we invite you to ask a librarian for help in finding what you're looking for.

Reference help...anytime, anywhere!

Beginning next Wednesday, September 6, Lancaster Public Library is proud to be part of a new statewide program that allows library users to get their questions answered, anytime, anywhere, 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

For an outline of the program, visit it's web site at http://www.askherepa.org/.

Here's hoping you have a good long holiday weekend, and we'll see you on Tuesday.

A rest from our labors...

Just a reminder that Lancaster Public Library, and our three branches will all be closed on both Saturday, September 2nd and Monday, September 4th to commemorate the Labor Day Weekend Holiday.

Normal hours will resume on Tuesday, September 5th.

Winner of New Laptop is ready for school!

Nick Hess was the winning bidder at our first ever auction of prizes to end the 2006 Summer Reading Program.

To continue encouraging our teen readers (ages 13-18) to continue reading beyond the 27 hour minimums this year, LPL offered "Library Loot" to each teen. And, boy did they all keep on reading! By the end of summer, thousands of hours were read, and lots of loot was handed out!

On Friday, August the 18th, 42 teens arrived after the library had closed to enjoy a pizza party and to look through the prizes. Bids then started to be placed, on everything from book bags and hair care products to the winning grand prize.

Thanks to the generous support of the Lancaster Rotary and several individual rotarians, the library was able to obtain a brand new Toshiba Laptop Computer with a printer and carrying case. And, at the end of the night, Nick was able to cash in his loot and take it all home.

We hope that all the teens had fun, and we're already beginning to plan for next year. Take a peek at a couple of photos from the event.

The blog is back!

It has been a while since our blog has been updated, and we apologize for that. It was a busy summer around the library, and the blog sort of took a back seat. But as we move into fall, we're back in business and hope to make the blog a hot spot for you to check out on a regular basis once again!

As we move into September and October, we have two sets of programs that you might be interested in! Our Preschool Playdates occur on Tuesdays between September 12 and October 24 at 10:30 a.m. with general games and activities for your little ones up through pre-schoolers.

Also, our Preschool Storytimes will resume on September 14 and run through October 26 on Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m. with stories, crafts, and snacks too!

While you're visiting this blog, we invite you to add another one to your list and check it regularly too! Created by our own Reference Librarian, Donna Scanlon, Book Talk @ Duke Street, at http://lplbooktalk.blogspot.com/ gives you reader's advisory suggestions, and publishing related news and more!

Check back tomorrow for a Summer Recap (with photos) and on Friday, information about a program that debuts next week!

Book Sale News

Last week's book sale at Overlook Activities Center sponsored by our FRIENDS group raised $98,212.00. Congratulations to the FRIENDS, and a big thank you to them for all of their hard work.

The countdown is on now for our Memorial Day Concert in Long's Park...the start of summer is coming; and we invite you to spend it with the library!

Book Sale Next Week!

The FRIENDS of Lancaster Public Library are hosting one of their annual book sales, this time at the Overlook Activities Center, located at 2042 Lititz Pike here in Lancaster.

The sale runs:

Monday, May 1st 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, May 2nd: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 3rd: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Over 200,000 books, in 39 different categories are available to browse and purchase as part of the event. Wednesday, a bag sale and some discounts on remaining merchandise will be available.

Be a part of this Lancaster tradition, now in it's 52nd year, and support the library through the book sale!

Find a fall favorite...

I know, I know, that summer isn't even here yet. But, you can pick now to find a new favorite book for fall.

Every year, as part of the American Library Association's "Teen Read Week" in October, they nominate 25 new teen books for the annual "Teens Top Ten" list. Teens from around the country vote to pick the winner.

If you want to start reading today and cast your vote, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/Nominations2006TTT.pdf to get a peek at the list!

Millersville and Mindstorms...

In the last couple of days, a few of our library patrons have asked for more books and information on the LEGO Mindstorms line, which allows it's users to take the typically one dimensional building blocks and use robotics and other forms of computer machinery to develop new and exciting twists on an old standard. We've heard your request, and are actively searching for new material to order on the subject.

But did you know that Mindstorms fans have an opportunity to experiment and explore with them this summer? As part of Millersville University's "Technology Camp" program, there are two LEGO-themed camps.

For information on these programs and the other "Technology Camp" offerings for the summer of 2006, check out this web site: http://www.millersville.edu/~techcamp

And, let us know if you'd be interested in the idea of a Mindstorms workshop here in the library this fall...

Check out...the North Museum

The Lancaster Public Library, along with all the libraries of the Library System of Lancaster County is inviting families to participate in a new partnership program with the North Museum. Through this partnership, families who visit Lancaster's libraries will have the opportunity to check out a pass that will allow up to six individuals admittance to the museum. For full details on the power of this pass, please see one of your Youth Services Librarians.

Free 'Fish'in!

The library has gotten several calls recently related to ticket information for our Memorial Day concert featuring "Trout Fishing in America" helping us to kick off the summer season.

The good news is that the library has no ticket information because there are no tickets! The event is free and open to the public on Memorial Day from Noon till 5:00 p.m.

We hope to see you there! For other questions about the event, give us a call at 394-2651 x 106!

Ben is back!

Tonight is the night of the FRIENDS Annual "Adopt-a-Book" fundraiser at the library. More details on the results of that next week...

Today, we invite you to join us next Thursday afternoon, when Ben Franklin will return to Pennsylvania and visit us! He will be here to talk about his 300 wonderful years of seeing changes in the world and more. And, everyone who attends this program will get a special treat! The fun starts at 4:00 p.m. in the Bates Auditorium.

Teen Book Group

The library is excited to announce the formation of a new Teen Book Group. We will begin meeting in the library on Monday, April 17 at 3:45, right after school! What are we reading first? Join us to find out...and to enjoy a bit of a movie too...does that give you any hints?

Reminders...

Today, we wanted to just remind you of a couple of events coming up at the library this week. Wednesday night, join the Youth Services Department for a musical-themed "Family Night" storytime program at 6:30 p.m.

The secrets behind coffee, tea, and other stimulants will be revealed as part of our lecture series on Thursday night at 7:00.

Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. is your chance to find some great book bargains at our Niche Book Sale in the Bates Auditorium.

And, don't forget to mark that calendar for our Summer Kickoff on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29th in Long's Park. For more information on the band and to hear samples of their music, head on over to www.troutmusic.com.

College Buzz

Last night, watching the news, there was word of an apparent error in scoring on one of the most important tests high schoolers face each year, the SATs. In a prepared statement on their website, http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/oct_2005_sat.html, the folks behind the SAT admit the error and say it affected approximately 4,000 students. That led us to wonder if anyone in Lancaster County was affected. If you were, post a comment in reply to this post and let us know!

Did you know that while accessing the Internet or visiting the library, you can pull together information on college searches to make the right choice for you? At the same site, http://apps.collegeboard.com/search/index.jsp, you can find a college finder with information on schools as well as a "College Matchmaker" that can guide you through a series of steps and criteria to find the right school for you based on your interests.

At http://www.petersons.com/, you can access some of the most respected and well known profiles of schools.

Once you find a school, if you need help paying for it, the Federal Government's Finanical Aid website, http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ provides all the applications and information you need to apply. PA residents are eligible for state help too through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Associaton, http://www.pheaa.org/.

To search for other grants and scholarships, a leading site full of information is http://www.fastweb.com/. Set up a profile, tell the service what you're looking for, and it will be out there hunting for information for you.

A web search can prove very rewarding too, as based on your unique set of circumstances and qualifications, there could be a unique grant or scholarship out there for you. Stopping in your high school's career center or visiting with a librarian, we'll be glad to help you wherever we can as you start your school search!

Cast your "Fishing" Poles

I sat down today and realized it has been a whole week since the library began it's new hours, and since I've added a new post to the blog.

This leads to the fact that sometimes a blog can be a challenge, trying to find new news every day to keep things fresh and exciting so that you hopefully will return on a regular basis to see what is happening here!

To make up for a week of no news, we've got a big flash this morning though! The band "Trout Fishing in America" is coming to Lancaster, thanks to the library!

To kick off the summer season, families from around the area are invited to a fun-filled afternoon in Long's Park on Memorial Day, Monday May the 29th. The concert kicks off at 2:00 p.m., but a full afternoon of family fun is being planned! We hope that you'll be part of this extra special day!

Many volunteers will be needed for the event, and so if you think you might be able to help, please email our event coordinator at skline@lancaster.lib.pa.us so that we can talk with you about how you can help us out!

Making News

Today, the library made news in many local outlets, as both newspapers and TV cameras were on hand as the library began our new restored hours of service to the public.

Beginning today, the library is open:

Monday-Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Friday & Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Look for us on TV tonight!

A call for volunteers!

During your visits to the Youth Services Department in the month of March, you'll be seeing requests and sign-up sheets seeking volunteers. The library is planning a special Summer kickoff in Long's Park on Memorial Day Monday and we're going to need help to pull off the special event! If you're interested in helping and will be available on Memorial Day, please see a member of the staff, or email us at youthservices@lancaster.lib.pa.us

Have a good weekend!

Book Sale!

For all of you who like to hunt for some of the best book bargains, the FRIENDS of Lancaster Public Library are coordinating the annual Niche Book Sale for Saturday, March the 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We hope you'll visit them in our Bates Auditorium and find yourself a few great book bargains!

More excitement for March, including "Deadly Victorians"

If you've been watching the blog and our program announcements, you may have noticed that more and more evening programs are being scheduled here at the library. This is due in large part to increased funding that has been made available which will allow the library to return to the following hours as of March 1st.

Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.--9:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday-- 9:00 a.m.--5:30 p.m.

We are excited about this opportunity to further serve you.

And today, head of the Reference Department here at the library, Sue Bowser, shares some information on one of these new evening programs, an exciting new book discussion group that you can join...

Do you think of Victorians as very prim and proper, the type of folks who were so easily embarrassed that they covered the legs of a piano? Explore the darker side of the era at the "Deadly Victorians" book discussion group at the Lancaster Public Library.
First up on March 23 is The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson. See the 1893 Chicago World Fair through the story of two very different men whose only common denominator was their total obsession. Architect Daniel H. Burnham was obsessed with designing the fair and making it the greatest event ever. Fake pharmacist H. H. Holmes was obsessed with becoming wealthy and committing an unknown number of murders on the way.

Titles have been selected for April and May as well. We'll post those here in the blog as the dates get closer. But these discussions begin at 7:30 p.m. in the library's Windolph Room, and are open to anyone interested in reading the work, with no pre-registration required. If you have any questions contact Sue at 239-2117 or e-mail her at sbowser@lancaster.lib.pa.us.

One other reminder today, and that is the library is CLOSED tomorrow (February 18) and Monday (February 20) for the long holiday weekend.

Graphic Novel News

One of the key areas of the library's teen and young adult collection are our graphic novels, which are collected stories featuring animated characters. (For example, 6 issues of a Spiderman comic may be issued together in a graphic novel format when the story is complete so that it can be read in one sitting.) Other graphic novels can be independently created.

The content of graphic novels is sometimes controversial, dealing with challenging and tough themes.

A post this morning on Yahoo! News shows that a new controversy may be brewing over a new graphic novel coming out soon featuring Batman. Read the article, and let us know what you think. Would you read this graphic novel? Why or why not?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060214/ts_alt_afp/afplifestyleusattacks_060214163702

March's Full Calendar

Beginning in March, the library will have three opportunities for storytimes!

Currently, the library has been holding pre-school storytimes on Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m. These continue beginning March 2nd and running for five weeks.

Due to your requests, a "2s on Tuesday" storytime has been added! These storytimes are geared for the younger set, with more music, activities, and stories to share. This program begins on Tuesday March 7th and runs through April 11, again at 10:30 a.m.

For those families who work during the day, but still want to share in the experience of storytimes, we have an option for you too! Beginning on March 15, and running through the year on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, we will be presenting storytimes geared for the entire family!

Remember that for Youth Services programs, registration is required to allow for preparation of enough crafts and other materials.

In addition to the happenings in Youth Services during the month, there are two other great events planned! On Thursday, the 16th, two of our neighbors here on Duke Street downtown, Square One Coffee and Chop's Chocolate are co-sponsoring the March entry in the library's lecture series, talking about the role of coffee, tea, and chocolate as stimulants in society today! Our lecturer will be Dr. Jill Fort, from the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Anthropology.

And, on Wednesday, the 22nd, classical guitarist Peter Fletcher returns to Lancaster Public Library for a special return engagement!

There is a calendar of events link at the bottom of the library's website, http://www.lancaster.lib.pa.us that can point you to more details on upcoming programs.

Should you ever have a question about a YS program, email us at youthservices@lancaster.lib.pa.us. Questions about other programs can be directed to admin@lancaster.lib.pa.us

Registration Continues...

Just as a follow up to our post regarding Curious George from last week, there is still time to register to visit with him. This program can hold up to 30 children, so register today.

The visit of Curious George is provided to Lancaster Public Library thanks to the Library System of Lancaster County.

Before the end of the week, we'll fill you in on our full calendar for March, so please check back!

Blog on Blogs

Today, we thought we'd blog on blogs. As we continue to grow this blog as a place to find out information about the Lancaster Public Library and the exciting things happening here, there are a wide variety of other library-themed blogs out there.

We invite you to take a peek at one today, from the Teens of the Sellers Library in Upper Darby, PA. This is a site of fun and info put together by teens, for teens.

Do you or someone you know have an interest in being part of a teen advisory group at the library? If so, please see anyone on the Youth Services staff. We hope to have a teen board in place by September!

Meantime, see what's happening over at Sellers: http://www.sellerslibraryteens.blogspot.com/

Curious George Turns 65!

America's favorite monkey, Curious George, is turning 65 this year, and to celebrate, the library will be welcoming him here to LPL on Wednesday, February 15 at 10:30 a.m. If you haven't registered to come see him yet, do so now by calling us at 239-2106 or emailing youthservices@lancaster.lib.pa.us

As part of the birthday celebrations, Ron Howard and company have gotten their "Curious George" movie ready, and it will be released next Friday, February 10th.

Find out when you can see the movie locally by going to http://movies.yahoo.com and entering your zip code for showtimes.

To view movie trailers and more about the film, be sure to check out http://www.curiousgeorgemovie.com/

Or, for information on the history of the Curious George books and to find other cool activities, check out George's publisher's page at http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/cgsite/

Kudos to colleagues!

While this blog is officially listed as part of the Youth Services Department at the library, we hope to use this space to share thoughts, web links, and when the need arises, exciting library news as well.

Our colleagues in Mount Joy, PA, at the Milanof-Schock Library, were named as Library Journal's "Best Small Library in America" for 2006! We offer our warmest congratulations, and invite you to take a look at the article in it's online form.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6299831.html

Director named "Employee of the Year"

At the library's general staff meeting today, the Staff turned the tables on our director, Debra Rosser-Hogben. Traditionally, Debra solicits nominations from members of the staff for an "Employee of the Month," but in recognition of her hard work, dedication, and vision for the future of the library, she was named as the first ever "Employee of the Year" for 2005. Staff and Board members presented her with several gifts to signify our appreciation, and then we enjoyed some special cake.

The library, including all of us in the Youth Services Department, are looking forward to a wonderful 2006 with leaders like our Director guiding us along the way.

Remembering Coretta Scott King

The news reached us at the library today of the passing of Coretta Scott King, a leader of the civil rights movement since her husband's death in 1968. Mrs. King was 78. A web search can provide you with a wide variety of information on Dr. King's work as well as the work of his wife. One of the best sites is from The King Center, which Mrs. King founded.

http://www.thekingcenter.org

Interactive Stories Online!

Several years back, the "Choose Your Own Adventure" series was really popular in juvenile fiction, allowing readers to choose the path that they wanted the story to take. Now, a new website allows families to explore books of all sorts, including some interactive tales.

http://www.magickeys.com/books/

Wiki What?

In recent months, more and more has been said on the Internet about the use of the Wikipedia web site.

What is the Wikipedia?

Quite simply, it is an online encyclopedia serving to provide information on thousands of topics. But the nicest thing is that anyone in the world who might find an error in Wikipedia's information, or better yet, have more good information to add, can log in and edit and update a record.

While print encyclopedias like the World Book exist in both print and electronic forms, data and information from them can still appear out of date. Wikipedia provides links to current news, from the Stock Market to the Olympics, and then provides links throughout it's presentation to the related articles in the Wikipedia itself.

The jury is still out on the effectiveness of the Wikipedia and it's official appropriateness as a source for things like school papers, but it is the slowly growing "in thing," a community encyclopedia on the web. We invite you to check it out and let us know what you think about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia

"2s on Tuesday"

Beginning in March, the library is pleased to offer a storytime specifically geared for 2 year olds. Our "2s on Tuesday" program will be held at 10:30 a.m. starting March 7th.

We're also going to be presenting a monthly evening storytime beginning in March, on Wednesday, March 15th at 6:30 p.m.

Watch this space for further details as we continue to expand our services to meet your needs!

ALA Announces Winning Books

The American Library Association made news today! It announced the 2006 winners of the Caldecott and the Newbery Medal. The Caldecott Medal recognizes outstanding art in picture books while the Newbery Medal recognizes an outstanding work of juvenile fiction.

This year's winners are:

Caldecott: "Hello, Goodbye Window" illustrated by Chris Raschka

Newbery: "Criss Cross" by Lynne Rae Perkins

Official press release from ALA

If you're interested in purchasing these titles, here is information from Amazon.com:

"Hello, Goodbye Window"

"Criss Cross"

Accelerated Reader Resources

Several of Lancaster County's school districts utilize the Accelerated Reader program as a method of testing reading ability and comprehension. At LPL, we sometimes get requests for information to find out whether a particular title is on an AR list.

Each school tends to have an independent AR list (meaning there is no real "master list.") because their list is built around what is available in that school's library, or perhaps in the other libraries in the school district. These lists from your child's school can sometimes run to nearly 200 pages. A great option is to check with your school librarian or classroom teacher.

In research today, we found an online version of an AR Quiz List from Quarryville Elementary in the Solanco School District. We're posting the link to the website as a source of a base list that you can use to find some possible titles to help in your AR searches.

http://www.solanco.k12.pa.us/quarryville/QuizInfo.htm

A day of judging....

Today, the library is full of patrons as the weather outside tries to decide whether it will stay warm, or if we're due to get a little snow and people are stocking up on both leisure reading or finding a good Science Fair project to work on.

Several library staff members have joined with others in the community to serve today as judges in the Scholastic Writing Awards. We will post a list of local winners, as well as any who qualify for the National Judging and awarded prizes.

Check out http://www.scholastic.com/artandwritingawards/about.htm
for more information about the contest.

New Year, New Start for Department!

Welcome to the first entry in the new blog for the Youth Services Department at Lancaster Public Library!

This will be the newest, best spot on the web to find out about the wide variety of happenings in your local public library's children's department. As we go along, we will share more with you about the people who work behind the library's desk....with a new staff addition coming Monday, the 23rd!

For now, we invite you to call the library at 239-2106 or e-mail us at youthservices@lancaster.lib.pa.us to register for any of the following events on our calendar:

Thursday, January 26: Pre-school Storytime at 10:30 a.m. Theme: Dinosaurs

Thursday, February 2nd: Pre-school Storytime at 10:30 a.m. Theme: Groundhog Day

Thursday, February 9th: Pre-school Storytime at 10:30 a.m. Theme: Valentine's Day

Have a good weekend! Check back here Monday for news of some new Award-winning books!