Kent District Library (MI)'s Blog, page 78
February 8, 2014
KDL on WGVU Radio — Early Childhood Essentials
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 Youth Specialist Morgan Doane talk about our free Early Childhood Essentials classes for parents & caregivers.
Upcoming classes include:
• Inexpensive Green Early Literacy Activities
• Getting Ready to Write, 0 – 3 Year Olds
• Getting Ready to Write, 3 – 5 Year Olds
• Finding Balance in Everyday Life
• Discovering Play
• and more!
Sessions offers one hour of professional development. Pre-registration is required and class size is limited — click on the links above or call 616-784-2007 to register. (Adults only please; child care is not provided.)
Enjoy!
(photo courtesy of Shelley Irwin)
February 7, 2014
KDL Top Ten — Books on Knitting
Enjoy spinning a good yarn? This Top Ten’s for you! These are 10 of the most popular Knitting books this month at KDL:
For more warm fuzzies, visit our Knitting Books board on Pinterest.
And if you’re still reading because you thought you might get the chance to tell us a story, I have good news — there’s still time to participate in our “Share Your Story” program! However, not much time; the last day is tomorrow February 8. Find instructions here: http://www.kdl.org/about/go/shareyourstory
Books with Extras
Two recent bestsellers have been released with extra-textual gimmicks that just might draw you right in. Documents, pictures, letters and more function as a driving force in the plot of these novels.
S. (Ship of Theseus) by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst
A work from famed director J.J. Abrams and noted novelist Doug Dorst combines a traditional narrative with a second story in the form of notes scribbled in the margins by two readers of the main narrative, in a story that also features clues online and in real life.
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
When the daughter of an enigmatic cult horror film director is found dead in an abandoned Manhattan warehouse, veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath, disbelieving the official suicide ruling, probes into the strange circumstances of the young woman’s death while being drawn into the director’s eerie world.
(If you have a smartphone or tablet, be sure to download the free app from your app store.)
If you enjoy this type of book, you may also enjoy the authors A.S. Byatt, Nick Bantock or Mark Z. Danielewski.
February 5, 2014
Healthy Kent County: Share Your Thoughts
Access to affordable care? More mental health services? More grocers selling healthy foods? What are the most pressing needs in Kent County when it comes to our health? We have teamed up with Healthy Kent to give you the opportunity to share your input about the health issues that concern you most.
Several KDL branches will host a 2014 Community Health Needs Assessment. Data gathered from previous surveys and studies will be presented, and then attendees will be asked to discuss health topics and share ideas on how health issues can be improved. Refreshments will be provided and guests will have the chance to win a $25 gift card to Meijer.
To RSVP for the meetings or for more information (including a schedule of dates, times and locations), please visit www.kentcountychna.org.
Sand Lake Branch Temporarily Closed
UPDATE: The Sand Lake/Nelson Township Branch has reopened for business. DTE has been on site and given the all clear for patrons and staff to re-enter the building.
The Sand Lake / Nelson Township Branch is temporarily closed due to a reported gas smell. They will remain closed as the gas company investigates. We apologize for any inconvenience but we want to make sure our employees and customers are safe.
New TrueFlix Learning Resource for Kids
We are pleased to offer a new online resource just for kids — TrueFlix from children’s publisher Scholastic!
TrueFlix uses interactive nonfiction books (called “True Books”) to help students hone literacy skills, build knowledge of subject-area content and cultivate 21st-century skills through the inquiry process. All titles are supported with related content and primary sources featuring videos, audio, images and text. This is similar to a related product from Scholastic, BookFlix, but focuses on purely nonfiction content instead of including fictional storybooks.
For example, if you’re a little sick of the local weather, you can watch a video and read a book about Tropical Rain Forests:
Each book includes a “Read Along” option so the text can be read aloud. Key vocabulary words are also highlighted, and can be clicked on to display definitions:
TrueFlix supports Common Core standards by featuring multiple text types and a cross-curricular, nonfiction focus. There are also related educational resources available, such as lesson plans, project ideas, quizzes, word matches, primary sources and web resources.
You can watch an overview of this new product, or try it out yourself!
February 4, 2014
Two for Tuesday – Mysteries
2 Ancient Mysteries To Dig Into
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths
The start of an exciting new crime series featuring quirky, tart-tongued archaeologist Ruth Galloway as she investigates a child’s bones found on a nearby beach, thought to be the remains of a little girl who went missing ten years before until the evidence points to a much older crime.
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
The Irish landscape holds secrets past and present in this series debut as archaeologist Cormac O’Callaghan and pathologist Nora Gavin are thrown into a web of mystery and Irish lore when a decapitated woman is found in the bogs who may be related to a recent mother and child disappearance.
KDL Writers Conference is Back!
What: Third annual Celebrate the Mitten Writers Conference
When: Saturday, March 29, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Where: Cascade Township Branch
Cost: Free
Lots more info here!
Registration starts today for KDL’s popular conference for writers! Published authors including — but not limited to — novelists Kristina Riggle and Aric Davis and publishing insiders from Christian publishing giant Baker Books, literary agent and editor Credo Communications and self-published authors’ helper PublishSavvy, just to name a few, will share their experiences and tips on how to take your writing to the next level, book marketing and social media, query letters and book proposals, and more. All genres and skill levels are welcome. Separate pre-registration is required for morning and afternoon sessions and participant spots are limited. Co-sponsored by Baker Books, Credo Communications, Publish Savvy and Pot-Boilers. To register, call 616-784-2007 or click on the links below.
Register early; spots for this event go very quickly and walk-ins cannot be accommodated!
9:00 AM – 12:45 PM — Morning Session (geared to not-yet published writers, but all are welcome)
9:00 – 9:30 AM — Welcome and Introductions
9:45 – 10:30 AM — Five Things Aspiring Writers Should Know (Because There’s Not Enough Time for 10) — author and editor Shelly Beach and author Kristina Riggle
10:40 – 11:20 AM — Traditional, Self-Publish or Can I Do Both? – Shannon Janeczek, owner of Publish Savvy; author and micropublisher Don Pearson, novelist Aric Davis
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM – You Can Do This: An Editor’s Manifesto – How to Stay Motivated and Keep Moving toward Publication – Chad Allen, editorial director, Baker Books
30 minutes to network/sell books/trade business cards
12:45 – 1:45 PM – Lunch on your own
1:45 – 5:00 PM — Afternoon Session (geared to published authors, but all are welcome)
1:45 – 2:00 PM: Welcome and Introductions
2:00 – 2:45 PM — Social Media & Book Marketing Tips, Tricks and Gaffes — Children’s Author Sandy Carlson; Shannon Janeczek, Publish Savvy
2:55 – 3:40 PM — Query Letters & Book Proposals: What are They? Do I Need Them? — Shelly Beach, novelist Aric Davis
3:45 – 4:30 PM — Taking Your Writing to the Next Level – literary agent and copy editor Ann Byle, science fiction author Jim Hines
30 minutes to network/sell books/trade business cards
February 3, 2014
Write Michigan: And the Winners Are…
Nearly 900 Michigan writers entered the second annual Write Michigan short story contest, and after preliminary judges whittled those entries to a list of finalists, you voted for your favorites.
Click here to see a complete list of winners.
Also, mark your calendar for 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 22, when winners will gather at the Kentwood (Richard L. Root) Branch for an awards ceremony and the kickoff sale of the collection of their work.
Congratulations to the winners, and until next year!
Free Computer Classes and Job Seeker Workshops
Whether you’re a computer novice or looking to update your skills, KDL’s free computer classes and workshops for job seekers can help you learn something new! Registration opens today for our March classes:
Computer Basics: Mousing and More
Computer Basics: Where’s My Stuff?
Computer Basics: Windows 8 — Using It and Loving It! (B.Y.O. Laptop)
Gadgets: BYO eReader & Tablet Users Group
(pre-registration not required)
Internet: Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.com
Internet: Google — More Than Just a Search Engine
Internet: Internet Basics & More
Internet: Online Genealogy Research I & II
Internet: Online Resources for Book Lovers
Internet: Online Security
Internet: The Lowell Ledger Online — Explore Your Local History
Internet: Wikipedia Editors Meet-Up
Internet: Wikipedia, the Encyclopedia for Everyone!
Microsoft Excel Basics I & II
Microsoft Excel: Data Analysis
Microsoft PowerPoint Basics
Microsoft Word Basics I, II & III
Speak to a Geek (pre-registration not required)
Career Transitions Workshop: Developing Your Personal Brand (pre-registration not required)
Career Transitions Workshop: Communicating Your Brand (pre-registration not required)
Career Transitions Workshop: Networking (pre-registration not required)
Career Transitions Workshop: LinkedIn Bookcamp (pre-registration not required if you bring your own laptop)
Career Transitions Workshop: Behavioral Interviewing (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):
March classes: Registration begins Monday, February 3 for KDL cardholders
(Monday, February 10 for non-KDL cardholders)
April classes: Registration begins Monday, March 3 for KDL cardholders
(Monday, March 10 for non-KDL cardholders)
May classes: Registration begins Monday, April 7 for KDL cardholders
(Monday, April 14 for non-KDL cardholders)
To register, please call 616-784-2007.
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