Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 103

Write Michigan Segment on FOX 17

Recently Director Lance Werner promoted the Write Michigan Short Story Contest on FOX 17. Take a minute and watch the brief segment to learn more about this exciting opportunity to win cash prizes and get published!

 

Lowell Ledger Archives Now Online

If it happened in or near Lowell, it probably was noted in the Lowell Ledger or its predecessor newspapers. Now, more than 100 years of news archives are online and available to anyone, anywhere, 24/7.

KDL’s Friends of the Englehardt Library received a $6,000 grant from the Lowell Area Community Fund to digitize the Ledger’s 88-reel microfilm collection, which spans from 1870 to December 2012. The collection is available through KDL’s website – www.kdl.org – and through the Lowell Area Historical Museum website – www.lowellmuseum.org.

“It’s going to be such a great tool,” said Pat Allchin, executive director of the Lowell Area Historical Museum. “For even me, to go to the (microfilm) files is very cumbersome. And a lot of people don’t like to come to the museum to do research because of our steep staircase (to the second-floor archives). This makes it so much easier for everyone.”

The microfilm format also made it difficult for people to locate particular names or events unless they know the approximate date the information was originally published. With the new technology, the issues are in a searchable format, making it easier than ever for local genealogists and history enthusiasts to locate information quickly and efficiently.

To help researchers better use and search the new technology, a series of free classes will be offered at the Englehardt branch: the first is scheduled for 6:00 PM on Monday, October 21 (pre-registration is required — call 616-784-2007 to register). The museum also offers time for residents to get assistance with genealogy research from 5:00 to 8:00 PM the second Thursday of each month and during open hours, when staff time permits.

Issues of the Ledger published after 2012 will be added to the online digital collection between six months and one year after publication. The direct link to the digitized Ledger is http://www.kdl.org/reference_resources/go/LowellLedger

New library books were once front-page news

 

Kids Adore Author Mo Willems?

Share your love for award-winning children’s author Mo Willems through books, crafts and games. We will even write him a letter! Guys Read Approved. Programs at the branches below. Click here for links to maps to all our branches.

Schedule:

Tuesday, September 10, 10:00 AM – Cascade Township branch

Wednesday, September 11, 10:00 AM – Cascade Township branch

Tuesday, September 24, 6:30 PM – Comstock Park branch

Wednesday, September 25, 10:30 AM – Comstock Park branch

Tuesday, October 1, 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Wednesday, October 2, 10:00 AM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Thursday, October 3, 10:30 AM – Englehardt branch

Sunday, October 6, 2:00 PM – East Grand Rapids branch

Saturday, October 12, 10:00 AM – Krause Memorial branch

Saturday, October 26, 10:30 AM – Alto branch

Tuesday, November 5, 10:30 AM – Sand Lake / Nelson Township branch

Thursday, November 7, 6:30 PM – Caledonia Township branch

Monday, November 11, 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM – Plainfield Township branch

Wednesday, November 13, 10:00 AM – Gaines Township branch

Wednesday, November 13, 10:00 AM – Plainfield Township branch

Thursday, November 14, 10:00 AM – Plainfield Township branch

Monday, November 18, 7:00 PM – Walker branch

Thursday, November 21, 10:00 AM – Walker branch

Thursday, November 21, 10:30 AM – Wyoming branch

Thursday, November 21, 6:30 PM – Spencer Township branch

Monday, November 25, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch

 

Get Outside! Outdoor Adventures in MI

Bring your family the to Grandville branch for an outdoor adventure on Saturday, September 21 at 1:00 PM.  You’ll get a chance to

See some birds of prey with the Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway
Learn about Michigan animals with the John Ball Zoo
Go geocaching with Khan Hollis
Find out about wild plants for foraging with George Hedgepeth
Pitch a tent and play some games with
Meet local adventure author Daniel Wright
and more!

If you enjoy the outdoors you wont want to miss this BIG event for all ages!

 

Get Outside! Outdoor Adventures in Michigan

Bring your family the to Grandville branch for an outdoor adventure on Saturday, September 21 at 1:00 PM.  You’ll get a chance to

See some birds of prey with the Outdoor Discovery Center Macatawa Greenway
Learn about Michigan animals with the John Ball Zoo
Go geocaching with Khan Hollis
Find out about wild plants for foraging with George Hedgepeth
Pitch a tent and play some games with
Meet local adventure author Daniel Wright
and more!

If you enjoy the outdoors you wont want to miss this BIG event for all ages!

 

Early Lit Bits: Learning with Crafts — Swat-a-Letter

Swat-a-Letter

Learning letters and words can be hard work for young children. Make it fun by constructing a simple letter game where they can play with an item that they are not normally allowed to touch. Purchase a cheap flyswatter and let children have a swat-a-thon.  (Don’t forget to hide your real flyswatter before playing this game. Eww!)

Materials:

New, clean plastic flyswatter
Paper or cardboard
Markers or crayons
Scissors

Directions:

Cut circles from the paper and write a large letter on each circle with a crayon or marker. Place the circles on the floor. Have a child swat the letters he or she recognizes with the flyswatter and say the name of the letter out loud at the same time. (If more than one child is present, have children take turns with the swatter to prevent hands from being swatted by accident.)

Other Ideas:  This is a fun way to practice both uppercase and lower case letters and letter sounds. For older children, write sight words on the circles and have children swat the words as they read them out loud. Try pasting pictures of real bugs on the circles and having children identify the bugs as they swat them.

–Anjie G. at KDL’s Walker branch

This article originally appeared in our Early Lit Bits eNewsletter. Read the most recent issue online or sign up to receive this monthly update highlighting early literacy tips and resources for parents and caregivers.

KDL on WGVU Radio

Each month KDL staff join Shelley Irwin on the WGVU Morning Show to talk about what’s going on at the library. This month, listen to Assistant Director Michelle Boisvenue-Fox talk about the 2nd annual Write Michigan Short Story Contest.

Enjoy!

Download WGVU9-5-13.mp3

(photo courtesy of Shelley Irwin)

 

From the Director: The Card with the Best Rewards

Whether your child is in elementary or secondary school, or you’re attending college or technical school, your No. 1 back-to-school supply should be a KDL card. We offer access to important educational resources — not just books, but online databases filled with credible information that teachers and professors favor — and librarians to help you find, evaluate and use that information.

A new study of undergraduates found that nearly 40 percent of those surveyed began their research process with a search engine, and more than half those students cited the overwhelming amount of information as contributing to their feeling of lack of preparation.

Author Neil Gaiman said it best: “Google can bring you back 100,000 answers; a librarian can bring you back the right one.” Getting information is easy, but getting the right information takes practice. We’ve had 77 years of practice.

 

KDL Top Ten – 9/6/2013

This week’s Top Ten list features 10 of the most popular Nonfiction Football titles at KDL.  If you’ve got football on the brain, rush in and huddle up with a great read today!

Mark Your Calendar: Fall KDL Book Sales

Given that our buildings do not expand and contract with our collection size (but wouldn’t that be cool?), we always need to make room for more new books. This fall, the following branches will offer fabu-licious deals on a whole lot of very tasty books:

Plainfield Township

Friday, September 6, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Saturday, September 7, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sunday, September 8, 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Monday, September 9, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the Plainfield Library

Krause Memorial

Saturday, October 5, 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the Krause Memorial Library

Spencer Township

Saturday, October 12, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Sunday, October 13, 12:00 – 2:00 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the Spencer Township Library

Wyoming

Saturday, October 12, 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the Wyoming Library

Kentwood (Richard L. Root)

Saturday, October 12, 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Library

Sand Lake / Nelson Township

Thursday, October 31, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Friday, November 1, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Saturday, November 2, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the Sand Lake / Nelson Township Library

Cascade Township

Saturday, November 2, 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Sunday, November 3, 1:00 – 4:00 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the Cascade Township Library

East Grand Rapids

Saturday, November 23, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Sunday, November 24, 12:00 – 4:00 PM

Sponsored by the Friends of the East Grand Rapids Library