Sharing Stories ... discover your community

Seniors Week - October 1 - 7, 2016

 

During the celebration of Canadian Library Month in October, Seniors Week is an opportunity for public libraries to focus on programming, services, books and materials for seniors provided by the nine public library regions in Nova Scotia. Throughout the year, library staff continue to welcome and serve older adults coming to the library.

 

Seniors Week is a provincial initiative to incorporate library promotion and engagement of seniors within our communities. Public libraries are encouraged to engage with our seniors and work together to provide for their needs. National Seniors Day will be celebrated on October 1, 2016. Provincially, Seniors Week will be celebrated from October 1 - October 7, 2016.

 

This year the theme is 'Sharing Stories ... discover your community'. Library branch staff have been creative in programming ideas this year. look for a presentation on Charles MacDonald and his Faerie Cottages, Positive Approaches for Dementia, Conversations About Death and Dying, Rug Hooking, Card Making, Celebrating the Harvest Season, a talk on the book 'Valley Child: A Memoir' or come to an Old-fashioned Kitchen Party. For a complete list of all programs go to the event page on our website: www.valleylibrary.ca/seniors-week. Registration may be required for some of the programs.

 

Browse our online catalogue for some interesting reading material and check out the creative displays of items chosen by staff at each of our branches. This may also be a good time to celebrate our senior library workers!

 

Submitted by Wendy Kearnes,

Bookmobile & Offsite Services Manager

Member of Service to Older Adults Working Group

 



Summer begins NOW

If you have been wondering when summer really begins, the answer is TODAY. Our annual Summer Reading Club starts today. Why is that such a big deal? Let me tell you .

Over the summer, schoolchildren experience something called the "Summer Slide". Click on that link and watch that 2 minute video if you want a visual of what happens. Suffice it to say, keeping your child reading and learning throughout the summer is a Very Good Idea. And it can be FUN! That's what the Summer Reading Club at the library is all about. We don't ask our readers to read anything they don't want to read.  Besides novels and picture books, we encourage audiobooks, magazines, comics, and even the back of cereal boxes. Just read, that's our motto. Kids who finish the program even earn a free Fast Pass to Upper Clements Park.

And guess what? the Summer Reading club is FREE. Yes, that's right, FREE. Just head to your local library to sign up. It is that easy. And if you are not yet convinced, read this blog post from a librarian in the states. She gets it and wants you to sign up for Summer Reading.

Because we know that people of all ages like to read and win prizes, we have a Summer Reading Club for TEENS. Readers ages 12-16 can read and enter to win great prizes and earn a Fast Pass to Upper Clements Park. And this year, we've added a Summer Reading Club for adults! Readers ages 17 - 170 are invited to complete 2 cards for chance at some nifty prizes. Pick up one card at your local library, and one at one of our Community Locations.

You can show us your progress this summer with the hashtag #AVRLSRC. Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Show your library love on social media! And don't forget to print our SRC Mascot, RAVEL, and show us where you take our little friend.

Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you about our Summer Programs! You can enjoy Storytime with a Farmer, Little Ray's Reptiles, Anne Glover's String stories, Mad Science, tech programs, Preschool Disco, Musical Zoo, and Camp Overdue (summer camp for teens and adults). We will also give away books at each branch. And you could win a bike. And all of this is FREE! 

So run, don't walk, to your nearest library and get signed up for Summer Reading Club. See you around this summer.

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Meet the authors

You love to read. Have you ever met the folks who write the books you love? They are real people who have families and eat dinner, just like you. We’ve got some local authors and illustrators that just might be your neighbors. Recently, Christy Ann Conlin published a new book, The Memento. “The Memento tells the story of Fancy Mosher as she lives and works in the servants’ quarters at Petal’s End, a formerly illustrious private land surrounded by dense forest belonging to the famed Parker family. Fancy grows up listening to her family’s ghost stories and watching the Parkers from a safe distance with her best friend, Art.” Anyone who lives in the Valley will recognize places, people, and sayings in this literary gothic novel. You can meet Christy Ann at her book launch on Thursday, May 5 at the Al Whittle theatre in Wolfville. 

Ron Lightburn is another local who has recently written a children’s book about garbage. Most of you may know Ron from his book The Pumpkin People, which his partner Sandra wrote. Ron has illustrated many books, including Juba This, JubaThat, which we made into a StoryWalk. If you want something funny and gross that also teaches a lesson, you have to try Ron’s latest book, Frankenstink, which was just awarded the Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration at the Atlantic Book Awards!

On Friday the 13^th, we have an author coming to the Wolfville Library. Here’s your chance to meet and chat with a Real Live Author. YA Horror writer Judith Graves (I promise, that is her name!) will be touring Nova Scotia as part of the TD Children’s Book Week. She lives & writes in Northern Alberta, so we need to show her a warm Valley welcome. At this event,

Judith Graves helps you dig deep and unearth the killer themes lurking in your horror and thriller fiction. This genre isn't just writing tales of blood and guts - it's creating fiction to DIE for. Learn how to get under your reader's skin, play on their primal fears, and hold mirrors up to their own inner monsters. These FANGtastic tips will keep your readers turning the page...to the dire end. She says it will be a bit scary but no blood and guts. There will also be Creepy Cupcakes for you to enjoy, so if you are a writer who wants some tips, or just a rabid reader (ages 12 and up, please), start your Friday the 13^th with YA Fiction to Die For.  PS - Get a head start on things and read her book, Exposed.

--Angela J. Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Get Reading Material in Any Weather

Don’t let poor weather conditions prevent you from getting reading material!

Through our website, www.valleylibrary.ca, you can get lots of reading material without having to get out of your pajamas. 

 Use OverDrive, our downloadable eBook and audiobook service.  Borrow a book and download it to your computer and then put it on your eReader or download it directly to your  phone or tablet using the OverDrive app.  Borrow the book for up to three weeks.  There aren’t any overdue fines or fees because the books are automatically checked in at the end of the loan period.  There are over 12,000 titles to choose from with more added each week.  Many of these titles have multiple copies, so there is sure to be something available for you to read.

 Within OverDrive, under the Featured Collections, you will find the Project Gutenberg Titles.  This collection of over 2600 titles has been made available through the same software as the other OverDrive titles.  These titles don’t expire, so you can keep them on your computer or device as long as you wish.  Unlike the OverDrive titles which can only be used by one person at a time, these titles do not have a limit.

Maybe you would prefer a magazine, we have those too. We currently subscribe to 30 titles from Zinio for Libraries.  Each title has the most current issue, plus more than a year of back issues.  Create a Zinio account, then checkout and read as many issues as you would like.  Use the Zinio app to download your checked out magazines to your tablet or phone.  These do not have a loan period, they don’t expire and won’t disappear from your device until you remove them.  You even have the option of being notified by email when the newest issue of a selected magazine comes out.

 Do you or someone you know have a print disability?  If so, try out NNELS (National Network for Equitable Library Service).  There are over ten thousand titles to choose from, most of which are in audiobook format.  For access, you will need to register for this service specifically with us, we will then change your account profile, then your library card gets you in.  If you use the VoiceDream app (for either Apple or Android) you can use these titles on a tablet or phone.  This app does have a cost.

 Oh, guess what?  This is all FREE with your FREE library card.  If you need some technical help with any of this, let us know, we have that too.

 Charlotte Janes,
Systems and Collections Access Coordinator

Read the same book. Share the same story.

One Book Nova Scotia has returned! The book? Just Beneath My Skin by Darren Greer.  The book has been described as “gritty and unrelenting”, and having read it, I cannot disagree.  Yet in the midst of that unrelenting grit, there are moments of beauty, laughter, and raw emotion, which make it a very discussable book.

What’s it about, you ask? Poverty, family, alcohol abuse, and the power of friendship come to mind. Here’s how the publisher summarizes the story:
In the small town of North River, every day that goes by bleeds into the next. Poverty begets hopelessness, hopelessness breeds violence, violence causes despair. The only way to change fate, a minister tells his son, is to leave. The minister's son, Jake MacNeil, chooses to ignore his father's advice. Only when he realizes what has become of his life - working a grueling dead-end job, living with a drunk, friends with a murderer - does he decide to make something of himself. But nothing comes without a cost: in choosing freedom, Jake abandons his own son, Nathan, to the care of the boy's abusive mother. Years later, a reformed Jake comes back for Nathan, to finally set things right. But in North River, everything comes around again; and when a dangerous figure from the past becomes hell-bent on dragging the new Jake "back down where he belongs", three generations of MacNeil men must come together to pay the full price of hope.
Visit the 1BNS website for events, discussion questions, and more.  Follow along on Twitter @1bookNS, use the hashtag #1BNS to chat with others about the books. There’s even a contest this year - show us where you are reading the book with the hashtag #reading1BNS, and you could win dinner with the author!

Get your copy now, and start reading. If you are part of a Book Club (or want to start one), we have a Book Club in A Bag for this title.  On October 29, at 7 PM, we are co-hosting Darren Greer at Acadia University. He will be at the Vaughan Memorial Library’s Quiet Reading Room to read from his book & talk with folks who’ve read it. You can even purchase a copy that night from our friends at Box of Delights, who will be at the event.


We can’t wait to hear what you have to say about the book. Tell us on Twitter or Facebook; tell us in the comments. Read the same book. Share the same story. Join Nova Scotia’s biggest Book Club!

--Angela Reynolds, Community Engagement Coordinator

Book to Movie - It’s Showtime!!

So many of the best movies were books first.  Here is a sample of what’s hitting the theatres in 2014 for your reading --and then viewing pleasure. 

 Look at these choices – there are some solid offerings starting with the best seller The Fault in our Stars by John Green and the classic Lois Lowry novel The Giver.  At Christmastime the younger set will be able to see the wonderful Paddington Bear stories brought to life in Paddington.  

  Young and old fans of the Hunger Games will likely delight in Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Lots of buzz as well for the all star cast in Monuments Men by Robert Edsel , Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand ( the author of Seabiscuit ) and the delectable Hundred Foot Journey by Richard Morais.   For fans of the Jennifer Lawrence/Bradley Cooper pairing they are back together in Serena by Ron Rash.  Looking for inspiration? Take in Wild by Cheryl Strayed.   Comedy is guaranteed with Jason Bateman and Tina Fey in This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. 

Check out these links below for release dates, summaries and a sneak peek at what’s being planned for next year.  Now, go to our catalogue and place your holds.  It looks like an exciting year.

Buzzfeed's "Books To Read before they become movies"

School Library Journal's year in movies 

And if you can't wait for these movies to come out, try this list of "Books to Movies" for kids. These great books have already been made into movies, and you can watch & read together.

Every Day is Family Literacy Day at the Library!

Family Literacy Day is celebrated each year on January 27.  Family Literacy Day is a national

awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and held annually on January 27 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. For many years, here at AVRL we planned Family Literacy Day celebrations, and many were very successful (who remembers our Sleepovers at the Wolfville Library?). After all, we do love literacy here at the library. But never a year went by that we did not have to cancel some of our programs due to weather. In fact, we started calling January 27 Snow Day. While we do have a few events planned, we would like to invite you to plan on celebrating Family Literacy in your own home. After all, that’s where Family Literacy really happens! 

   ABC Life Literacy Canada has some great tips, such as these 15 Minutes of Fun tips.  They have lots of other activities that you can do from home here . We encourage you to check out some books and share them as a family. We’ve got lots of booklists to help you choose the right book for your family, such as these audiobooks . Or maybe you are looking for a new story to incorporate into your bedtime routine? And look for the new 50 Best Books for Babies poster that was created by Read to Me. Not only will we have the posters around to entice you to read to your baby, we also have the books for you to check out!

    Adults, don’t feel left out! Modeling is a great way to share literacy in your family. Turn off the TV and the laptops and the iPads, and set aside a family reading time. Encourage everyone to grab a good book and read. Imagine how cozy to have everyone snuggled under a blanket, each reading their own book! Parents, we’ve got great book choices for you in our Staff Picks. 

So, plan your own Family Literacy Day on January 27, because if or predictions are correct, it will probably snow that day.  However, several of our branches  do have events planned, so you can trek over to Windsor on Sunday, January 26 for games, treats, reading, and prizes or to   Berwick on Monday, January 27 for a special Bark George story & craft.

--Angela Reynolds, Head of Youth Services

 

It's OK to Read YA

More and more, adults are reading novels written and published for the YA (Young Adult) market. This blog post is a companion piece to a presentation that I am giving at the NSLA conference this weekend—lots of links and titles and authors and articles for you to explore. 

YA is not ALL Ghosts & Vampires, (but there are some good ones.) A boy whose father is a grave robber, two young cancer-stricken lovers, a prisoner of the Nazis in France, the best love story ever (with 80’s music), a very creepy ghost meets some flappers, a real-live Cinderella, growing up in a whore-house in New Orleans, a sexy and sensitive vampire, and a Voynich manuscript mystery: do these sound like YA to you? Meet the new YA!  Do those sound good? Try them:

Rotters by Daniel Kraus, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, The Diviners by Libba Bray, Gorgeous by Paul Rudnick, Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, Blood by K.J. Wignall, and The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman.

Yes, the themes are mature. But so are teenagers. Some of these books may not be suitable for a 13 year-old, but then another 13-year old may have already lived through worse. We have to give teens credit for being able to handle mature themes in books. There’s plenty of controversy surround YA books: they get banned all the time.  Some adults think teens shouldn’t read these books,  but “challenging the books doesn’t change the teen years".

Why are adults reading these books (and loving them?) Have you ever snuck into the teen area of the library or book store and pretended to be picking out a book for your son or daughter? It is OK to read YA!  Here are some authors to check out (in no particular order):  Maggie Stiefvater, Paul Rudnick, Robin Wasserman, Elizabeth Wein , Malinda Lo, Philip Reeve, Carrie Mac, A.S. King, John Green, Daniel Kraus, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Rainbow Rowell, Andrew Smith, Sarah Dessen, Lurlene McDaniel, Ruta Sepetys .  All of these authors already have a pretty big fan base with teens, and adults are starting to figure out why. These books are savvy, exciting, terrifying, funny, witty, creepy, real, and grab you from the first page. There’s often very little time in a YA book for too much navel-gazing. It is all about the character and the story and often, some really good writing. 

If you want more, here are some booklists. And don’t forget about audiobooks, because many of these books have been produced as high-quality audios that will make you stand up and pay attention. Have fun on your YA journey. Share a book you loved with a teen, and find out what they are reading—you might just like it. 

Booklists on the AVRL website:  Dystopia For Beginners, Ghosts & Vampires, Got Wolves?, Faerie Realms, FantasticFantasies, Realistic Fiction, Teen Romance. There are even more on our website, so go explore!  Still skeptical that YA is not for you, the discerning adult reader? Try some read-alikes suggested in this article.

Celebrate YA books with us next week, when Teen Read Week gets into gear! Lots of programs and a contest, so stay tuned!  

--Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services