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TCPL Rocks Summer Reading!

http://tcpl.ny03.readsquared.com/

The 2018 Adult Summer Reading Program, LIBRARIES ROCK! is in full swing!

I’m super-excited about our summer program this year. We’re using READsquared, New York State’s new reading program software, where you log books and activities online and play games to earn points and win prizes. The theme, “Libraries Rock!” provides the platform for meshing literature and music this summer.

Looking to feel inspired by some exceptional illustrators?  Below are some personal recommendations of great new picture books published so far in 2018.  Visit the library to check them out!

They Say Blue written and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
A young girl describes where she finds colors in both the world around her and beyond what she can see.

An update and what's to come in the Digital Lab at TCPL.

Hello, my name is Tom Fredette, and I am the Digital Lab Librarian with Tompkins County Public Library.  The goal of TCPL’s digital lab is to provide workshops that will help our patrons with both their digital and personal growth.  Whether this growth is educational or career oriented, or more recreational and hobbyist in nature, the library intends to provide workshops that will appeal to a variety of patron interests and encourage the pursuit of lifelong learning. 

Grains of Sand by Sybille Delacrois is a beautifully illustrated picture book about feeling blue when you return from a fun beach vacation.  The young protagonist uses her imagination and the sand that remains in her beach shoes to extend the vacation fun.  What would happen if we planted the grains of sand??

The Adult Book Club highlighted this month is The Next Chapter Book Club.  The book club was made possible with a grant from the Finger Lakes Library System and started in September of 2017. It was formed in partnership with the Challenge Workforce Solution’s Community Hab program.  Every Thursday, the group meets in the Large Study Room.  Each member of the group takes a turn reading the book and as we read, we discuss the book.

I’m so excited to get back outside with Stories in the Park! And our wonderful volunteer Chelsea will be helping me make it as fun as can be – thanks, Chelsea!

We had a perfect day for our first Stories in the Park. It was great to see familiar faces, and many new folks, too! Park goers may have heard a lot of moo-ing, baa-ing, and cockadoodledoo-ing as the theme was “Over on the Farm”!

Here’s a song:

You Can Hear the Animals Down on the Farm
(Tune: She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain)

We will be discontinuing our app, TCPL to Go, as of July 7, 2018.

In 2015, we hired Boopsie, Inc. to design an app to allow patrons to easily access key areas of our website, such as patron account information, the online catalog, and events. While we were in the midst of researching and planning for a website redesign, the app provided much-needed access in a way that the mobile version of the TCPL site did not.

Patron Comments from May 2018

Comment: Too many screens! In the front lobby, in the kids area, etc. My 6 year old does not need more screens to distract her. Thanks.

Response: We understand your concern about the prevalence of screens; although we do need to balance the need of patrons lacking those resources to access them at the library, and our need to communicate. The library isn’t exempt from the digital age, and we hope you do enjoy the screen free reading areas of the library.

The children’s area boasts an amazing collection of biographies and the last couple of years have brought forth a great number of amazing additions. Titles that feature true life stories of people who teach, inspire, and expand our young readers’ curiosities as well as their world.

Below are a few of my personal picks from 2017 and 2018 (so far).  Visit our children’s biography section and discover your own favorites!

TCPL is now seeking curators for its 2019 art exhibit program. Four curated art exhibits on the theme Space will take place in 2019.  

Ever wonder what the library is like at night?  Last week, during our Secrets of the Library writing program, author Anne Mazer and tween participants imagined what kinds of adventures could occur in a library at night.  After brainstorming, the room was rich with ideas including: an orphan finding a place of belonging, a nighttime garage band, and book characters coming to life when no one else was around.  Young writers in the program used their ideas as story writing prompts and many eagerly shared what they had written out loud with the group.

Find out what is happening with TCPL's brand new Makerspace! Seeking volunteers, starting creative programs, and building expertise.

Let’s start with April’s last-but-not-least storytimes, our DIA specials! "El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration every day of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds." - ALA Dia.

I first discovered Joe Cepeda long ago while preparing for my then Preschool Pajama Storytime through the book Captain Bob Sets Sail.  Captain Bob is a young boy with a very active imagination while he’s taking his nightly bath.  The vibrant illustrations caught my eye immediately.  They vibrate with energy and action and the characters exude warmth and charm.  After using that book very successfully in my storytime, I went in search for other Joe Cepeda books and was not disappointed. 

The Library is proud to now offer take-home Sensory Kits! We are currently offering two Sensory Kits featuring interactive stories and toys such as stretchy bands, fidgets, and tactile stepping stones. We hope these kits will encourage families to incorporate movement and play into their home story times. You can place a hold on either kit using these links: Sensory Kit 1 or Sensory Kit 2.