Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 75

No Heat at Grandville Branch

UPDATE: Although heat has not yet been restored, the Grandville Branch is open. You may want to bundle up if you choose to visit today

The Grandville Branch is currently closed due to no heat. They hope to reopen around noon today (Monday, February 24). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Updates to LearningExpress Library

LearningExpress Library, a popular database that provides access to over 1,000 online practice tests and skill-building tutorials, has recently been updated with a new & improved site design, easier to use navigation, new interactive tutorials and more!

 

 

The new site is divided into 9 “learning centers”:

Adult Learning Center – math, reading and writing skills, U.S. Citizenship exam prep

 

Career Center – career exploration, occupation certification and military exam prep

 

High School Equivalency Center – exam prep for the new GED

 

College Preparation Center – college admission test prep, including ACT, SAT, AP Exams, PSAT & TOEFL

 

Recursos para Hispanohablantes  – Spanish-language resources, including math, reading and writing skills and U.S. Citizenship exam prep

 

College Center – academic skills review in math, reading, writing and science, exam prep for graduate school admission tests (including GRE, GMAT, LSAT & MCAT), college placement exams and CLEP exams

 

School Center – resources for elementary, middle and high school students for skills improvement in math, reading, science, social studies, vocabulary and writing

 

Computer Skills Center – interactive video tutorials for computer & Internet basics, popular Microsoft & Adobe software programs and Windows & Mac operating systems

 

Job & Career Accelerator – explore careers, search for jobs, create resume and cover letters and prep for interviews

 

Please note that previous logins do not carry over to the new version – if you’ve already set up an account in the old version, you will need to register fresh for the new LearningExpress Library. However, the old site will still be available until June 30 if you need to finish up any previously accessed tests or tutorials. Right now our link goes to a special introductory page where you can either register for the new version or go back (temporarily) to the old version.

You can watch a guided tour video of the new & improved LearningExpress Library or try it out yourself!

 

Early Lit Bits: Book Review — “Snow Dog, Go Dog”

Snow Dog, Go Dog by Deborah Heiligman

Tinka is a golden retriever who loves a good romp in the snow. She frolics a bit too far from home and gets lost, but ends up safe and sound by the end of this rhyming tale. This book is fun to read aloud, with a bouncy rhythm and great repetition. Look at the bright illustrations and talk about what Tinka is doing in the snow. Ask your child what he likes to do on a snowy day. Have your child point to the words that repeat on each page, and talk about the words that sound alike. Make a list together of other words that sound like “dog.” Talking about words and the sounds letters make helps your child get ready to read!

–Liz W. at KDL’s Plainfield 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 — Books on Healthy Cooking

Enjoy this tasty Top Ten!  This week’s list serves up 10 of the most popular books in KDL’s Cooking Healthy section:

Sand Lake Branch Closing at 3:00 PM

Due to worsening road conditions, the Sand Lake / Nelson Township Branch will close at 3:00 PM today (Friday, February 21). They plan to reopen tomorrow. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Grandville Branch Closed — No Power

The Grandville Branch will be closed the remainder of the day (Friday, February 21) due to a power outage. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Future Teen Fiction Releases

Did you know that each month KDL compiles a list of teen fiction that will be released in future months? This list includes many popular authors, and it is a great way to keep an eye out for exciting new fiction. Holds may be placed on all of the titles, so watch the list so you can place a hold for your favorite author right away.

This month’s list includes new books by Lauren Oliver, Erin Hunter and Joseph Delaney. You could even plan ahead for summer, with new releases in June from Lisi Harrison, Lisa McMann and Sara Shepard.

Are you anticipating the release of the next book in your favorite series? Note that you are able to place a hold for the third book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series (Dreams of Gods & Monsters will be released on April 8) as well as the sixth book in The Mortal Instruments series (City of Heavenly Fire will be released on May 27).

Place your holds today, and watch for a new Future Fiction list in the beginning of March.

                        

Phone System Currently Unavailable

The phone system in our Patron Services department is currently unavailable. If you call our main number (616-784-2007), you will hear a message stating that the library is closed and asking you to leave a voice mail. Don’t worry — we are open, and we will be monitoring and responding to voice mails when the system is restored. Or you can contact us via our Ask KDL email and online chat options.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and hope to be back up & running again soon.

UPDATE: The phone system is back up and running again. Please feel free to call us at 616-784-2007. Thanks for your patience!

 

Dystopian Fiction for Teens

Still looking for the next great dystopian book to hold you over until The Hunger Games or Divergent movies are released? Well, KDL has two new booklists for you! The first one is Dystopian Fiction for Teens, which gives you some great new titles like Starters by Lissa Price and Beta by Rachel Cohn.  KDL also has an If You Like Divergent booklist with series like Birthmarked by Caragh O’Brien and Blood Red Road by Moira Young.

                 

New Language Learning Resource for Kids

Many of you may be familiar with our popular Mango Languages resource that offers KDL cardholders free language learning courses for 61 foreign and 18 ESL languages. Thanks to generous donations to KDL, we’ve now also added Little Pim, which is powered by Mango but designed specifically for children. Little Pim is a fun and convenient way to introduce a child to a foreign language in a way they can understand and enjoy. Courses are available in nine foreign languages (Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish) as well as English/ESL. 

Each language is taught via a series of videos led by an adorable panda teacher (“Little Pim”) and features native speakers, excellent pacing, activities and concept groupings to make the language learning process fun and easy:

 

Try it out now: (At the Mango launch screen, just scroll down and click Quick Start if you just want to take a look and don’t want to set up a login to save your progress.)