Youth Services is seeing RED!

Have you noticed an abundance of red stickers on some of the books in Youth Services lately? Are you wondering what they mean?  Good news!  This new labeling system is to assist you and your younger child in finding just the right books, especially when browsing the shelves.

The large red “T” sticker on the spine of some Easy picture books indicates that this book is great for teaching early literacy concepts such as colors, numbers, shapes, opposites, or phonics, as well as containing short rhyming text, well-known children’s songs or nursery rhymes. Each book is a good example of at least one of the 5 practices that develop early literacy skills:  read, write, sing, talk and play. These books are suitable for any age, but particularly for 1 – 5 year olds.  For a list of books demonstrating these practices, and more information on early literacy, visit the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy website.
              

Can’t get your 3 year old to leave the library without checking out a Spiderman or Dora book, but you don’t know where to find them in the Easy books?  Favorite character books are now located on shelves under the windows of the Mayfield South room, and are marked with clear red tape over the spine label.  This collection includes favorite characters, mostly from television shows, and they are organized by the main character’s name:  Barbie, Caillou, Dora, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Lego, Sesame Street, and Thomas, to name a few.  These books are typically written by many different authors, so this is a way to keep them together.
               

 If you are looking for more traditional, literary characters that generally are written by a single author, they will remain located in the Easy book collection.  This includes characters such as Arthur, Angelina Ballerina, Franklin, Froggy, Madeline, and Curious George. 

Hope this helps you find what you want!  As always, you can ask any friendly Youth Services staff person for assistance and advice.

$ Money Smart Week $

What do you know about money? That you want more of it? What about how to save money, reduce debt and plan for your future (because you'll need money in your future, right)? The Library is all about sharing knowledge and wants people of all ages to learn how to take care of themselves by taking care of their money. We are celebrating Money Smart Week during the week of April 5th with fun and interesting programs that encourage skillful money habits and strong financial futures for Youth, Teens and Adults. Money Smart Week is a national public awareness campaign designed to help people better manage their finances through free educational seminars and activities, and there is no better place to start than at the Library. You can learn more at www.moneysmartweek.org, and in the meantime, check out the these great programs and register your seat today.

ADULTS:
Taking Control of Your Cash: Eliminating Debt Mon. Apr. 7th, 7-8PM
Getting Fiscally Fit Tues. Apr. 8th, 7-8PM

TEENS:
Dessert on a Dime Tues. Apr. 8th, 6-7PM

YOUTH:
Money Smart Week: Money Madness! Mon. Apr. 7th, 4:30-5:15PM
What's In Your Wallet! Wed. Apr. 9th, 4:30-5:30PM
Pennies and Piggies Fri. Apr. 11th, 10-10:30AM

Get a handle on your money at the Library with our many books about personal finance, and get a head start on shining up that golden nest egg.

The Password Is...

Hurry, Hurry, don’t delay, change that password right away!

Did you know that you, and only you, can create a permanent password for your library account?  Well, it’s true!!  When you received your new library card you were issued a temporary password and every time one of our library’s friendly staff changes your password, that password is also temporary.  Those temporary passwords are simply not long for this world.

So next time you log into your account with a TEMPORARY password, click on the “Account Preferences” tab and change it to a permanent password. You’ll be glad you did.

(1) After logging in to your account, click on the “Account Preferences” tab  (highlighted in red in the image below)

(2) Click “Change” on the line for your password.  You will then be prompted to enter the current password as well as the new permanent password.

Forgot your password?

Maybe you did create a permanent password for your library account, but simply forgot it.  Have no fear!  This too can be easily resolved:

From the “Log in to Your Account” screen, click on the “Forgot your password?” link (outlined in red).

The next screen will ask for your barcode or user name (you only need one of the two) and the email address associated with the library account.  Once the system determines that the account and email address are connected, an email will be sent containing a link to change the password.  Simply follow the directions in the email and you will be able to access your account in no time.

Since you set this password yourself it can remain as your permanent password.

REMINDER:  Passwords must be 7 characters (or more) in length and contain at least one number.

Remembering Robert Frost

March 26th marks the 140th anniversary of Robert Frost's birth.  Considered by many to be New England's premier poet, Frost was named for the Southern Gen. Robert E. Lee.  Born in San Francisco in 1874, Frost moved to Massachusetts when he was 11. Slow to find his niche, Frost dropped out of both Dartmouth and Harvard.  He attempted teaching and poultry farming before moving to England with his wife, Elinor, and their children.  It was in England that Frost wrote some of his most memorable poems, including Mending Wall  and The Death of the Hired Man.  Returning to America at the start of World War I, Frost became one of the first poets-in-residence at Amherst College and later the University of Michigan. In 1920 he co-founded the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College.  Winner of four Pulitzer prizes, Frost continued to write, teach, and lecture until his death in 1963.

Fans of Robert Frost’s poetry will find much to enjoy in Tim Kendall’s The Art of Robert Frost, a guide to understanding the style and motivation of the man through detailed analyses of 65 of his works. You can listen to Frost read one of his best-loved poems, The Road Not Taken, at Poets.org.

Coffee and Pie with Local Author Amy Sorrells

"How Sweet the Sound," the debut novel by Zionsville author Amy Sorrells, is a coming-of-age tale set in Alabama in the summer of 1980. Author Lori Borgman says, "How Sweet the Sound takes on the hard things of life. Author Amy Sorrells writes with tenderness, grace and the heartbroken voice of experience.” Join us on Tuesday, March 25th at 6:30pm as Amy talks about writing her first novel, the editing and publishing process, and answers your questions. We'll have coffee and tastings of pecan pie from My Sugar Pie, and a book signing afterward. Two lucky attendees will take home a signed copy of Amy's book. Amy is a winner of the 2012 Women of Faith Writing Contest and a two-time ACFW Genesis Award semi-finalist. A registered nurse for a large hospital, she started writing as a journalist for medical publications and was a weekly op-ed columnist for her local newspaper. When not writing or reading, Amy can be found covered in dirt while gardening or covered in paint while refurbishing antiques. A graduate of DePauw University, Amy lives with her husband, three sons, and Golden Retrievers in Zionsville. Don't miss this opportunity to talk with a local author about her craft. Adults only. Please register for this program.

Kids are thinking green today, so are these books!

Green is the color of the day, check out these kids books that won't get any pinches today!

Go Green  for the Earth at any age!  With Earth Day on the way, you'll want to grab our Earth friendly resources.   

Do you want to be even more green?  Check out our craft books, and see what Crafts from Recyclables you can make!

We have a nice DVD series entitled Curiosity Quest Goes green.  You can learn about glass recycling, E-recycling, sanitary landfills, and much more!

If it just plain old green fun you are looking to share, try these family favorites!

Green Eggs and Ham

Where is the Green Sheep?

Go away big Green Monster 

Small Green Snake

Grandpa Green

Red Light, Green Light

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Green

In the non-fiction area, you can find Green Everywhere as well as lots of other color books if you're not feeling particularly green today.

Two Teen Programs This Week!

The bad news is I made a mess.  The good news is that we still have spots open for Wednesday's Mint Tin Speaker program and Saturday's Divergent Party.  Wednesday's program is our way of celebrating Teen Tech Week, which gives libraries across the country a chance to show teens all the great materials and activities available to them.  As a bonus, we are having our Divergent Party this Saturday, in anticipation of next Friday's release of the bestselling book hitting the big screen.  Spots are still open for teens in grades 6-12, so sign up and we'll see you later this week.

Billion Dollar Bracket

In case you haven’t heard, a $1 billion prize awaits that lucky someone who can predict a perfect 2014 Men's NCAA basketball tournament bracket in Quicken Loans Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge (backed by Berkshire Hathaway CEO, Warren Buffett).

The question that leaps to my mind is: How lucky would I have to be to win?  According to USA Today, there are roughly 9 quintillion ways to fill out the bracket.  Huh? If you, like me, need help navigating the murky world of statistics, let me recommend Charles Wheelan's Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from Data.  Wheelan brings mathematical concepts to life with entertaining chapters like: "Inference: Why my statistics professor thought I might have cheated" and "Correlation: How does Netflix know what movies I like?" The San Francisco Chronicle calls Naked Statistics, “The best math teacher you never had . . . filled with practical lessons, like how to judge the validity of polls, why you should never buy a lottery ticket, and how to keep an eye out for red flags in public statements.”

What were the chances of Ireland, Indiana, population 400, sending a team to the Sweet Sixteen of Indiana High School Basketball in 1963?  Almost impossible—given the team’s physical limitations (the tallest starter was 5'9") and the strength of the competition—but it happened.  Mike Roos describes the rocky road to victory in One Small Town, One Crazy Coach: The Ireland Spuds and the 1963 Indiana High School Basketball Season. If you grew up in Southern Indiana and don't mind a little reimagined "honest to goodness" Hoosier dialog, you'll want to revisit this amazing story.

For a nostalgic road trip around the state, check out Kyle Neddenriep's Historic Hoosier Gyms: Discovering Bygone Basketball Landmarks.  Neddenriep presents a brief history of 100 memorable gyms complete with current, color photographs (inside and out).  And on a final high note, check out newly-published Wooden: A Coach's Life by respected sports analyst, Seth Davis, which tells the story of the former Purdue All-American player who led UCLA to a record-breaking run of 10 NCAA championships in twelve seasons.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fill out my bracket.

Aromatherapy: Aromatic Camino

Zionsville resident and nurse aromatherapist Pam Conrad returns to the Library on Tuesday at 7pm to talk about her 75-mile journey on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route through Spain. She'll discuss the essential oils and aromatherapy treatments she developed and used therapeutically during the sojourn to promote wellness for herself and her fellow travelers. You'll learn how to naturally combat aches and pains, fatigue, jet lag, stress and insomnia, as well as how to boost energy. One lucky attendee will win one of Pam's special aromatherapy lotions. Adults only. Tuesday, March 11th at 7pm. Please register for this program. Make your life better at the Library.

Winter Reading Challenge Teen Winner

Congrats to Emma!  She is one of four teens selected at random to receive a Winter Reading Challenge prize basket.  With four exciting options Emma selected the gaming basket, which contained Super Mario Brothers Duct Tape, a Batman ice cube tray, Geek Magnetic Poetry and candy.  Thanks to Emma and everyone who picked up and returned their Challenge Sheets!