HPL Readers' Advisory Blog

Just in case you weren't able to attend one of Helen Kelly's Readers' Advisory Workshops!.

There is now an HPL Readers' Advisory Blog for library staff to exchange suggestions, get help with tough Readers' Advisory questions and post our success stories:

http://hplreadersadvisory.blogspot.com/

October 23rd is International School Library Day

Find out more

New teen books

Check out some of the new books in for teens

Read it - New book, great books and more

Markus Concert

Popular children's performer Markus

is holding a concert on Friday, October 13th at 7:00 pm at Mohawk College Theatre.

Proceeds will go towards supporting the

Week of the Child and Youth.

Markus has 8 award winning children's CDs and is well known for his performances with Bob the Builder and on Treehouse TV.

Tickets are $8 and can be purchased until October 10th

by contacting Jen Gal at ext. 5934.

Hello Song

TURKEY Rhubarb's performance of the Hello Song at Kenilworth is now posted on the Programs for Kids page. Multilingual listening fun for the whole family with thanks to Helen K.

We did it!!

Congratulations to all! The Quest for Heroes Summer 2006 Summer Reading extravaganza is officially over. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication; we look forward to your feedback.

Our Stories - Coming to Canada

The Enjoy Summer Learning program invites newcomer children and youth between the ages of 7 and 21, to share their experiences of immigrating through the Our Stories - Coming to Canada project. Written submissions and drawings can be accepted at all branches and sent to Jen Gal in Youth Services. Children are also invited to join us to share their stories with others at four library events:

• Terryberry Library - Wednesday, August 16th, 10 am -11 am
• Central Library - Wednesday, August 16th, 2 pm - 3 pm
• Red Hill Library - Thursday, August 17th, 10 am - 11 am
• Westdale Library - Tuesday, August 22nd 1 pm - 2 pm

Check out the HPL website under Kids' Programs for more details: www.hpl.ca/Kids/KidsPrograms/ESLOurStories

Summer Reading Rewards

The summer is now in full swing and kids are starting to redeem their Summer Reading Rewards vouchers to relieve up to $5 in fines.

There are a few changes to the procedures for redeeming the vouchers this year:
- It is no longer necessary to add a note to the patron's record.
- Vouchers can be redeemed by parents as well as children and teens.
- Vouchers can be used once on one card and cannot be divided to pay fines on multiple cards.

Check out Summer Reading News on HPLNet for the full circulation procedures.

Children’s Dandelion Festival

Green Venture, a non-profit environmental organization working in partnership with the City of Hamilton, presents the Children's Dandelion Festival, an exciting program that teaches children about healthy gardening without the use of pesticides. Children will explore the world of plants and critters, play the Web of Life Game, and have fun with an art project.

To book the Dandelion Festival for your branch, please contact the Kevin Friedrich or Andrea Magakian by phone at 905.540.8787 ext. 18 or by email at garden@greenventure.ca.

Power of the Pen - Only 2 weeks until the deadline

The Power of the Pen deadline is fast approaching!

The deadline is July 31st - only 2 weeks left for teens to submit their original poems and short stories. Please make sure that you still have some entry forms on hand and remind Teen Summer Readers, Parents and Reading Buddies volunteers about this fantastic opportunity.

So far, the online submission form is working like a charm and has been very popular to date.

Marine Discovery Centre

The Marine Discovery Centre, located at Pier 8 in Hamilton, has generously offered to visit branches this summer to provide free children’s programs focusing on marine conservation. The program can be geared to suit whatever age range and length of time would work best for your branch and can include storytelling, a craft, an experiment, or a visit from the Marine Discovery Centre mascot.

If you are interested in bringing this program to your branch or if you would like more details about what the program will include, please contact Krista Taylor, krista.taylor@pc.gc.ca.

Summer Student Retreat

The Summer Student Retreat is scheduled for next week Thursday, July 20th from 9-11:30 at the Central Library in the Hamilton Room.

Please let us know who will be attending from your location(s) so we can ensure sufficient snacks. We would like as many Summer Literacy Workers as possible to attend.

We will be reviewing some key issues, answering questions, and running through some of the end of summer aspects of the program.

Summer Festival of Reading

The Summer Festival of Reading on Saturday, July 8th on the Jackson Square Rooftop was great fun. We had a good turnout during the afternoon's family festivities with lots of activities and performances. A good crowd attended the teen portion of the event, during the evening, which included performances by local bands and several Teen Open Mic favourites.

Thank you to the Summer Literacy Workers and Central Security Staff who assisted.

Kick-off performances are in full swing

In branch kick-off performances are well underway. Magic, music and reptiles - what more could we ask for?

On Wednesday, 75 kids and parents headed to Picton to enjoy the Reptile Man's friends and creatures.

All reports indicate that Summer Reading is off to a wonderful start. Continued success to all!

Summer Reading - Here we go!

Here we are, Day 1 of Summer Reading 2006.

Let the "Quest for Heroes" begin!

Teen Summer Reading Prizes

The remaining Teen Summer Reading prizes will be sent out on Monday, June 26th. The Teen Online Summer Reading will go live on Wednesday, June 28th but all the summer reading information will be posted by the end of this week.

Veggies Smart

The Veggie Smart Program is completely booked for August.
Apologies to anyone who missed out!
The Cancer Assistance Program is offering a Veggie Smart program focusing on the importance of making healthy food choices and eating a balanced diet.
The program will have a superheroes theme and will consist of puppet shows and games (dependent on the audience). Stickers and bookmarks will also be distributed as part of the visits.

A number of branches have already booked Veggie Smart visits, but for branches that haven’t it sounds like a great program option for Reading Buddies.
The Veggie Smart program is only offered during August and is currently available on the following dates:
· August – 2, 3, 4, 11, 17, 18, 21

If you are interested, you can book this directly through Megan or Laura at the Cancer Assistance Program at 905-383-9797.
Book your visits soon as their calendar is filling up quickly!

Welcome to HPL Summer Reading News

Summer Reading gets started Wednesday, June 28th.

Summer Reading News is the place to look for all the information you need to keep Summer Reading running smoothly and successfully at your branch. Here you will find all the key details and any important updates.