Value of Summer Reading

Summer is a lot of fun at the library. Children are coming in for storytimes, crafts, music, magic and more. They are participating in the Summer Reading program and getting bags, prizes and goodies just for reading. We have programs and activities for young people from birth through high school.

Why do we go to so much trouble and effort to keep the young people reading in the summer? Studies have shown that children who read four or five books during the summer can prevent the reading achievement losses that normally occur over those months. In a study in the Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk in 2004, researcher Jimmy S. Kim found that regardless of race, socioeconomic level, or previous achievement children who read more books fared better on reading-comprehension tests in the fall than their peers who had read one or no books over the summer.

This summer slump has been recognized by educators for a long time. In order to encourage their students to participate in the library summer reading program, the principals of Coffeyville Community Elementary and the South Coffeyville Elementary school will have a special surprise for their students who bring their completed Summer Reading Certificates to school in August. Also the library will give a certificate to the school that has the largest percentage of children participating in the reading part of the summer activities.

Entering the summer reading program is easy. Come to the library, pick up a bag and fill out a registration form. You can do this anytime the library is open. As the children read during summer, they will receive a ticket for attendance at programs, number of books read or time spent reading, reading the special Bookshelf books and completing the program. At the final session, July 30th, these tickets can be redeemed for prizes. If you cannot come to the final session, you can redeem the tickets at the library from July 30 through August 15. You will get your Summer Reading Certificate when you get your prizes.

Reading with your child/grandchild/special friend during the summer is one of the best things you can do to help his/her school achievement and success in life. Participating in the summer reading program at the library can make it fun.

Staff Picks

Are you looking for a good book to read? Have you read all of the ones that your favorite author has written and are wondering what to read next? If so, Staff Picks are for you.

During the month of May the display at the Library is full of the books that the staff likes. Each book has the name of the person who picked it. If you find that you like the same books as a staff member, you can talk to the person about other books you might like.

Post a comment to let me know what some of your favorite books are.

Jennifer

We the People Bookshelf

The Coffeyville Public Library has been awarded a We the People Bookshelf - Picturing America. The Bookshelf is a set of classic books for young readers from Kindergarten through high school.
Each year National Endowment for the Humanities identifies a theme important to the nation's heritage and selects books that embody that theme. This collection of theme-related books is the Bookshelf. In addition to introducing young readers to good literature, the Bookshelf promotes understanding of abstract or general ideas through the power of particular stories.

Titles selected for the We the People Bookshelf might highlight important chapters in American history; or express universal themes that are integral parts of American culture. The books are intended to represent the rich texture of the American heritage, a tradition that has incorporated ideas and texts from around the world.
NEH awards the Bookshelves to libraries across the country for use in programs primarily for young people. In return for receiving a Bookshelf, libraries organize programs that highlight the theme and encourage young readers to explore the selected books. At our library, children who read one of the Bookshelf books during the summer will receive an extra Summer Reading ticket that can be used to select a prize. The children will write reviews for the books. We will post the reviews on our website. There will be a special program in the fall for the families of children who have read one or more of the books.
In the Picturing America Bookshelf, readers are invited to steer their way across the continent by river with Lewis and Clark in 1802, travel the railroad with Robert Louis Stevenson in 1879, or drive along the open highways with John Steinbeck and his dog Charley in 1960. Through the life and poetry of Walt Whitman emerge powerful images of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln; through the life and lens of Dorothea Lange we witness the impersonal forces and human faces of the Depression.
The books are in the Children’s room at the library. People of all ages are welcome to check them out. If you would like to write a review or just make some comments about the book, let any of the staff know and we will be glad to post it on our website.

Image courtesy of Julie Paschkis
(www.juliepaschkis.com)

Save Money @ Your Library

Have you used the library to help save money during tough times? Share your story with Woman’s Day magazine!

The public library plays an important role as Americans face tough economic times. Libraries offer their communities access to computers and the Internet, financial literacy skills, assistance with job searches, and resources to help small businesses.

Do you have a story about using the resources and services at the library to save money, search for a job or manage your small business? If so, you could be selected to appear in Woman’s Day magazine.

Between February 17 – May 18, women 18 and over are invited to tell their story in 700 words or less and send it to womansday@ala.org. Up to four stories will be highlighted in the March 2010 issue of Woman’s Day. For more information and to read the official rules, visit www.womansday.com/ala.

The initiative was developed by Woman’s Day and the American Library Association’s (ALA) Campaign for America’s Libraries, (ala.org/@yourlibrary) ALA's public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

Swine Flu

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention is providing daily information about the swine flu outbreak. Their website also has infomation on travel notices and general information on the illness.

Here are their tips on how to stay healthy:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

For more information go to their website: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ You can also sign up to receive email notices and to follow their information on Twitter.

If you would like more information about swine flu go to the Kansas Government Information site at http://ksdocs.blogspot.com/2009/04/swine-flu.html

Bloggers Help Raise Money for Injured Child.

A group of people who regularly contribute to the Topeka Capitol Journal blog have raised over $1000 to give to the mother of a child who was severely injured. Money could be directly given to one of the bloggers who set up the fund raising and it could be sent through the PayPal account of another of the organizers.

At the CJonline website each story has a blog (or web log) following it that allows people to make comments on the story. The blog on the story about the burned little boy begins with some people just talking about the incident. Then one of the bloggers asked if anyone would be interested in contributing to a collection that she was taking for the mother and little boy. Another asked if anyone had a PayPal account and he would be glad to donate. Soon a person with an account set it up for people to donate through it.

To find out more about the story go to http://cjonline.com/news/local/2009-04-16/fund_for_babys_mom_growing_fast

It is nice to know that even as people change the methods they use to communicate (online social networking instead of talking over the back fence) that the willingness to help people in need is still there.

Free Kids Circus Tickets

Walker Bros. Circus is coming to Coffeyville. The circus will be held at the Kansas Army National Guard Armory 2669 Perl Schmid Drive.

The circus will be here on Wednesday April 22. The shows are at 5:30 and 7:30 pm.

You can pick up your free tickets for children 14 years and younger at the Children's Desk at the library.