Back to it!

School. Here we go again! Hard to believe that summer holiday has ended and school is already back in session. For some, this is the very first time to go to school. Even heading out to preschool for the first time can be daunting to a young child (and their parents, too!). We've got books that can help with this transition-- it is sometimes comforting to see your situation in a picture book, and learn that it all comes out fine in the end. Click HERE to see the booklist and place holds for those that you'd like to share with your child. And when your child gets home from school, this blog post has some great tips for talking about their day. This Pinterest board from Scholastic has so many good links to explore as you and your child settle back into the school year.

When buying school supplies, don't forget one of the best FREE things you can get for your child-- a library card! Book reports? We've got books, and plenty of them! Is your child just learning to read? We've got Little Reader Bags that you can bring home for extra practise. We also have them in French. Do you have a child who isn't terribly fond of reading? How about trying an audiobook? We have them on CD as well as downloads. Your local library has plenty to support your child's education. If you can't find what you need, just ask us!

For your older child, start the year off right with no homework woes. We offer FREE online tutors from Tutor.com every day from 3 PM- midnight. Can't figure out that math problem? Physics not making sense? Have an essay that needs a bit of sprucing up? The online tutors at Tutor.com can help! You'll need your library card and access to the Internet, and you are on your way to getting that homework done!

All of our branches offer free WiFi and access to computers. We have programs for after school, such as LEGO and crafts. We've got storytimes for your child who is not yet in school (storytime is a great way to get your child ready for school). We offer databases with access to magazine articles, health information, statistics, and author information. We have teen programs, too!

We hope to see you this fall and are happy to help with your schooling needs, as well as providing reading materials just for fun! Come visit your local library. We'll be here.

School time!

As summer begins to wind down, thoughts turn to school. Walk into any office supply or department store and you'll see displays of notebooks, paper, binders, colored pens, erasers, tape, glue, and crayons.  Folks are already scratching off the list of school supplies needed for the upcoming year.  For some, this will be the first year of school—perhaps preschool or daycare, or maybe even the big step of riding the bus and going to primary. It can be both exciting and scary to a young child! We've got a list of books about school that can ease your child into the new school experience, or that slightly reluctant child who never wants summer to end.  This list has a little of everything—books about the school bus, school lunches, the school library, art class, and the first day. There are even a few books about bullies that can help you talk to your child who may be feeling a little scared of the big kids at school. 

We've also put together some websites for parents and kids to share. This list has sections on safety, activities, bullies, and a general section that can even help you pack a healthy lunch for your child. 

Getting your child ready for the first day of school can be fun. There are plenty of apps for helping kids learn to write, learn the alphabet, numbers, shapes, and more. Your older child might get back into the school swing by trying some learning games before September rolls around. We've gathered some resources here.  There are plenty of ways to get back into the swing of things without technology, too! Take walks and look for the whole alphabet. Check out some books about nature. Play board games that involve counting or keeping score, and let your child do the math. 

And if you are thinking of homeschooling, take a look at some of the resources we've gathered here. Our website has lots of information for parents who are sending their children off into the world of school!  Be ready when the bell rings. 

--Angela Reynolds, Head of Youth Services

Summer Reading wrap-up

The theme for the 2012 Summer Reading Club was IMAGINE. We imagined all sorts of things that we could do with this theme; libraries created castles and horse barns, we hosted reptile shows and wild animal puppets, we played with bubbles, recycled t-shirts, chased zombies, learned new computer software, created with LEGO, held library scavenger hunts, did a lot of pretending and read a whole lot of books.  In fact, the 2547 participants in this year's Summer Reading Club read for 31,885 hours! That is an impressive amount of reading in my book.  At the Kentville Library alone, 588 readers clocked nearly 8000 hours.  Thanks to a continued partnership with Upper Clements Parks, we gave out 1,957 FastPasses to the readers who completed their Summer Reading goal.  

You may wonder who these readers were. They were all ages—from babies whose parents read aloud to them, to preschoolers getting ready for Primary, to elementary kids who have discovered the pleasures of books, to teenagers (422 teens read for at least 25 hours!), we had readers who just love books. The Summer Reading Club was originally designed to promote the FUN of reading, and to keep kids reading during the summer months so that when they return to school, they haven’t lost those valuable skills that they worked so hard to acquire.  The Summer Reading Club allows readers to choose whatever they want to read, in whatever format they want to read – be it audiobooks, magazines, comics, or even the back of cereal boxes.  Older brothers and sisters read to younger siblings, babysitters read to their charges, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles read aloud at cottages, teens read under a tree in the park. It is all about the JOY of reading, and we love promoting it. 

The program lasts for 8 weeks—a good chunk of the summer-- and consumes huge amounts of staff time and resources.  We are only able to offer such a great program because of partners, sponsors, and an annual Book Sale that helps us raise funds to run this amazing program. Some materials are provided by TD Bank, who sponsors the program nationwide. Locally, we had support from Upper Clements Parks, Oaklawn Farm Zoo, Adopt a Library, and the sponsors of prizes for our new adult SRC, Watch the Sky Photography, The ClayGround, Coles Bookstore, and Paper Pleasures at the Coffee Shop.  We wholeheartedly thank all these businesses once again and also those who come to our book sale. 

Summer Reading Club will be back next year, but for now, just continue to enjoy those books and what's left of this glorious summer! 

--Angela J. Reynolds, Head of Youth Services

Hantsport is Library of the Month

What’s special about the Hantsport Library?  There are 78 public libraries in Nova Scotia but only four are combination school/public libraries.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing? On the plus side it means one facility serves a dual purpose which is important in these times of economic restraint.  Why should taxpayers have to fund a school library and a separate public library?  A library is a library, right?

Except that it’s not.  The school library’s purpose is to serve as a resource centre for their students while the public library’s purpose is to provide information and recreation to the general public.  So for example, the general public cannot use the Hantsport Library during the school day.  This means the Hantsport Library can be open to the public only after 2:30 p.m. on weekdays.  Special permission was granted to enable the library to be open on Saturday mornings when the school is closed, thanks to support from the Town who pay for janitorial service and, if necessary, snow removal on the weekends.

Who runs the Library anyway?  During the school day, the library is run by the School Board, their staff, their rules and policies.  When the library is open to the public, it is administered by the Annapolis Valley Regional Library Board which is a separate entity and is regulated by a different government department.  That is where things get tricky.  In spite of some challenges, the Hantsport Library rolls along serving both students and public.  The Library Board and the School Board share space, and work together as best they can as friendly housemates who understand the need to compromise and set boundaries to make this partnership work.

This month the Hantsport Library is being promoted as “Library of the Month” as part of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library’s campaign to promote its branches.  RBC is sponsoring an Open House on Wednesday, January 18 from 3:00-4:30 featuring music, refreshments, and the Friends of the Hantsport Public Library are offering a book, DVD, and CD swap as well.  Remarks from special guests take place at 3:30.  Lots of other activities are happening at the Hantsport Library including:

·         Cartooning Demo with Mark Oakley

·         Preschool Storytimes

·         Book Club for adults

·         Free Computer Classes

More information about programs and services available at the library can be found  on our website. 

If you haven’t been in the Hantsport Library since you were a kid, do yourself a favour and stop by and check it out.  You might be surprised how much it has changed!

---Frances Newman, Regional Librarian