Summer Reading Club 2012

It's that time of the year again!  The countdown to Summer Reading Club is at less than a month.

Wednesday, June 20th at 3pm - Opening Ceremonies

• Join us for registration, banner signing, face painting, and lots of fun!  It's time to pick up your reading record to keep track of the books you read this summer.

Tuesday, July 3rd at 3pm - Summer Reading Club programming starts

Tuesdays & Thursdays -- Craft Days

• Stories and a craft

Wednesdays & Fridays -- Activity Days

• Stories with an activity

**Please note that even though the Library will be open Mondays starting July 9th,
Summer Reading Club programs will only run Tuesday to Saturday each week.**

Friday, August 17th at 3pm - Closing Ceremonies

•  We'll start the summer with a bang, and we'll end it the same way!  We'll be awarding prizes to all children who complete and hand in their reading records

The Summer Reading Club is the *best* way to keep kids busy and their minds active in Tumbler Ridge during the summer.  The program is free, and funded by our generous sponsors.


We're still looking for Summer Students to help run the Summer Reading Club.  If you're interested, please take a look at the job posting page on the Library's website.  Our Summer Students will be planning and leading story, craft, and activity sessions and performing other general work around the Library.

Support from all corners

Today was quite a day for the Summer Reading Club.  The Library received *four* cheques in the mail that were donations for the Summer Reading Club.

When I finished opening the mail, I walked over to Sharon with the sheaf of cheques in my hand and said "I have good news!"  She was thrilled.

Then the day got better.  Glenn Auger from Spectra Energy stopped by the Library to deliver a large donation in person.

We received donations from the following businesses and companies today:

Spectra Energy
Lake View Credit Union
Fountain Tire
Caribou Road Services
Dawson Creek Veterinary Clinic

It's because of fine folks like these that the Summer Reading Club is possible.  Their support helps us to hire summer students to coordinate the program, purchase craft supplies, and buy prizes for the end of the summer.  In short, we couldn't do it without them.

So, to the donors above, and those who have donated previously,

Thank you!  We're incredibly grateful!

So it begins again...

It's incredibly hard to believe, but we're less than a month away from the opening ceremonies for the Summer Reading Club.  As a result, we've got a date for you to mark on the calendar:  June 20th.

Join us at the Tumbler Ridge Public Library on June 20th at 3pm to sign up for the Summer Reading Club.  We'll be registering kids for the program, having everyone sign our SRC 2012 banner, and having many other fun activities packed into the afternoon.

I'd like to take a moment to thank the first two sponsors of the Summer Reading Club this year:
Dr. Mark Sevier
Triple K Safety

Without the support of sponsors like them, the Summer Reading Club would not be possible.

Thanks to them for donating, thanks to you for reading, and we'll see you on June 20th!

Midsummer Update

Hello good readers,

Today seemed like a good time to update you on things happening around the library now that we've left July (and hopefully all its rain) behind.


Summer Reading Club
Summer Reading Club is still ongoing at the library.  Programs take place at 3pm from Tuesday to Friday every week.  Make sure to register your children and have them return their reading records on time so they can receive a prize at the closing ceremonies!

Tuesday, August 16th:  Reading records due
Friday, August 19th:  Closing Ceremonies at 3pm


Evergreen Update
We've been using Evergreen as the library's ILS for seven weeks now, and it's working out pretty well so far.  I've spent some time fighting with it (and learning interesting things in the process), and on the whole I'm liking it much more than our old system.  We've got to spend more time getting e-mail addresses from patrons into our system so it can send out courtesy e-mails before items are overdue, but things are going very well other than that.


Renovations
Renovations to the Community Centre are continuing.  I know everyone is frustrated with the library's current layout, the lack of seating, and the lack of access to some books (especially the picture books), but we're doing the best we can folks.  Once the interior work is finished, we'll be looking at installing the new flooring we'd hoped to install this year, and then rearranging the library to make the best use of the space we've got.

The rearranging we did last summer and then built on last winter was fairly minor.  We opened up the left side of the library and made it more accessible in general.  But now we're looking at bigger ideas.  Can we move the children's area?  Do we need to look at one-sided shelves to place against walls?  Can we set things up better for patrons using their notebooks or tablets?  So far our answer to those questions is "Yes."

Since Paula arrived in November, she, Sharon, and I have been talking at length about the library's layout and how it could be arranged better.  With any luck, you'll see the results of all those discussions in a few months.


Brief Congratulations
I'd like to take a moment and offer my congratulations to Paula, whose term as Head Librarian recently exceeded the length of my tenure (8 1/2 months) as Interim Head Librarian.  ...I'd also like to congratulate Sharon and myself for behaving for this long and not scaring Paula off with our antics!

On a serious note, I'm still having fun back at my Head of Technical Services position, and am very grateful she's decided to stick around.  Thanks Paula!


History of the Library
I've spent some time over the last few months working on and off on a history of the Tumbler Ridge Public Library.  So I've been reading through the old Tumbler Ridge newspapers stored in the reference room, and transcribing library-related stories.  I'm only up to 1986 so far, but I've found a number of good stories about the early days of the library and Tumbler Ridge in general.

There's a lot happening in Tumbler Ridge right now between the attempt to re-open Quintette Coal, the development of an underground mine, new housing, and wind turbine construction, and I think it's a good time to take a look back.  Thirty years ago, there were some fairly lofty goals set for Tumbler Ridge, and I think now's the time to look at them, then see what we can do about exceeding them.


Online Stuff
Finally, if you're so inclined, please take a moment to read my Twitter feed and the Library's Facebook page.  My Twitter feed is full of random whining, occasional poetry, and nonsensical banter with my brother.  The Library's Facebook page is mostly being used for event announcements, but I've also started posting photos of my current whiteboard drawing of what the library really needs.


And with that folks, I'll bring this blog post to a close.  Take a minute to visit the library, borrow a book, and then enjoy the good weather while it lasts.

Summer Reading Club 2011 -- Savour Each Word

It's that time of the year again.  School is winding down, and everyone is wondering what there is around town for kids to do this summer...

As always, the Tumbler Ridge Public Library will be having Summer Reading Club all summer long!  Once your children are registered, they'll enjoy fun activities at the library four days a week, keep their minds active, and receive a prize at the end of the summer for the reading they've done.

This year, Summer Reading Club runs from July 5th to August 19th.

Summer Reading Club Schedule

Wednesday, June 22nd at 3pm -- Opening Ceremonies
      Registration
      Stories
      Music
      Facepainting
      Popcorn
      Door prizes

Weekly Schedule (starting July 5th)
      Tuesday at 3pm -- Storytime and a craft
      Wednesday at 3pm -- Storytime
      Thursday at 3pm -- Storytime and a craft
      Friday at 3pm -- Storytime

Friday, August 19th at 3pm -- Closing Ceremonies
      Prizes
      Medals
      Fun!

So sign your children up, and have them spend their summer at the library!



Before I wrap this up, I'd like to thank all the sponsors who have donated to Summer Reading Club so far:

Spectra Energy
Walter Energy Western Coal
Peace River Coal
Capital Power
Lion's Club of Tumbler Ridge
Lakeview Credit Union
Encana
Avalanche Trucking
Dr. Mark Sevier
Uniglobe 
Chetwynd Dental Clinic

Thanks folks!  This program wouldn't be possible without all your help!

Synchronicity and Summer Reading Club

Greetings, good readers.

Last week Sharon spent a large portion of her time preparing her fundraising letters for Summer Reading Club.  Each year she sends out letters asking for support for this program, and a handful of businesses and organizations have been very generous and made the Summer Reading Club possible.

Sharon was finishing off the letters this morning and was getting ready to mail them when she received an out-of-the-blue phone call from Glenn Auger of Spectra Energy.  He was coming to the library to present us with a cheque for the Summer Reading Club.  Meanwhile, the envelope addressed to Spectra Energy was sitting on Sharon's desk, just waiting to be sealed and stamped.

Glenn stopped in shortly before I left for lunch.  He told Sharon that Spectra Energy knew of the importance of the Summer Reading Club and literacy at a very young age.  Then Glenn presented Sharon with a cheque, posed for a photo, and left with our profound thanks.

Now I'd just like to take a moment to thank Spectra Energy for their donation and for kicking off the Summer Reading Club.  The Summer Reading Club is largely funded by donations of this kind.  The funds are used to buy program supplies, help pay for summer students, develop our children's collections, and (most importantly) buy prizes to reward members of the Summer Reading Club at the end of the summer.  It's a fantastic program that helps keep the children of TR entertained and educated over the summer, and we certainly appreciate the help.

Thanks Glenn.  Thanks Spectra Energy.

End of the Summer

We're getting closer and closer to the end of the summer folks.  A few days ago (on the 11th, to be exact) our receipt printer started giving us date due slips with the phrase "September 1" on them.

So what happens around here at the end of the summer?

Summer Reading Club Closing Ceremonies

Friday, August 20th, at 3pm

We'll be handing out medals and prizes and serving cake to celebrate the end of another successful summer!

Please note:  Children must return their reading records by Wednesday, August 18th to receive a prize!

Here's a photo of the prizes available:

We've got board games, science kits, Lego, Mega Bloks, Nerf blasters, a giant water gun, fishing poles, crafts, and more!

So, turn in your reading record and come to the Closing Ceremonies to have some cake and choose a prize!


With that, I'd like to thank all the sponsors who have made Summer Reading Club 2010 possible:

Western Coal - $6000.00
Spectra Energy - $2500.00
Peace River Coal - $2000.00
Capital Power - $1000.00
Lakeview Credit Union - $500.00
Lion's Club - $500.00 and held a barbecue at our Opening Ceremonies in June
Encana - $500.00
Shell Canada - $500.00
Grizzly Crane - $200.00
Hub International - $50.00
K.C.'s Dollar Store and More - door prizes and a generous discount
TR Community Centre - 14 swim passes
Northern Toybox (Dawson Creek) - a generous discount

We couldn't have done it alone folks.

Thank you.

Summer Reading Club 2010 - Reading Rocks!

I thought I'd take a moment to discuss the Tumbler Ridge Public Library's
"Won't Ask, Won't Tell" policy.

"Your children won't ask if Summer Reading Club is educational,
and we certainly won't tell them!"

The Summer Reading Club is a sneaky way to keep your children's minds active over the summer.  They'll be too busy enjoying the stories, crafts, and other activities to realize they're learning things at the same time.

Registration for the Summer Reading Club will take place at the Opening Ceremonies on June 19th, and programming will run from Tuesday to Friday weekly from July 6th to August 20th.

Summer Reading Club Schedule

Saturday, June 19th at 1pm -- Opening Ceremonies
      Registration
      Lion's Club BBQ
      White Elephant Sale (fundraiser for library)
      Music
      Facepainting
      Popcorn and cotton candy
      Door prizes

Weekly Schedule (starting July 6th)
      Every Tuesday and Thursday at 3pm -- Storytime and a craft
      Every Wednesday and Friday at 3pm -- Storytime

Wednesday, August 18th -- Reading Records Due

Friday, August 20th -- Closing Ceremonies

Weekly Themes

Week 1:  July 6-9:  Readers Roar!
Week 2:  July 13-16:  Rock 'n' Roll Reading
Week 3:  July 20-23:  Riddled Readers
Week 4:  July 27-30:  A Rocky Read
Week 5:  Aug. 3-6:  Read a Ruckus!
Week 6:  Aug. 10-13:  Rise Up Readers!
Week 7:  Aug. 17-20:  Risky Reads

Before I wrap this blog post up, I'd like to thank all the sponsors who have made donations so far:

Western Canadian Coal - $6,000.00
Spectra Energy - $2,500.00
Peace River Coal - $1,000.00
Lion's Club - $500.00 + holding a BBQ at the Opening Ceremonies
Lakeview Credit Union - $500.00
Shell Canada - $500.00
Grizzly Crane - $200.00

Thanks folks!  We couldn't run this program without your support!

Children's Books and Programs at the Library

I've recently heard through the grapevine that a patron or two has complained about the amount the library spends on children's books and programs. Here is my response to that: (please note that my response is my personal feelings on the matter both as an individual and as a library technician, but is not and should not be taken as the library's official stance on the matter)

:-P

I recently joked to Sharon that library staff are like drug dealers. We try to get our customers hooked young. In fact, that's not all that far from the truth. If we catch children while they're young and get them interested in reading, the chances of them becoming life-long readers is much higher.

Does it work on all children? Of course not. But it seems to work on quite a few. Look back to the salad days of cigarette advertising. Cartoon characters such as Fred and Barney from the Flintstones appeared in cigarette ads. There was a reason for that.


Ideally, children start visiting the library for Sharon's lapsit program while they are still babies. Lapsit establishes a routine of visiting the library and having fun. Sharon's rhymes and songs are all intended to help develop early literacy skills.

When the children get a little older, they can start to attend storytime. The mix of stories and songs continue to develop literacy and help to create a habit of visiting the library. Children start to read and sing along with their favourite books and songs, and most drag their parents over to the shelves to borrow some books before they leave the library. At this point, the children have already become weekly library users!

Finally, Wednesday Club and the library's Summer Reading Club mostly cater to school-age children. Sharon can read books to them that explore more complicated ideas and introduce them to a wider range of books and ideas.

We are in a time when literacy is a stated goal of the government. There are a large number of people who never read a single book once they graduate from school. Children who go through these programs (and have access to a wide variety of children's books) literally grow up in the library, and these programs increase the odds that they will continue to use the library for the rest of their lives.

In short, to suggest that we should be spending less money on this goal is absurd.

--Jacob Fehr