Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Kimball Library News 3/15/11

Have your teens or tweens forgotten how to read for fun? Are they stuck choosing books and constantly re-reading the same Rick Riordan or Stephenie Meyer’s series? It’s time for a change!
Book discussions for tweens and teens at the Kimball Library help youth get out of their rut. It’s a known fact that often even avid readers begin to lose interest during the middle and high school years. This does not have to be the case.

Each month tweens (middle school) meet on the 1st Wednesday and teens (high school) meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month from 6:30-7:30pm to discuss a book they have had four weeks to read. The participants are part of the title selection process for future months. We hit a myriad of genres to please everyone at least some of the time. The teen librarian makes sure there is time for book to book connections, real life conversation, and plenty of candy to round out the day. Everyone can take part and there are no demerits for not finishing the book. We make room for the ‘just listeners’ as well as the opinionated readers.

Encourage your middle/high school kids to try us in April as the tweens discuss “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix on the 6th, or on the 13th as the teens discuss “Rikers High” by Paul Volponi. Just ask for a copy of the book for the particular age group at the front desk.

Look outside --“Are there bears in your backyard? Mysterious hawks at your bird feeders? Colorful turtles sunning themselves on logs in your pond? On Thursday, April 14th, a volunteer from the Speaking for Wildlife Program will present ‘Backyard Wildlife: Keeping Common Wildlife Common,’ from 6:30 to 8pm in our large meeting room. The presentation, part of the Speaking for Wildlife Project, will highlight a dozen wildlife species commonly seen by New Hampshire residents and landowners. You’ll learn cool facts about these species (amaze your friends!), and learn about the diverse mix of habitats in our region that support species such as American woodcock, painted turtle, pileated woodpecker, wood frogs, little brown bats and other captivating creatures.

The Speaking for Wildlife Project is a volunteer effort of UNH Cooperative Extension, the NH Coverts Project and NH Fish & Game, with funding provided by the Wellborn Ecology Fund of the NH Charitable Foundation.” The presentation is free, open to the public, and sponsored by The Friends of Kimball Library.

Kimball Library News 3/8/11

Procrastinate no more! There is an informal gathering in the large meeting room on Thursday mornings from 10am-12pm of artisans committed to finishing up painting or crafts. You’ll have a chance to socialize and get some of those projects completed. No registration is necessary; just bring your own materials.

Do you need a quiet place to settle into your studies? We have earmarked a room for teens on Thursday evenings at 6:30pm so you can prepare for exams, do homework, or reel yourself into your work. Try “Teen Focus” this month on the 24th. If you need a second pair of eyes for a paper or a listening ear for a presentation, the teen librarian will be available for an hour or so. Or, just come in to the teen room for studying in general. Come in to focus.

Want a little lip-smacking fun? Waffling about what to do on a Friday night? On Friday, March 25, in lieu of ‘Read & Feed Story Time’ we’ll be celebrating ‘International Waffle Day’! Learn about these tasty treats, and eat one with your own special topping. Registration is absolutely required for this activity, and it’s specially designed for ages 4-10. Get your registration in and your lips ready!

Mark the date and time (April 6 at 7pm) for an author visit and book signing. Author, Alfred Zappala, is a dual American-Italian citizen who lives in Lawrence, MA. His book 'The Reverse Immigrant: Return to my Sicilian Roots' is a love story. The object of love, however, is not a person. He loves an island, Sicily, or perhaps better his idea of the island....he was not born there. His connections to the island come by way of both grandparents who hailed from Trecastagni, a village on the slopes of Mt. Etna, as well as by an affinity for everything Sicilian. Yet his love for the island is such that in his maturity he as decided to leave his native Lawrence, MA and become a reverse immigrant by moving to Sicily on the slopes of majestic Mt. Etna. Zappala holds a law degree and teaches at prominent law schools in Boston. He has authored several books on the bar examination and a screenplay. Don’t miss out.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Kimball Library News 3/1/11

Kindles are available! Now that the hoopla has died down regarding the Kindle, our library devices have a much shorter waiting list. If you do not have an e-reader of your own, or if you’d like to read something that we have purchased for our Kindle, then you are in luck! Take a look at what we have currently loaded: Arguing with Idiots : how to stop small minds and big governments-Beck, Coming to our Senses-Kabat-Zinn, The Confession-Grisham, Cross Fire-Patterson, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest-Larsson, The Girl Who Played Fire-Larsson, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo-Larsson, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society-Shaffer, Half Broke Horses-Walls, Have a Little Faith-Albom, The Help-Stockett, House Rules-Picoult, I, Alex Cross-Patterson, The Last Song-Sparks, The Mapping of Love and Death: a Maisie Dobbs novel-Winspear, Pirate Latitudes-Crichton, Secrets to the Grave-Hoag, Sh*t My Dad Says-Halpern, True Blue-Baldacci, True Compass-Kennedy, What the Night Knows-Koontz, and the Works of Anthony Trollope. We add more titles as time goes on so there is always something new. Give us a call to put a Kindle on hold for you.

Saturday Cinema is right around the corner (and shhhhhh, so is spring!) and we have a ‘mind-blowing’ movie in store for any age. Pack up the kids and see if this super villain is going to botch things up or save the day! (Please note that we require waivers and registration for children ages 6-9 if you prefer to leave them with us.) Younger children are welcome accompanied by a parent or guardian. ALL AGES are welcome to enjoy. This film is rated PG.

Scratch sessions are available for tweens and teens ages 10 and up on Tuesdays in March from 6:30-7:30pm. Scratch, computer programming software created by MIT, is a fun and easy way for young animators to design and learn to animate. Computers and laptops are reserved in the Children’s Room and a teen ‘Scratch Guru’ will be here to assist you. Registration is limited and required for ages 10 and up. Please sign up individually for each session you'd like to attend.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Kimball Library News 2/22/11

Today’s world certainly does not feel as safe as it did ten years ago. We have a program in mind to educate and equip women regarding this important phenomenon on Tuesday, March 22nd, from 6:30-8pm. Hampstead resident, Sonny Charles, will show you how to evaluate strangers and how to defend yourself against assault. Using principals of Judo, Karate, Aikido and Jujitso, he will focus on the escape process and getting to safety. There will be opportunity for audience participation. You will leave with a sense of empowerment after learning these basic techniques to use in realistic situations. This program is suitable for females ages 14 and up. Sonny Charles has had a defense studio for fourteen years. He was also a hand-to-hand combat instructor in the military. Note the date and time as you won’t want to miss out.

Also, our renowned “Library Buddies” program is back for the 4th consecutive year. The program will be running from March 16 to April 20 on Wednesdays from 4-5pm. With little to no advertising, the ‘little buddy’ portion is already full. We are, however, still looking for capable teens and tweens (middle school and older) to play the part of the big buddy. Please note the commitment, and ask to talk to Kathy Watson, Teen Librarian, if you are interested. Commitment: Big buddies are expected to commit to all six weeks unless pre-arranged. Generally, the first thirty minutes should be devoted to reading followed by puzzles, games, crafts or coloring. Crafts will be pre-selected for you. All readers’ hours will be recorded. Your time spent with us may also be used toward community service hours. Please be prompt and arrive ten minutes early each week. All interested teens should contact Kathy at (603) 362-5234, Facebook, or youngadult@kimballlibrary.com.

Don’t forget that Scratch is back on Tuesdays in March from 6:30-7:30pm. Scratch is a fun and easy way for young animators to design and learn to animate! Using 'script blocks', which is the code to make your game animate, and 'Sprites', which are your characters, you can create ANYTHING with this awesome, cool software! Registration is required for ages 10 and up. Please sign up individually for each session you'd like to attend. Invite a friend and join the fun.

Want to learn more about your family history? Come and hear from an expert, Lucie LeBlanc Consentino, on how to begin your research. Lucie's presentation will include a number of resources, one of which is ancestry.com. We offer ancestry.com right here at the library and it may be the place where you begin to discover your roots. Mark the date, Saturday, March 5, from 10:30am-12pm.

Kimball Library News 2/15/11

“Teen Movie Night” at the library is fun and free. Invite all your friends (register them and yourself) for a night out on Wednesday, February 23, starting at 6:30pm. Your friends do not have to be Atkinson residents. We'll be showing 'It's Kind of Funny Story' and making you popcorn. Please bring your own movie candy and clear beverages. This is for teens and tweens in grades 6 and up, please.

Ever wonder how magic tricks really work? This program investigates the science behind the 'magic' of several classic magic tricks. You might learn how to snatch a tablecloth without disturbing the items on top, make a balloon fireproof, and use electromagnetism to defy gravity. For the grand finale, our educator will demonstrate how science can make it safe to lie down on a real bed of nails! This program is on Thursday, February 24, from 6:30-7:30pm and is suitable for elementary age children 6+.

Scratch is back on Tuesdays in March from 6:30-7:30pm. Scratch, computer programming software created by MIT, is a fun and easy way for young animators to design and learn to animate! Using 'script blocks', which is the code to make your game animate, and 'Sprites', which are your characters, you can create ANYTHING with this awesome, cool software! Registration is required for ages 10 and up. Please sign up individually for each session you'd like to attend.
Would you like to learn more about your family history? Come and hear from an expert, Lucie LeBlanc Consentino, on how to begin your research. Lucie's presentation will include a number of resources such as ancestry.com, genealogical society, archives, libraries, etc. We offer ancestry.com right here at the library and this possibly will be the place where you begin to discover your roots. Mark the date, Saturday, March 5, from 10:30am-12pm.

Lucie LeBlanc Consentino is a leading Acadian genealogist. Her web site, Acadian & French-Canadian Ancestral Home (www.acadian-home.org), is widely regarded as a repository providing reliable, original, and comprehensive genealogical data. Please visit her site to view her accolades and more information.

Save yourself from purchasing every new eBook that catches your eye. The library is here to help you check out, download, read and enjoy all the best-selling titles on your computer, iPhone, Nook, Android or compatible reader (sorry no Kindles). Hundreds of books are available from NH Downloadable Books using your library card for FREE. Come and learn how you can download eBooks from our Overdrive service in this demonstration. Learn the basics and get started right away. Bring your eReader with you as well as its USB cable if you have one (not required). This class is available on Monday, March 7, 6:30-7:30pm.

Kimball Library News 2/8/11

The eBook continues to push the boundaries of how people read. Are you comfortable operating the new e-reader you that you have? Are you able to load free digital books from the library using your Android phone or tablet? Teens, do you realize you can read free teen titles on your iPod touch? Did you know there is a choice of applications and methods to do this?

The library is here to help you check out, download, read and enjoy all the best-selling titles on your computer, iphone, Nook, Android or compatible reader (sorry no Kindles). Hundreds of books are available from NH Downloadable Books using your library card for FREE. Come and learn how you can download eBooks from our Overdrive service in this hands-on demonstration. Overdrive is funded cooperatively by New Hampshire libraries and allows our patrons to download popular titles at no cost to them. Kimball also adds titles just for Kimball patrons through the Overdrive Advantage program. Learn the basics and get started right here at the library on Thursday, February 17th from 1-2pm. Bring your eReader with you as well as its USB cable if you have one (not required). This class is also available again on Monday, March 7, 6:30-7:30pm.

The library has several display cases that are perfect for showing items that people have chosen as "their favorites". Why not look over your things and sign up to use the display case for a month? Friends, family, and strangers, too, love looking at stuff that we bring home from distant lands. Matchboxes, keys, lockets, toys, vases, dishes...what's in your closet? Call the library and tell us! We’d love to display some of your treasures.

Kimball Library is giving a HUGE shout-out to the businesses that made the Jack Frost Jamboree a smashing success. Many thanks to Murphy’s Garrison Golf in Haverhill, MA, Hannafords in Hampstead, NH and Eastern Mountain Sports in Salem, NH. We couldn’t have done it without you. And as always, thanks to the “Friends of Kimball Library” who support us in all our adventures.

Reminder: School vacation week is fast approaching, and if you don’t have plans for the kids we do. Please note that the library will be closed on the Monday, February 21st, for Presidents Day. We will have activities on Tuesday through Friday for most ages. Please note that some programs require registration and do not take walk-ins. Call us on check online for if you are unsure about the details.