Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 60

Floral Creations with CJ Brander

Program for Adults

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

East Grand Rapids Library, 746 Lakeside Dr. SE

Description: Master gardener C.J. Brander demonstrates the art of creating unique bouquets from her award-winning garden.

Learn how to create lovely bouquets from your garden. Those who attend will receive an invitation to a Local Garden Tour and a chance to win a beautiful floral bouquet!

Free program

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library of East Grand Rapids

Free Computer Classes

Whether you’re a computer novice or looking to update your skills, KDL’s free computer classes can help you learn something new! Registration opens today for our July classes:

Computer Basics: Where’s My Stuff?
Digital Photos: Online Photo Editing Fun
Digital Photos: Online Photo Sharing, Saving and Ordering
Internet: Digital Audiobook and Music Marketing
Internet: Online Security
Online Research: Genealogy Research I & II
Online Research: Genealogy — FamilySearch.org
Microsoft Excel Basics I & II
Microsoft Excel: Data Analysis
Microsoft PowerPoint Basics
Speak to a Geek (pre-registration not required)

For class descriptions and schedule, please see our brochure or search our events calendar.

Unless otherwise noted, pre-registration is required and will begin the month before the scheduled classes on the first Monday of each month for KDL cardholders and the second Monday for non-KDL cardholders (if space is still available):

July classes: Registration begins Monday, June 2 for KDL cardholders

(Monday, June 9 for non-KDL cardholders)
August classes: Registration begins Monday, July 7 for KDL cardholders

(Monday, July 14 for non-KDL cardholders)

To register, please call 616-784-2007.

Summer Reading @ KDL Starts Today!

Ignite Happiness! Today is the first day of Summer Reading @ KDL, so stop by your local branch and sign up for a summer of reading, programs and prizes! With separate programs for babies, kids, teens and adults, the whole family can get in on the fun.

Don’t forget to check out all the FREE programs and activities listed in the KDL Events Calendar!

We would love to hear from you. Leave us a comment and let us know what books you would like to read this summer, what programs you plan to attend or your favorite thing about our summer reading program.

*** A huge thank you goes out to Consumers Energy for sponsoring Summer Reading @ KDL!

Animals at the Library? Absolutely!

Snakes in the stacks? Bats in the biography section? Goats getting checked out? You bet!

This summer we are featuring a lot of creatures at our programs. Don’t miss out on all the furry and feathered fun! Below is a list of our animal-related programs. Click each link for more information including dates, times and locations.

Radical Reptiles

Critchlow Alligator Sanctuary engages young minds with fascinating facts and real-life encounters with snakes, alligators and turtles.

John Ball Traveling Zoo

Come learn about animals and even get a chance to meet some!

Pet Shows

Is your pet a star? Every critter’s a winner in this unique show designed to put the spotlight on your furry, scaly or feathered friend. All acts must pre-register. Visit your local branch for more details.

Amazing Bats

Can you fly with your hands? Bats can! Meet and learn about the Organization for Bat Conservation’s live bats from around the world.

Agility Dogs Extraordinaire!

Witness extraordinary feats including free-style dancing, nose work and pulling carts, performed by talented dogs from The Well Mannered Dog Center. Learn how these special canines are trained both to be helper dogs and to compete in agility shows.

Farm on the Go

The Critter Barn of Zeeland brings a little of the farm to the city in a program featuring the cutest barnyard animals around for you to touch and pet.

Ruff Readers

KDL is celebrating 10 years of Ruff Readers in partnership with West Michigan Therapy Dogs, Inc. Ruff Readers is a unique read-aloud program that pairs kids with a trained therapy dog and their handler. Kids read their favorite book and the pooches just curl up and listen. Pre-registration is required and spots are limited. Kids will be given a 15-minute time slot as they arrive. For ages 6 and older.

 

Hope to see you there!

Kids: Read to a Book Buddy

Kids version: Are firefighters your favorite thing? Ballerinas the absolute best? Want to spend some one-on-one time with a sports mascot?

Parents version: Kids will be able to spend 10 minutes on Saturday, June 21 reading to a “book buddy,” comprised of local sports figures, fire and police personnel, mascots and other characters, as part of a partnership with the Grand Rapids Public Library and the Heart of West Michigan United Way.

Six of our branches — Englehardt (Lowell), Kentwood (Richard L. Root), Plainfield Township, Sand Lake / Nelson Township, Walker and Wyoming – will take part in an effort to promote 400 Minutes, the amount of time  it is estimated that kids should spend reading each month during summer to prevent summer slide — what those in literacy circles refer to as the reading gains during the school year that can be lost over summer break.

Click here to see time ranges at each of the participating branches.

Anyone who has participated in KDL’s Ruff Readers programs over the last 10 years knows the marked impact it has on kids and reading. This summer, we invite kids to get themselves a book buddy — whether a dog, a firefighter or an athlete — and explore the worlds that a love of reading can open.

 

Nebula Award Winners Announced

The 2013 Nebula Award winners were recently announced by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.  The active members of the group nominate and vote on the winners.

Best Novel: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation: Gravity
Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction & Fantasy book: Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson

 

Early Lit Bits: App Review — AlphaTots

The interactive animations and engaging sound effects in AlphaTots helps children learn the alphabet and letter sounds. Users can listen to a version of the traditional alphabet song and then work on related word activities for each letter of the alphabet. Children will be entertained while learning letters and new vocabulary as they build a robot for the letter “B” or help the plants grow for the letter “G.” Talk to your child and reinforce letters and words as you play this fun and educational app together. It is available for both Apple and Android devices.

– Julie R. at KDL’s Caledonia Township 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 Top Ten — eAudiobooks

June is Audiobook Month!  Help us celebrate, check out eAudiobooks from KDL’s Downloadable eBook site!   Here are 10 of the most popular eAudiobooks right now at KDL:

Author Maya Angelou Dies at Age 86

Well-known author and poet Maya Angelou died Wednesday in North Carolina at the age of 86.  Her most well-known memoir was published in 1969, “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,” and is a lyrical account of growing up in the south during Jim Crow laws.   Her memoirs eventually included six volumes, which received critical acclaim, along with her poetry collections.

Maya Angelou delivered an inaugural poem at the swearing in of Bill Clinton in 1993.  President Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, the country’s highest civilian honor.  She additional was a Tony-nominated stage actor, a college professor and a frequent guest on a variety of television programs.

See a list of Maya Angelou’s books

 

Updated eBook Site

Those of you who use KDL’s eBook site may have noticed that things look a little different now! OverDrive has updated the layout of our site with the following new features:

The layout of the homepage has been updated to feature smaller, more mobile-friendly images:

 

 

This layout update also reduces user clicks by adding the ability to borrow, sample, share, add to Wish List, and see title details all directly from the cover image:

 

Please let us know if you have any questions about this latest update.

Happy Downloading!