E S T H E R V I L L E P U B L I C L I B R A R Y Federal Tax ID #20-1832759 January 2014 Volume 26, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Sponsored by the Friends of the Estherville Public Library Polymer Clay Event Please join us Saturday, January 11th, for a Polymer Clay Program at 10:30 am in the Community Room of the Estherville Public Library. Jeannene Larson will give a live demonstration of how she makes polymer clay beads and then uses them to make beautiful handmade jewelry. Refreshments provided. All are welcome! In This Issue: Pinterest Party Technology Petting Zoo Birthday Club TumbleBooks Recent Events @ Your Library Free Technology Help Seussical Saturday A New Look for the EPL Website 2014 All Iowa Reads Selection Page 1 Appreciation
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S Pinterest Party Our next Pinterest Party is Saturday, February 1st at 10:30 am in the Community Room of the Estherville Public Library. We will be making a few of our favorite Pinterest items: homemade laundry detergent, homemade fabric softener, and homemade chalkboard paint. We will then use the chalkboard paint to create a project. All participants will have a chance to create and will each leave with free samples, a project, and recipes. The Pinterest Party is limited to 20 people. Please call the Estherville Public Library at 362-7731 to reserve your spot. A waiting list will be created and people contacted if spots open up. If unable to make it, please call to cancel so someone else make take your spot. Page 2
TECH PETTING ZOO Staff from the Estherville, Arnold s Park, Spirit Lake and Milford Public libraries will be on hand Monday, January 27th from 10:30-12:00 Noon in the community room to answer tech questions. The library staff will have a variety of electronic devices for the public to interact with and learn about, including e -readers, tablets, digital cameras, portable media players, smart phones, and more. If you are looking to buy a new electronic device, here is an opportunity to test-drive one and speak with experienced users. Free services offered by the library will also be highlighted such as how to read free digital magazines, ebooks, audiobooks, and use language learning software. While this tech petting zoo is hosted at Estherville, look for other tech petting zoos to be held at Mark your calendars for Monday, Jan. 27th at 10:00 AM! libraries in the Lakes Region. Discover new technology in a hands-on-experience! Page 3
BIRTHDAY CLUB Beginning January 1st, 2014, kids 6th grade and younger are invited to join the Estherville Public Library Birthday Club. It s free of charge and easy to join. If your child already has a library card please stop by the EPL, call, or email your child s birthday date and we will add it to their library account. If your child does not have library card, stop by the library to sign them up for a free card. Around their birthday, the child will receive a post card redeemable at the EPL for a free book! Page 4
NEW SERVICE FOR CHILDREN TumbleBooks At the October meeting, the Friends of the Estherville Public Library approved a one-year subscription to TumbleBooks. These are animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they ll love. They are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sounds, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book (and some classics) which you can read, or have read to you. Many favorite authors are available such as Robert Munsch, Doreen Cronin, and John Lithgrow. TumbleBook Cloud Junior goes beyond picture books and includes read-along chapter books and graphic novels. This database is designed for kids in grades three to six. There is a language drop-down menu allows you to view the site in French and Spanish, instead of English. TumbleBooks include over 550 titles, with 270+ animated talking books. The website also has videos, educational games, and puzzles. TumbleBooks can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection. These books also have their Accelerated Reader level listed and can be sorted this way, which makes looking for books easier for parents of 3rd and 4th graders at Estherville Lincoln Central. No password is necessary when accessing the site from the Estherville Public Library website. However, if you should find yourself needing a login name or password they are available. The username is esthervillepl, the password is libra. If you would like a demonstration, library staff are able to show you. Page 5
Recent Events @ Your Library! Chad Lewis, co-author of the Iowa Road Guide to Haunted Locations, visited the EPL on Saturday, October 26th. Chad shared background information about stories included in the book, showed many photos collected during his research, and allowed time for audience members to ask questions and share stories of their own. Estherville is featured in the book through a story about cars being pushed to safety by the spirits of young football players buried at Oak Hill Cemetery. The Library hosted a Pinterest Party Nov. 16th. Participants made pumpkin latte body scrub and chalkboard paint. Everyone went home with free samples, recipes, and chalkboard picture frame they had created. The Library took part in several holiday events held by the Estherville Chamber this year. Volunteers baked treats for the chocolate walk, created ornaments for our bookthemed tree, and we also hosted the Tuba Christmas concert. Photo by Camden Photography Page 6
Recent Events @ Your Library! Page 7 3rd Grade Project The library hosted Estherville Lincoln Central 3rd graders and volunteers for their annual state research day on November 22. The classes spent 90 minutes researching the state where their pen pal is from. Using combined recourses of library and school materials, the students had to find answers about the state s primary landforms, climate, size, sources of revenue, famous people, and places to visit. The students then created a license plate depicting the characteristics of that state. This information will later be used during their open house held at the school this spring. Upcoming Closures Wednesday, January 1 (New Year s Day) Monday, February 17 (Presidents Day) Would you prefer an e-mailed newsletter? Send us a message at info@estherville.lib.ia.us to change your newsletter format and save a tree!
FREE TECH HELP Tech help will be available beginning Monday, January 6th. Each week January through April on Mondays from 10:00 am to 12:00 (noon), staff will be prepared to assist patrons on a first-come first-served basis. Want to learn how to use Zinio and read free magazines online? Want to load e-books onto your Kindle or Nook? Drop in for help with your smart phone, laptop, tablet, digital camera, etc. Page 8
SEUSSICAL SATURDAY In honor of Dr. Seuss birthday (3/2/1904) the Estherville Public library will be hosting a Seuss-themed event on Saturday, March 1, 2014. Join us in the children s dept. from 10:30 am-12:00 (noon) for games, crafts and Dr. Seuss treats. Come to have your picture taken with The Cat in the Hat! New look on the EPL website Recent visitors to the EPL website will notice a difference in the layout. In November the Iowa Library Services completed an upgrade to the free PLOW websites provided to public libraries. Now a revolving slideshow displays pictures and current events from the library. The online links and resources are still available on the main page. Page 9
BOOKS & READING 2014 All Iowa Reads Selection Little Wolves by Thomas Maltman was chosen by the Iowa Center for the Book Advisory Council as the 2014 All Iowa Reads selection. This novel is set on the Minnesota prairie in the late 1980's during a drought season that s pushing family farms to the brink. Little Wolves features the intertwining stories of a father searching for answers after his son commits a heinous murder, and a pastor s wife (and washed-out scholar of early Anglo-Saxon literature) who has returned to the town for mysterious reasons of her own. A penetrating look at small-town America, Little Wolves weaves together elements of folklore and Norse mythology while being driven by a powerful murder mystery; a page-turning literary triumph. The author, Thomas Maltman, holds an MFA from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and lives in the Twin Cities. Since it s selection, this title will be available in a variety of formats including large print and audio, in addition to multiple book discussions throughout the state. The Estherville Public Library Book Club will be reading this title during the month of July 2014 with the book discussion held on August 7, 2014. Upcoming Book Club Selections: Thursday, Feb. 6 Sarah s Seasons by Martha Davis Thursday, Mar. 6 Hidden America by Jeanne Laskas Thursday, Apr. 3 The Widower s Tale by Julia Glass Thursday, May 1 The Children s Blizzard by David Laskin The Estherville Library s Book Club meets at 12:00 pm (Noon) the first Thursday of every month. Meetings last approximately one hour. Page 10
Volume 6, Issue 1 IN APPRECIATION Donations John & Nora Weyl of Burlington Anonymous Donor Thanks to Jan Greig for the lovely poinsettia displayed on the main circulation desk. Memorials The following individuals made contributions to the Friends of the Library as memorials: Donations in memory of Leland Kolpin were given by the members of Linda Niles book club. A donation in memory of Lawrence and Dottie Jensen and their parents was given by Nora Weyl of Burlington A donation in memory of Dale Juhl was given by Shirley Schacherer A donation in memory of Evelyn Fitzgibbons by Annie Cashill A donation in memory of Roy Rohlin by Richard & Shirley Barrett A donation in memory of Alice Eveleth was given by Carolyn & John Walz Page 11
Friends of the Estherville Public Library 613 Central Ave. Estherville, IA 51334