By Tiana Schweim
Chilly days have hinted of autumn for several weeks. Sports practices are in full-swing and grade-level
supply lists greet me as I walk into local stores. It would appear that the calendar is concurring
with the breeze: back-to-school time has arrived!
As America prepares to go back to school, the American
Library Association (ALA) is also gearing up for an important campaign. September is Library Card Sign-up Month, “a
time to remind parents and children that a library card is the most important
school supply of all.” When you’re going
out for school supplies, don’t forget to stop at the library to update your
family’s library cards and set them up for a successful school year.
Your library card can be used at any Pioneerland Library
System library and most other public libraries in Minnesota. Your first library card is free; please be
prepared to show photo ID and proof of current address. Parents can use their judgment to decide when
their child is capable of having their own library card. Young people benefit from learning how to
navigate the card catalog and search for items in and outside of our
system.
Summer programming tends to see
larger audiences. Kids are out of school
and families are mobile. We have
increased attendance at our story hours and special events. Our records show that 296 children ages 3-12
were registered for “Dig Into Reading”, and 57 teens signed up for
“Groundbreaking Reads” for a total of 353 young people reading the summer
away! Let’s take a look at some more of
our summer successes:
We had a marvelous attendance of
132 when we welcomed Professor Marvel’s Amazing Archaeological Adventure in
June. Don’t miss his reappearance
during preschool story hour on September 15th for the Once Upon a
Time Magic Show. We hung out with
the Willmar Stingers and got creative with 4-H.
St. John’s Arboretum visited us with the show Soil Rocks—Can You Dig
It? We've had a rockin’ good time this summer!
Today's final summer event gathered a record number of visitors! We lost count at 76 kids and over 30 adults as we welcomed visitors from the Minnesota
Zoomobile. A skunk in the library? Crazy!
Teens enjoyed an after-hours event complete with pizza and a raucous round of “Murder in the Library” on July 31st; they haven't stopped talking about it so we're planning a similar event for October! We’ve also used our monthly book club time
and a special morning at Cricket Meadow to brainstorm ideas for giving back to
the library. Watch for details on our
new Teen Advisory Group (TAG) meetings.
We’re also taking our monthly book club on the road. We plan to meet at the Litchfield High School
Media Center on Monday, September 23rd at 3:00. Join us (grades 6-12) for casual discussion
about your favorite book, and celebrate Hobbit Day with us!
Not only were the school-age kids
making good use of the library, but the teachers and staff of ISD 465 were
frequent visitors as well. It would be
amiss for me to comment that teachers have had the entire summer off, for I
know from an insider’s perspective the amount of planning and preparation that
occurs between the last day of school and the first. Teachers have been reading for professional
gain as well as pleasure and I have enjoyed weekly conversations with many of
them. Students, your teachers are ready
for another fantastic school year, are you?
A library card is the smartest
card in your wallet, purse, or backpack.
Put it at the top of your school supply list. Get yours at your local library today!
