Book Apocalypse!

OK, not really.  However, I do want to plug our Science Fiction Book Discussion group here at HPL.  We have been meeting every other month since the start of the year reading, for our first year, books with an apocalyptic theme in honor of the supposed end of the world/meso-american long-count calendar.

I hope though, that there is a future for this discussion group.  Our next book is the classic Earth Abides by George R. Stewart.  If you would like to join us, please contact me via email: gwamsley@hutchpl.org

From the cover:

"An instant classic upon its original publication in 1949 and winner of the first International Fantasy Award, Earth Abides ranks with On the Beach and Riddley Walker as one of our most provocative and finely wrought post-apocalyptic works of literature.  Its impact is still fresh, its lessons timeless.

When a plague of unprecedented virulence sweeps the globe, the human race is all but wiped out.  In the aftermath, as the great machine of civilization slowly, inexorably, breaks down, only a few shattered survivors remain to struggle against the slide to barbarism...or extinction.

This is the story of one such survivor, Isherwood "Ish" Williams, an intellectual loner who embraces the grim duty of bearing witness to what may be humanity's final days.  But then he finds Em, a wise and courageous woman who coaxes his stunned heart back to life and teaches him to hope again.  Together, they will face unimaginable challenges as they sow the seeds of a new beginning."

It is interesting to note that this novel was panned by Kirkus Reviews when it came out in 1949 - you can read the review here.  Despite a rocky start, it has gone on to become widely considered as among the best of all post-apocalyptic novels.

Summer Reading 2012

We are into the heart of our annual Summer Reading Program.  This year, all THREE of them are going strong!  Yes, we do have 3 programs running simultaneously.

HPL website

For children, we have the "Dream Big, READ!" program.  This involves preschool through elementary age children in a variety of activities - story times, craft days, family time programs, and of course, reading.  Here's how it works:

• Parents bring their children into the library to register.  The children receive a reading log.
• Children who are registered for the program read 10 books (or have 10 books read to them) OR read for 10 hours between May 25th and August 4th.
• Those children completing the requirements can bring their reading log in to us and receive a prize!
• Regardless of reading program participation, parents can bring their children to one, some, or all of the free programs!

So far this year we have 773 children signed up!  That means if all of them were to complete the program they would read 7,773 book this summer - talk about warding off the "summer slide"!

image credit: Clker

For young adults (ages 12-17), we have a separate reading program.  The program theme this year, chosen by our Young Adult Advisory Board, is "I See Dead People...READING".  Capitalizing on the recent flood of vampire / zombie / other undead-themed books current to YA fiction, it reflects what are by far the most popular YA fiction subjects.  The young adult program works a little differently.  Here's what to do:

• Young Adults can come in and sign up.
• The YA reads.
• For each book completed, the YA is eligible to receive a prize.
• At the end of the summer, we'll have a party to celebrate their achievements!

So far this year, we have 121 young adults signed up which is a big increase for us compared to this time last year.

HPL website

Finally, for adults we have the 'Between the Covers" reading program.  Anyone 18 and up can register for this activity.  As part of the adult reading program, we have a weekly give-away drawing and weekly contests on Facebook.  This program works a little more like the YA program.  Here's what to do:

• Register at either circulation desk (Children's entrance or Main Street entrance)
• For each book read, fill out a rating and review slip (a brief review is wonderful)!
• Turn in the slip for a chance to win a free book in our weekly drawings.
• See your reviews and what other HPL patrons are reading HERE on our website (there are already over 90 rated and/or reviewed books posted!)

The program for adults this year has 82 participants as of June 15th - I am fairly sure our strongest early June total yet.

While some folks in high places might be worried that children aren't reading enough in the summer, I am not worried.  Last year we estimated that over 4,500 books were read during our summer programs.  I think it would be fantastic to break the 5,000-books-read mark.  Want to help us break that barrier, but don't know what to read?  Go HERE and sign up for our Wowbrary! weekly email newsletter and see all the new items we added to the collection during the previous week.  I'm pretty sure you'll find something that strikes your fancy!

Summer Celebration 2012

We dreamed it and it happened!  Friday was the big kick-off for our "Dream Big, Read!" summer reading program and it seemed to be a great success.  The crowd started gathering right at 9am this year and the weather was just beautiful.

Nice shot!

Listening for instructions

We had a great group of volunteers helping us this year!  They ranged from early teen to senior citizen and many of them had helped us in years past.  Thank you!  Thank you!  And once again, our staff worked extra hard to pull all this off - thank you VERY much!  (Especially the Summer Celebration planning group and the Children's Department Staff.)

Unfortunately, I didn't get inside to take pictures this year as I was an "engine" for the bed races for most of the morning.  Did I mention that the weather was nice?  Well, thank goodness it was cool-ish because if it had been hot like last year there might have been fatalities!


I'll add a few more shots from my camera and I'll try to update as more pictures become available from other cameras.

Moon Rock Toss

Yippee - the Moon Walk!

A line for rocket target shooting

Summer Reading

We've started a new service here at HPL, one fueled by our patrons.  We're collecting book reviews from participants in our Summer Reading program for adults (although I would love to add reviews written by young adults and children as well!)  So far, we have 40 reviews of an incredibly wide variety of fiction and non-fiction titles.  You can read them here and find them under Programs & Services | Services on our library's website, www.hutchpl.org

I am very excited about this project because it gives us all a view of the reading tastes of our friends and neighbors.  Sure, there are big, fancy websites out there where people from all walks of life can add their book reviews, but those don't reflect the very localized flavor of our site.  This is what Hutchinson and Reno County reads!

If you would like to participate, come in and sign up for our Adult Summer Reading program and start rating and reviewing books today!  We post ONLY first names and last initials and no contact information.  You can do as little as simply rating the books you read on a 1-5 star scale and be entered into weekly drawings for some fun prizes.  Or, you can write a review for one, some, or all of the titles you read.  The more you tell us about what you think of the books you read, the more valuable the review collection will become.  If you are involved in our YA or children's summer reading program and would like to participate in the book review process, send your reviews directly to me at gwamsley@hutchpl.org

We have some wonderful, thoughtful reviews already, I hope that you will consider adding yours.

Start of summer update

A guitar-playing weasel?  Why not!

Lots of interesting things going on here at HPL to start off the summer.

First, there are our summer reading programs for children, young adults and adults.  We have fun activities planned starting with our huge summer kick-off celebration scheduled for next Friday (June 8) from 9:30 am through 11 am.  There will be games, prizes, treats, and all sorts of fun!  If you click the image to the left, you can find more information about the celebration and the summer reading programs at the library's website.

Second, our coffee bar is opening back up!  Bookworm Brew will be open for business in the next week here in the Hutchinson Public Library.  Stop in and give it a try!

Third, we're getting ramped up to start moving things around.  What?  Moving things around?  In a library?  Yes.  We're going to move the remaining part of the adult non-fiction collection to the second floor in order to arrange the collection more logically AND to make a little space available on the first floor for an interesting project.  We are re-imagining the library technology center.  It will no longer be just a room full of Internet computers.  We envision a place where citizens can come and get technology advice and assistance with their gadgets and electronics and how they work with services the library offers.  It will be a place where there are comfortable places to sit and use our WiFi, borrow our gadgets, or use a traditional desktop computer just like we have now.  There will be printing services and other traditional offerings as well.  Most importantly though, we will help our patrons better understand their tools and our services.