Jo's Picks for April

Spring is such a beautiful time of year with everything turning green and starting to bloom!  Stuart Woods new book is titled UnintendedConsequences. 

 Daddy’s Gone a Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark, and Protector by C. J. Cherryh are also new arrivals..  Other new books by Nora Roberts, James Patterson, and Kristin Hannah will also be arriving.  

 

If you haven’t read a John Grisham novel then you have missed some great reading.  Grisham writes fascinating legal thrillers.   Grisham practiced law for several years, but gave up his practice after the success of his second novel The Firm which was a bestseller.  He has written some twenty-five novels and many of them have been made into successful movies.  His novels include The Pelican Brief, The Rainmaker, and A Time to Kill.  I have read several of his books and also have enjoyed Skipping Christmas and Playing for Pizza which are not thrillers.  Checkout Grisham and enjoy a master of the legal genre.

Reflections from Joyce

I’d like to thank the wonderful people of the community who have supported the children’s
programs at Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library throughout the years. As I prepare to
retire at the end of this month, I’ve had time to reflect on my past twelve years as Children’s
Services Manager.

Input from our patrons brought about many changes, such as adding Accelerated Reader labels to
books and creating neighborhoods where all of the Clifford, Dora, Star Wars and other favorite
characters and specific holiday books and movies are shelved in their own little section.

The children’s room staff made changes in the programs that we offer. We were one of the first
libraries in the state to offer programs for children starting at birth based on the Every Child
Ready to Read early literacy program endorsed by the American Library Association. In fact,
I founded and led ITELL, a task force of children’s librarians that lobbied and succeeded in
getting a children’s consultant at the state library. We also trained Indiana children’s librarians
in the Every Child Ready to Read skills and petitioned Indiana University to add early literacy
workshops for students studying to become librarians. Over the years we’ve provided a variety
of craft, art, music, cooking, sign language, and Spanish programs. Some of my favorite
programs and activities have been the Summer Reading Club, Reading with Dogs, I Can Read
Club, Harry Potter: Welcome to Hogwarts, Plainfield Arts Festival, Gingerbread House
Decorating, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Boo at the Library. You may have seen
some of us outside of the library, too. The children’s staff received trophies for our Book Truck
Drill Team entries in the Quaker Day Parade, and we continue to meet many of you at the Kids
Summer Lunch Bunch and the 4-H Fair.

I’ve seen amazing changes in technology in the past decade. VHS tapes were the most popular
format for movies when I started working at this library, and who knew that we’d all be carrying
iPads, smart phones, and Nooks and be able to read books and magazines on them? Twelve years
ago children had to be in kindergarten and print their name before they could obtain a library
card. Now cards are issued to children of any age. Teens and tweens have been given more
respect and now have their own special space and some delightful librarians to accommodate
their needs.

I’d be remiss not to mention the wonderful support we’ve had from the Friends of the Library.
In fact, all snacks, craft supplies and performers are purchased with Friends of the Library
funding. No tax monies are used for these. Your membership in the Friends and support of their
projects, such as book sales, enable us to provide the wonderful Art Zone, craft programs and
Silly Safaris. You won’t want to miss the fantastic Water Show they’re sponsoring this summer.
It’ll be across the street on the grassy area of First Baptist Church. Be sure to wear your swimsuit
and bring a towel to dry off.

It has been my pleasure to work for you, please continue to enjoy the programs we offer and
remember that we are here to serve YOU, so your comments and suggestions are always taken very seriously. Please tell us how we can make your experiences at the library better.

Joyce Welkie
Children’s Services Manager

LibraryThing

Looking for a way to keep track of what books you read? Ever checked out a book from the library, got home and started reading it, only to realize "I've already read this!"Let me suggest something to help.

LibraryThing is a simple and cheap way to catalog your personal library, keep track of what you've read, what you want to read, and interact with like-minded readers.It's Facebook for bibliophiles.

Besides the great fun of cataloging your personal collection, users can also sign up for free book giveaways (often Advance Reader copies that publishers distribute to promote upcoming books) , participate in a Secret Santa exchange with other members, compare your library with others, and write reviews for your favorite (or least favorite!) books. You can also use LibraryThing to keep track of events at your favorite book related venues  - the Plainfield Guilford Township Public Library is one, right? -like bookstores and libraries. LibraryThing is also a great readers' advisory tool. The user-recommended read-alikes have fast become my go-to source when I find myself asking "What should I read next?"

-Matthew

Game of Thrones Party!

Spring may be around the corner, but Game of Thrones fans know that Winter is Coming!

Join us on Tuesday March 19 at 6:30 for an evening of fun and games celebrating A Song of Ice and Fire and the start of the third season of the HBO series A Game of Thrones.We'll have games, snacks, trivia, and lively discussion about the the coming TV season and speculation surrounding the The Winds of Winter, the forthcoming novel.