Thursday, June 30, 2011

Teens Explore India, Germany and Other Places!

The Summer Reading Program at the Canastota Public Library is well underway!  If you haven't signed your children up yet for some of the events, there is still time!  Just stop by the second floor, children's area of the library!

The library will be closed on the 3rd and 4th of July! We will reopen on Tuesday, July 5th.. 

On July 5 at 6pm, the teens (grades 6 and up) will kick off their summer reading program with "A Nite In India".   Teens will have the opportunity to obtain, with parental approval, a henna tattoo on their hand from artist Noel Frodelius.  Additionally, Lori Peryer will be at the library to teach basic yoga skills and an Indian form of dance called Bhangra.  A sampling of Indian cuisine, traditional Indian games and a craft will round out the evening.

The teens will also hold four Lunch Bunch Meetings in July on Fridays beginning at 12:30pm.  The reading selection includes "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, "Persepolis:  The Story of Childhood" by Marjane Satrapi, "Airborn" by Kenneth Oppel and "Ties that Bind;  Ties that Break" by Lensey Namioka.  The books take place in various settings including Germany, Iran, China and an alternate universe!  Lunch will be served during these meetings while we discuss the books we've read that week.

Teen craft Days will be held on Three Wednesdays at the library beginning at 6pm.  On Wednesday, July 13, we'll be making Dream Catchers.  On Wednesday, July 20th, we'll be experimenting with hula hoop weaving using t-shirts and on July 27th, we'll be making Russian Dolls and Japanese Heroes using wooden eggs.

The teens will end their summer with a game seen around the world, "A Minute to Win It".   They will vie for prizes like board games, candy bars, books, posters and more!  "A Minute to Win It" will be held on Friday, August 5that 2pm.

Other events for the summer include:
On 7/6 at 2pm, we will have a Pet Mobile visiting the library to entertain our families!
On 7/12, Magician Leon Etienne will entertain us with his sleight of hand demonstrations at 7pm.
On 7/21 at 7pm, Dave Ruch will perform his "One World, Many Stories" which has us singing along to songs sung in different countries.
On 7/26 at 10am, Dan the Snake Man will appear at the Roberts Street School Auditorium , in cooperation with the Summer Enrichment Program
On 7/28 at 2pm, grab your Hogwarts gear and head to the library for Harry Potter's Birthday Party!

We hope to see you at the library!  Happy Reading!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Summer Reading Program Sign-Ups--Don't Miss Out!

If your children are like mine, they are already filling their summer days with lots of activities. And, like most parents, I’m looking for activities that are full of learning opportunities and that don’t break the family bank! The library is offering some great programs for area youth at no cost! Not surprisingly, research shows that students who read during the summer breaks go to school better prepared in the fall semester! This year’s Canastota Public Library Summer Reading Programs are geared for fun and learning.


Summer Reading Program Sign-ups are scheduled for the week of June 27th...all week long...in the Children's Area of the libary!

Children aged kindergarten to sixth grade may participate in the “One World, Many Stories” at Your Library” Summer Reading Program. This year’s Summer Reading Program will run from June 27 through August 8. Activities and special events are scheduled on a weekly basis. While most events will take place at the Canastota Public Library, some of the events will be held at the Auditorium at the Roberts Street Elementary School. Calendars listing all events and activities are available at the Canastota Public Library. Registration for “One World, Many Stories” is scheduled all day (June 27) at the Canastota Public Library on the second floor.
Events for the entire family include the following:

Monday, June 27 at 10:30am: A Puppet Show with Nancy Sanders
Wednesday, July 6 at 2pm: The Pet Mobile Comes to the Library
Tuesday, July 12 at 7pm:    Magician Leon Ettiene
Thursday, July 21, at 7pm:  Music with Dave Rush
Tuesday, July 26: The Library welcomes Dan the Snake Man to a performance at the Roberts Street School Auditorium
Thursday, July 28: The Annual Harry Potter Birthday Party
Monday, August 1: The McCarthy Family performs at the Roberts Street School Auditorium
The library will also coordinate a special summer reading program for teens in grades six through twelve. The theme is “You Are Here”. “You Are Here” will kick off with a special Nite In India at the library on Tuesday, July 5 at 6pm. A variety of stations will be available for the teens to explore. There will be henna painting, bhangra dancing, and yoga as well as authentic games, crafts and food!
Teens will also be able to participate in a Reading Club and Teen Craft Days. The Lunch Bunch reading club will meet each Friday at 12:30 beginning on July 8 and ending on July 29. A list of books that the group will be reading can be picked up at the library. Lunch will be served on the days that the group meets at no cost to participants.
Teen Craft Days will be held on three Wednesdays in July at 6pm. The craft sessions will be held on July 13, July 20 and July 27. Some supplies will need to be purchased by participants. Sign-ups will be necessary for Teen Craft Days so that we are sure we have enough materials for all to participate. Crafts include Dream Catchers, Hula Hoop Weaving and Matryoshka Dolls and Japanese Hero Dolls.
The library notes that these programs can be made available due to the support that we receive from the Friends of the Library and in part by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute for Museum and Library Services!

These programs can be fun and informative for kids in grades kindergarten and up! And, the prices are definitely right at “free”. We hope that you will encourage your child to read this summer. Reading can take them to some very exciting places and help to prepare them for a successful school year in the fall!





Nancy Sander's Puppet Show



Thursday, June 9, 2011

The Dedication of Pete's Place

On Father's Day at 1pm, (Sunday, June 19th) we will dedicate "Pete's Place" at the Canastota Public Library. This celebration is open to everyone in the community.

Pete’s Place, which is on the first floor of the library, holds our collections of DVDs, books on CDs and Science Fiction. We are dedicating Pete's Place to the honor of our beloved colleague, Pete J. Leggett who passed away last year after more than 13 years of service to the library.

Anyone who knew Pete was impressed with his interests--from cooking to anthropology, films and science fiction, fishing and making or repairing books.  Pete was also an artist.  He sketched, airpainted, painted, made beautiful jewelry and knives and arrowheads.  Pete was our fix-it man at the library.  He repaired  tables, chairs, our computers and even changed the lightbulbs.  He was ingenious at some of the inventions he came up with to get things done in a more efficient way.  One Christmas years ago, Pete invented a plant watering system that fed our live Christmas Tree in the lobby of the library.  And, as many patrons know, Pete could repair audio tape that ripped and rewind it on the tape deck.  He could repair pop up books and take scratches out of our DVDs.  Book repair was another of Pete's skills. 

When selecting what we wanted to put into Pete's Place, we chose collections that were near and dear to Pete Leggett’s heart. It was well known that Pete had a vast knowledge of current movies and could match a patron with the perfect movie! Pete was also a voracious Science Fiction fan!  Pete always worked the afternoon/evening shift here at the library and I still catch myself looking towards the elevator at noon, awaiting his arrival.  He would walk in listening to a bestseller that was just released on CD or he was listening to an eBook.  That was our Pete!  And, we hope that he would approve of Pete's Place.

Pete’s Place is a small area in the library and we have attempted to fill it with enormous memories of our colleague and all that he meant to the community and those he touched every day! We hope that you will stop by to take a look at Pete's Place and have some light refreshments with us!
The Canastota Public Library is located at 102 W. Center Street in Canastota.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Summer Reading at the Canastota Public Library

If your children are like mine, they are already filling their summer days with lots of activities. And, like most parents, I’m looking for activities that are full of learning opportunities and that don’t break the family bank! The library is offering some great programs for area youth at no cost! Not surprisingly, research shows that students who read during the summer breaks go to school better prepared in the fall semester! This year’s Canastota Public Library Summer Reading Programs are geared for fun and learning.
Children aged kindergarten to sixth grade may participate in the “One World, Many Stories” at Your Library” Summer Reading Program. This year’s Summer Reading Program will run from June 27 through August 8. Activities and special events are scheduled on a weekly basis. While most events will take place at the Canastota Public Library, some of the events will be held at the Auditorium at the Roberts Street Elementary School. Calendars listing all events and activities are available at the Canastota Public Library. Registration for “One World, Many Stories” is scheduled all day (June 27) at the Canastota Public Library on the second floor.


Events for the entire family include the following:

Monday, June 27 at 10:30am: A Puppet Show with Nancy Sanders

Wednesday, July 6 at 2pm: The Pet Mobile Comes to the Library

Tuesday, July 12 at 7pm: Magician Leon Ettiene

Thursday, July 21, Music with Dave Rush

Tuesday, July 26: The Library welcomes Dan the Snake Man to a performance at the Roberts Street School Auditorium

Thursday, July 28: The Annual Harry Potter Birthday Party

Monday, August 1: The McCarthy Family performs at the Roberts Street School Auditorium

The library will also coordinate a special summer reading program for teens in grades six through twelve. The theme is “You Are Here”. “You Are Here” will kick off with a special Nite In India at the library on Tuesday, July 5 at 6pm. A variety of stations will be available for the teens to explore. There will be henna painting, bhangra dancing, and yoga as well as authentic games, crafts and food!

Teens will also be able to participate in a Reading Club and Teen Craft Days. The Lunch Bunch reading club will meet each Friday at 12:30 beginning on July 8 and ending on July 29. A list of books that the group will be reading can be picked up at the library. Lunch will be served on the days that the group meets at no cost to participants.
Teen Craft Days will be held on three Wednesdays in July at 6pm. The craft sessions will be held on July 13, July 20 and July 27. Some supplies will need to be purchased by participants. Sign-ups will be necessary for Teen Craft Days so that we are sure we have enough materials for all to participate. Crafts include Dream Catchers, Hula Hoop Weaving and Matryoshka Dolls and Japanese Hero Dolls.
The library notes that these programs can be made available due to the support that we receive from the Friends of the Library and in part by Federal Library Services and Technology Act funds, awarded to the New York State Library by the Federal Institute for Museum and Library Services!
These programs can be fun and informative for kids in grades kindergarten and up! And, the prices are definitely right at “free”. We hope that you will encourage your child to read this summer. Reading can take them to some very exciting places and help to prepare them for a successful school year in the fall!

Friday, June 3, 2011

Summer Hours

The Summer is here or seems to be just around the corner!  I alwasy think of summer as a time to slow down and enjoy the little things in life.  Maybe it is because the weather is so beautiful...Maybe it is because the flowers are blooming but it is probably because for just a little while, the sun is shining in Central New York.

Beginning June 1, the Canastota Public Library has started their summer hours.  What does that mean for our patrons?  Actually, it means we are opened a little less during the summer.  On Monday through Thursday, the library hours will be 9am - 8pm.  Friday hours remain the same:  9am - 5pm.  On Saturday, we'll open at 10am and close at 1pm.  We are closed on Sunday!  While it means we are opened a little less, this gives you more time to tend to other things in your world. 

This month, the library has a great display of  "testing" helps for all of our students who are preparing for final exams and Regents Exams.  We know just how important these end of year tests are and we want to be able to provide you with the resources you need to make the "grade"!  If there is something that you don't see, just ask us and we can undoubtably order from one of the other 42 libraries within our Mid-York System.  And, if it isn't within our system, we do have means to look for the resources you may need worldwide!

June is also a great time to think about summer vacations and planning.  Our travel section can be a huge benefit if you are planning a trip!  We have information on exotic locales, area sightseeing and day-trips and can help you to brush up your language skills if you are planning a trip to Italy, Germany, France or any other location!

For me, summer is the time to read some of my favorite authors.  For example, Janet Evanovich's "Smokin Seventeen" comes out this month as does James Patterson's new book, "Now You See Her".  There are several new books that are so popular that my name has been added to a list to reserve them including Betty White and Steven Tyler's new books. 

Summer reading is right around the corner so stay posted for great events for the kids and teens!
Happy Reading!