Thinking Spring!

It still feels chilly outside on this Friday morning, but we all know that spring is offically just a few days away. One sign of that is the coming of Daylight Savings Time, which increases our amount of daylight each year. This year, that "springing ahead" (or loss of one hour of sleep) happens three weeks earlier than normal, and happens tomorrow night, Saturday, into Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m.

Don't forget to set your clocks ahead so you're on time for work, school, or library programs of course, next week.

The Family Place is coming!

Next week, the Lancaster Public Library begins offering a unique and special new program for parents and caregivers of children from ages 0-3. The program, funded by an LSTA Grant (a federal grant source) allows for the creation of a "Family Place" here at the library.

This unique five week program provides caregivers the opportunity to interact one on one with resource professionals in such important areas such as speech and language development, nutrition, and more.

We invite you to sign up for one of our two special sessions, beginning either next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. or next Wednesday morning at 10:30 a.m.

Sessions will continue on each Tuesday or Wednesday through mid-April. To sign up, call us at 239-2124 or you can email us at youthservices@lancaster.lib.pa.us

Calling for all Lurkers....

If you've been looking at this blog for any length of time, but haven't let us know that you're out there, we invite you to respond to this post, let us know that you're one of our regular readers, and telling us what you'd like to see on this blog the most.

Tomorrow is...

...Thursday, and that means that the next one of our preschool storytimes will be offered at 10:30 a.m. You can always register for this or any library program by calling us at 394-2651 and dialing extension 124.

Lots happening in March

It has been a hectic and busy month of February here at the library, and we continue to dig out from the winter weather that we've been handed this year! We are all hoping for warmer weather soon, and in March, we have a wide variety of programs to pique your interest, and hope you'll join us for them. In the coming days, we'll advertise different programs and fill you in on our full schedule.

Homemade Valentines!

Are you in need of a fun way to commemorate Valentine's Day this year? The library is pleased to provide a table and supplies in the children's area for you to create your own personalized Valentine greetings for those you want to share with. In addition, a box is provided on the table for you to drop generically made greetings that will be delivered both to residents at Conestoga View and Millagro House here in Lancaster.

This unique opportunity gives you the chance to help yourself as well as other individuals in the area.

Rowling Heartbroken?

Why is J.K. Rowling feeling heartbroken? She confesses in her newest diary entry on her site at www.jkrowling.com

More Cool Teen Stuff

Our Teen Center, "The Hub," continues to be a hub of activity since it opened a while back. More new artwork and other goodies are on display throughout the teen area! Come in and check it out, all on the 2nd floor of the library!

Lapsit Storytimes Coming!

Coming this spring, the library will be offering "Baby Lap Sit" storytimes, geared for the very young. As we're planning this exciting new addition to our roster of services, geared for our youngest users to get their first experiences at the library, we have one key question that we're wondering about. If your family would be interested in programs like this, what time of day is most likeable for you? Morning, afternoon, or evening? Respond now and let us know!

The Big Breaking News...

....that many have waited years for is now here!

The Harry Potter saga will conclude with the release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" on July 21, 2007!

Remembering an Author

Last night, Sidney Sheldon, an adult fiction author who was also famous for his work in creating "I Dream of Jeannie" on television has died. He was 89. Yahoo has the information on his obituary.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/obit_sheldon

2007 Book Awards

Way back at the beginning of this blog, in one of our very first posts, we shared the Caldecott and Newbery winners for 2006. The American Library Association has made it's choices for 2007, and has announced them! Follow this link for all the details!

http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=News&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=146679

New Web Page

The Youth Services Department is proud to unveil our new web page

Our new site includes lots of program details, information about our staff, and links to downloadable recommended reading lists. You can also find out where we need volunteers and how you can help! We welcome any suggestions for further improvements to the new site!

Snow Day is Coming!

No, we're not talking about a weather forecast that changed drastically. It still looks to be a rainy weekend in the Lancaster, PA area, but there will be a little bit of snow at the library on Monday, when we celebrate the fact that many children are off from school because of the Martin Luther King holiday by opening our doors to a special day of programming, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., including movies, board games, activities, and even a virtual snow ball fight. No registration is needed for this program, so we invite you to visit us on Monday.

Teen Center: In Use

These teens hang out after school one day in their new corner of the library:


The coolest thing is that small changes continue to happen on a regular basis as we keep working to improve the teen center! Check back to the blog for the newest pictures as furniture and some other goodies arrive in the months ahead.

Tomorrow, we'll share pictures from another big library event in December!

Teen Center: After

Here are a couple of small snapshots from the space after the renovations were done!

Teen Center: During...

During renovations, staff proved that librarians can handle hammering, as we put shelves together!

Teen Center: Before...

Here are a couple of photos of our new teen space before our mini-renovations! The after photos are coming next!

Storytime tomorrow!

Our preschool storytimes continue tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. To pre-register, please give us a call at 239-2124.

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?