Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Kimball Library News 5/26/14


‘SPARK A REACTION’ is the summer reading theme for teens and tweens at Kimball Library this year.  This program is open to Atkinson youth entering grade 6 through age 19 (as of Fall 2014).

Register starting Friday, June 6th, by coming into the Kimball Library to receive your tickets and your $5 reading bucks credit. Use it to pay down your library fines or receive future fine credit.
 
For each grade-appropriate item you read, turn in your ticket(s) with your name, phone number, and title of the item you read. There is no required amount of reading and you can include graphic novels, manga, magazines, novels, audio books, ebooks – any literature counts. You may ask for extra tickets if you run out. The last day to enter tickets for the raffle is July 30th.

If you read an item that exceeds 200 pages, you may enter two tickets for the same book.  Two participation raffle tickets are available for t/weens that have registered for and attend teen programs. Any Stoneface, Isinglass or Flume title you read is worth 3 tickets.  All ‘T/ween’ events on the calendar are eligible for earning tickets.  The more you read and participate, the better your odds of winning prizes.

When each raffle ticket is completed, drop it off at the main desk to be eligible for random prize drawings held weekly. Prizes may include snacks, books, gift cards, Water Country and Canobie Lake Park passes and more! You need not be present to win. This year’s group challenge is to have the t/weens submit at least 800 tickets!  If they do, the Youth Services Director (Kathy Watson) will likely have quite a REACTION on July 31st at 7:30pm by having a ball python, millipedes, and hissing cockroaches placed on her following the Critters & Creatures show.  A video will capture the moment!  Encourage your friends to play along so you all can win!

*Most summer reading events have a required registration, and registration can close 24 –48 hours in advance of the event start.  Register early to avoid disappointment.

Photographs of our National Parks are on display through June 29th.  Come and prepare to be delighted over Ron Wybranowski’s inspiring work.

As a photographer, Ron wants to encourage people to slow down and appreciate the beauty and magic of the world around us.  And it is all around us, not just in the iconic scenes of national parks, seashores and mountains.  It is in the brooks and swamps in our neighborhoods and parks, there for the seeing.  We just have to stop, look around and let the scenery envelope us.  His goal is to help others do that by photographing nature’s beauty and presenting it in a unique way which emotionally moves and inspires us.
Ron is a resident of North Andover, MA and a member of the Massachusetts Camera Naturalists, a by-invitation-only organization dedicated to the appreciation of nature and the natural environment.  He is a juried member of the New Hampshire Art Association.  He is also a member of the Merrimack Valley Camera Club (MVCC) in North Andover, MA, and has won over 250 medals and ribbons at MVCC and in competitions sponsored by the New England Camera Club Council (NECCC) and the Photographic Society of America (PSA).   

In 2002 he received the NECCC Annual Conference Competition Best of Show, B&W Prints and Best B&W Landscape awards for his print entitled “Walk in the Scary Woods.” In 2012 Ron’s image of “Aspen in Fog” won Best Landscape in Show at the NECCC.  He won a Bronze Medal in the 2009 Ocean State International Exhibit of Photography for his image entitled “Waterfall in the Subway” in Zion National Park. 

 Ron has traveled extensively to the National Parks, particularly those in the West. His favorites are the Grand Tetons in the fall, Arches and Canyonlands in the spring, and Zion and Grand Staircase-Escalante anytime he can get there.   

For more information or a list of upcoming programs, please visit our website at kimballlibrary.com, call (603) 362-5234, or email us at staff@kimballlibrary.com. 

Monday, May 19, 2014

Kimball Library News 5/19/14


Summer is just around the corner, and we are busily preparing all our exciting summer reading events!  Please note that if your children are in a preschool story time (Kiddie Lit or Bitty Books) we will have a two week hiatus before instituting our preschool summer IGNITE classes.  There will be no Kiddie Lit or Bitty Books classes the last two weeks in June.  INGITE will start the first full week of July.

We are excited to be in the preparation stages for summer reading hoopla and are confident that you’ll be flocking to our door to register all youth for both our general programs as well as our unique events.  People always have questions about how Kimball Library’s Summer Reading Program works.  We’ve anticipated a few of your questions below and are taking the initiative to answer them in advance.

What is the Summer Reading Program?  The Summer Reading Program is a program designed to promote reading through the summer months with fun events and activities around a main theme decided by CSLP. The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) is a consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children, teens, and adults at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries.

When does this start and end?  Registration begins early this year on June 6th.  This will give everyone a chance to start reading early and often before ‘summer-it is’ sets in.  The Summer Reading FINALE will take place on August 7th.  The last day to redeem prizes for the program will be on August 9th.

What about everything in between?  We have so many unique events for you to sign up for we will trickle them out to you here little by little each week.  There will be many different activities for all ages and we have a unique summer reading challenge for the tweens and teens.  For now, we’ll keep you in suspense about that!

When is the Kick-Off?  We are pumped to start the summer on Wednesday, June 25th, at 6:30pm with “Mousetrap Science” with Jungle Jim in our new Kimball Library Courtyard.  (Cross your fingers for good weather!)  Registration for the kick-off for all ages will be available on June 6th.  See below for more details.

Do you think learning about science is fun? Absolutely! Combining math, science, and art, ‘How to Catch a Mouse’ has entertained literally hundreds of audiences! With the aid of audience volunteers, the mechanics of simple machines are explained, while constructing a working Rube Goldberg-style mousetrap intended to solve the problem of a mouse on the loose. Then, with the students’ newfound knowledge of how machines work and their eagerness to see their trap set in motion, this show comes to an exciting and hilarious conclusion that reinforces both the power of learning and the power of applying the lessons to everyday life. It’s a zany good time that makes learning fun!  A long-standing hit in New York, this show is not to be missed.  Don’t disappoint the kids or the neighbors—register and bring them all.

For more information or a list of upcoming programs, please visit our website at kimballlibrary.com, call (603) 362-5234, or email us at staff@kimballlibrary.com. 

Kimball Library News 5/12/14


Are you trapped at home by circumstances?  Do you love to read and wish you had a way to get to get your hands on some books?  There is a way to have books, audio books, etc. brought to your door from the library, thanks to the helpful volunteers from Elder Services.

If you are homebound for a long period of time, or even a shorter one, just a call to the Kimball Library (603 362-5234) will put you on a delivery list.  Someone at the library will talk to you about your reading likes and dislikes and take requests for books, audio books, or magazines and arrange a time for a delivery to be made. When you have finished with the items another call will exchange them for other materials you may agree upon.  We hope this will be of assistance and pleasure for you.  If this will serve you, please give us a call today!

Inquiring minds want to know of the progress of The Kimball Library Courtyard.  Have you heard about our courtyard project? We are embarking on a major fundraising project to add some permanent sitting walls with stairs, expanded walkways, and a patio/performing area.   Low voltage lighting will be added as well as a sprinkler system.  The work has already begun but we are still waiting for more funds to accrue.  With your help, we can better our outdoor programming to make it more enjoyable for all of you!  You can donate online at our website www.kimballlibrary.com by clicking the donate button on the right-hand side or you can make a check payable to “Friends of Kimball Library – Courtyard Project.”  All donations are highly appreciated.  The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and Performance will be held on Thursday evening, June 19, 2014.  We look forward to seeing you there.  Meanwhile, stop by to peek at the progress.

We have a book discussion the fourth Monday morning at 10:15 of each month, and we welcome new faces even if you didn't read the book! Come to listen, or join in the conversation!  Coffee and goodies are available and it's a great way to meet new friends. Books are available at the main desk.

Our book for May is ‘Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore’ by Robin Sloan, which combines elements of fantasy, mystery, friendship and adventure as a way of looking at the modern conflict and transition between new technology (electronic) and old (print books). The main protagonist is a laid-off Silicon Valley tech worker who begins working at a dusty bookstore with very few customers, only to start discovering one secret after another. The mysterious old books, along with the store's owner, lead to a 500 year old secret society.  Intrigued?  Make sure you stop in to pick up  a book or to just listen.

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner, and May 24-26 is not a time to stop in as we will be closed. This is one of the two Saturdays a year that we will not be open.  Plan to stock up on those 2 day movies!  Take them on the 22nd or 23rd and you get to keep them until the 28th!

For more information or a list of upcoming programs, please visit our website at kimballlibrary.com, call (603) 362-5234, or email us at staff@kimballlibrary.com.   

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Kimball Library News 5/5/14



Please consider joining the lively evening book discussion group that meets on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6pm.  They are very interested in having some new people in their midst.  This month on Tuesday, May 20th, they will be discussing the novel ‘Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet’ by Jamie Ford.  We have extra copies available at the main desk, but you don’t have to have read the book to just drop in and listen.  Spring into action and plan to be there!

Tweens and teens, come join us at 6:30pm on Thursday, June 5th for cookies and a captivating discussion about the novel, “The Power of Poppy Pendle” with the author, Natasha Lowe!

Ten-year-old Poppy, born to ordinary parents, has inherited coveted witch power. In Poppy’s world, witches work for good and are much valued, but Poppy does not want to be a witch—she wants to be a baker, and she is extremely good at baking. Her parents insist Poppy follow in the footsteps of her great aunt, a famous witch, but Poppy has plans of her own.

Part magic, part adventure, and wholly delicious, this spirited story includes more than a dozen recipes you can try at home.

Please ask for a copy of the book at the front desk.   Don’t forget to be awesome and register!  You’ll be even more awesome if you can convince a friend to register and come with you.  And guess what else? At the event, Natasha Lowe will be selling signed copies of the book at a reduced author cost. [Tweens, this is in lieu of our first Wednesday discussion.  Please join us or the teen discussion the following Wednesday.  Or go all out and go to both!]

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner.  This is one of the two Saturdays a year that we will not be open.  We will be closed May 24-26.  Plan to stock up on those 2 day movies!  Take them on the 23rd and you get to keep them until the 28th!

Please check out our facebook page, please ‘like’, tag, and share our photos or events.  It’s also terrific when you upload photos of your own to our page which highlight participation in our events or classes.  We love the positive press from social networking!  If you haven’t already, do visit us at www.facebook.com/KimballLibrary.Atkinson.NH and peruse our many albums and see if you can find yourself or family members.  Did you see our recently posted ‘Nerdy Nummies’ album and video?

For more information or a list of upcoming programs, please visit our website at kimballlibrary.com, call (603) 362-5234, or email us at staff@kimballlibrary.com.   

Kimball Library News 4/28/14



In 1787, delegates gathered in Philadelphia to address a wide variety of crises facing the young United States of America and produced a charter for a new government. In modern times, competing political and legal claims are frequently based on what those delegates intended. Mythology about the founders and their work at the 1787 Convention has obscured both fact and legitimate analysis of the events leading to the agreement called the Constitution. Richard Hesse explores the cast of characters called “founders,” the problems they faced, and the solutions they fashioned.

 Richard Hesse, Professor Emeritus at the UNH School of Law, has published on a variety of legal and ethical topics.  Hesse has been an advocate for civil and human rights for more than 45 years and was twice awarded the Bill of Rights Award by the NH Civil Liberties Union.

Join us on Tuesday, May 13th, at 6:30pm for ‘Founding Fathers: What Were They Thinking?’ as Richard Hesse waxes eloquent.  Registration is not required and non-resident guests are welcome.

The above program is sponsored by the NH Humanities To Go grant and the Friends of the Kimball Library.  Refreshments will be served.

Spring Book Sale!  YES!  Kimball Library accepts book donations year round, but twice a year we urge you to especially clear out those you no longer want and bring them in to us.  The Town-wide Yard Sale (May 17) is coming up and we’d like to have a large selection for folks to peruse and purchase.  These items take some time to be sorted through which is why we are asking for them now.  We accept books, music, and DVDs in good condition.  Please be sure books are not moldy or damaged and that music and movies are playable the entire way through.  We do not accept any magazines, text books, encyclopedias, or Reader’s Digest condensed books.  When we receive your donation, we first sort through to see if we’d like to add any of the items to our collection.  If we don’t add the item(s) to our collection, we then decide if it is to be sold or to be transferred to a non-profit organization. Please take care to recycle your unwanted items by helping the environment and your local library.  Donations can be received during open hours from Monday-Friday (10-8) and Saturday (10-3).  If you have large amounts of materials, please call ahead so we can be sure to assist you.  Please deliver these items by May 15th.

Don’t forget to mark your calendar for Saturday, May 17th.  We will have lots of great adult and children’s books for sale. Most adult books are $2.00 or less and children’s books are under $1.00.  DVDs, VHS videos and music are $2.00 or less.  Audio books will be priced individually.  There may be special titles as well in their own unique category.

There will be a great selection of home baked goods and yard sale items.  Come early for the best selection as items do tend to go quickly.   We’re selling from 8am-3pm.This event is sponsored by The Friends of the Kimball Library.  The Friends of Kimball Library support so many wonderful programs, such as “Summer Reading” which is right around the corner.  We can’t wait to see you!


Please check out our facebook page, please ‘like’, tag, and share our photos or events.  It’s also terrific when you upload photos of your own to our page when you participate in our events or classes.  We love the positive press from social networking!  If you haven’t already, do visit us at www.facebook.com/KimballLibrary.Atkinson.NH and peruse our many albums and see if you can find yourself or family members.  We recently posted some great pics of library buddies!

For more information or a list of upcoming programs, please visit our website at kimballlibrary.com, call (603) 362-5234, or email us at staff@kimballlibrary.com.