1000 Books B4K

 

11-15-2024

As a former English teacher, I have been exposed to many studies showing the importance of reading to children. The only one I can remember in connection to this week’s topic is about the relationship between the number of books in one’s home and a child’s grades, or is it IQ? Obviously, I don’t really remember it. At the time I certainly counted the number of books in my home and pondered the relationship between the study and library books that are in and out of a home. Then I probably grabbed a book I’d been counting and settled in to read.

Thankfully, Miss Maria has put together lovely packets of information for parents of truly young patrons as part of the relaunched 1000 Books B4K (before kindergarten). The program encourages reading through the use of coloring sheets each one representing 100 books. In the past, the title of each book was recorded. The relaunched simplifies tracking of the 1000 books thanks to the sheet created by Miss Anna. Each contains a bookshelf with 20 items bordered by 100 flowers. After every book, check off a flower. After every 5, color in an item on the bookshelf randomly run a crayon/marker over the page depending on the child’s artistic vision. Then record the best book read in that 100 and bring to the library.

The child will receive a sticker and a new coloring sheet after every 100 books read. At the end, the library will place a name plate in the child’s favorite book recommending it to others. That’s 10 stickers and the opportunity to influence other people. How many children would turn down that? No reading program such as this would be complete without a book as the final reward.

One of the flyers Miss Maria included in the packet does remember why reading to children is important. It’s not just the reading it’s the interaction with the book and the reader. Looking back at Emma’s youth, I wish I had paused more to ask her questions about the story or the illustrations. As a reader, I didn’t like to disrupt the story’s pace. She would have benefited from more opportunities to absorb the story at a younger age.

We started reading to Emma at bedtime when she was seven weeks old. Admittedly, she didn’t understand any part of them, but it gave her quiet time with her dad on a regular basis. Later those books may have acquired some bite marks. Proof she enjoyed them. As a toddler, her favorite book was a DK Publishing about babies. She was fascinated by the pictures of fellow little ones and their lives.

One of the saddest days of my life was shortly after Emma’s 10^th birthday. We had just finished reading the Harry Potter series together. She had really wanted to read the final book to herself, but pitied mom. When it was finished, she called an end to our nightly reading together.

Reading Now: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench and Conclave by Robert Harris

Listening to Now:  A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

Readasaurus, the Monster Jam, and Charcuterie Boards

 

11-8-2024

I thought the monsters would leave the library after Halloween. While the monster, monsters did, they were quickly replaced by other monsters such as the six-foot-tall cardboard T-Rex in the lobby and the four-foot-tall blowup T-Rex in the library itself. Facebook followers are helping us come up with a name for that one. Personally, I like Readasaurus. Miss Maria thinks that sounds more like a type of dinosaur rather than a name. She may have a point.

Regardless, (s)he is looking for some friends to hang out in the library for Dinovember. Anyone willing to lend us a dinosaur for the month will receive heartfelt thanks.

The newest monster is an opportunity for patrons 2-12 years old to earn a free kid’s ticket to the Monster Jam at the Fiserv Forum on January 11^th or 12^th. This does require the purchase of an adult ticket for $20. To make this happen, families should pick up a “Rev Up To Read Club Card” for their young ones at the East Troy Lions Public Library and check out some books. The children will receive a stamp for every library book read and returned to the library. Five stamps are needed to earn the ticket.

It is suggested the voucher is redeemed before the nights of the Monster Jam to make certain tickets are available. The driving to Milwaukee early to secure tickets in advance seems like a lot of work for this homebody. Then I remember how many times Little Prairie Primary students asked me for help finding the Monster Truck books or the excitement with which seventh grade students my first-year teaching talked about going to Monster Truck shows.

This month we are also finalizing plans for the Winter Reading Program. Most of the planning for such a standard program is fairly routine; a matter of setting dates, updating paperwork, and selecting prizes. This year’s programs will be a bit different. Rather than the Caroling of the past, this year we will kick off the season with a Charcuterie Board Demonstration at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, December 4^th. Details on this will be finalized on Thanksgiving Day over my stepdaughter Katie’s annual charcuterie contribution to our family gathering.

Katie’s boards are always beautiful and delicious which is why I thought of her when the idea was suggested. She has agreed to give a demonstration and discuss pairings. My one criticism of her boards is the quick disappearance of the fruit. The cheeses and jams Katie selects are usually too sophisticated for the preschool set so they focus on the apples and grapes. I love pairing apples with cheese, which means I pout. To counter that, I am making a kid friendly option out of pure selfishness. If it goes over well, we’ll show that on the 4^th as well.

To answer the most important questions: yes, there will be tasting involved, and no, registration is not required.

Reading Now: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench, A Man of Two Faces by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Listening to Now: A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost

We Have Books Too

 

11-1-2024

Several books in the library’s collection are set up as continuous resources through our primary book supplies. This means they automatically send us the latest edition upon its release. This feature is used for all our NOLO Press. They publish do-it-yourself legal guides on topics such as divorce and child support/custody, selling your house and leases, wills and estate planning, Social Security, Medicare and government pensions. Each of these guides is updated on average every two years. On a lighter note, travel guides may also be set up as continuous resources.

Chase’s Calendar of Events is a continuous resource I have considered eliminating from our subscriptions. Previous directors would use it on occasion for article ideas. This week is the first time I have done so. I learned much November trivia appropriate for a library. The paper comes out on National Authors’ Day. I’ll may be found wandering the library saying, “Thank you,” to a list of authors too numerous to list here. Apparently on the top of that list should be Allen Ginsberg as Chase mentions this is the 68^th anniversary of Howl and Other Poems publication. November is also National Novel Writing Month and Picture Book Month. A little something for a variety of ages/attention spans.

I did enjoy learning it is Banana Pudding Lovers Month and that it is also the 65^th anniversary of the invention of the hockey mask. By and large, the information doesn’t appear to be as timely as the travel and legal books.

By and large, reference books are a difficult choice as we as a society rely more on the Internet than print. Most of the books listed above are likely to provide more easily located current information that the reader can use with confidence. Too often websites are less detailed or more difficult to navigate than a table of contents.

Walworth County has provided us with reference materials for the 2025 Budget. Their public hearing is On Monday, November 4^th at 6:00pm. A copy of the preliminary budget and 2025-2034 Preliminary Capital Improvement Plan is available for perusal at the library for anyone interested. In the accompanying cover letter, County Administrator Mark Luberda indicates distributing copies to public libraries will become a standard practice moving forward.

Other government and nonprofit organizations send information to the library as well. We have information for the Job Center of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Wayfinder: Children’s Resource Network and NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, fliers and reference guides available. Then there are the reference questions. Today a group of siblings stopped by looking for information on the Lake Beulah family they summered with 50 years ago. Those are fun questions to investigate.

On Monday, November 4^th, we’ll learn more about two local veterans at our Veterans Day program. Remember to come to the I Am Not Invisible exhibit at the East Troy Intergenerational Community Center and listen to Michelle Himsel, Commander of Loomis-Martin Post 188 and Navy Hospital Corp. 3^rd Class veteran Eleanor Montano. The program will begin at 4:00 after which the exhibit will be moved to the library.

Reading Now: There Should Have Been Eight by Nalini Singh, Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See (November Adult Book Club Selection)

Listening to Now: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Monsters and Dinovember

 

10-25-2024

In the interest of public safety, patrons need to be aware that next over the next several weeks the library will be overrun by monsters, dinosaurs and furry creatures. I’d say we are becoming a veritable Jurassic Park, but I can’t promise all the dinosaur will be from that period.

The danger begins on Wednesday, October 30^th at 1:00 pm with the showing of the most recent installment of the Hotel Transylvania series: Transformania. Hmm, actually that movie premise involves the old switcheroo. Instead of an all but one cast of monsters, it showcases an all but one cast of humans. Good thing, as the East Troy Community School District is closed for inservice. Impressionable young children may accidentally attend the viewing and wear the emotional scares for life. Perhaps the popcorn would make them feel better.

Thursday at 3:00 pm is the time for Teens & Tweens programming in our Lower Level. Each of the first four Thursdays of the month have a specific theme. The 31^st is the fifth Thursday of October. To celebrate, we have spooky board games available for groups of friends to play. Trick or Treaters are invited to wear their costumes and start the evening at the library where we will be passing out candy - hopefully not in the snow like last year.

The really big reptile ancestors take over the next day as part of Dinovember. We are inviting local dinosaur enthusiasts to bring in their dinosaurs to display in our glass case. They can be plastic, stuffed, Lego, etc. just not living as we don’t have the proper budget or staff to handle the feeding and cleanup required. They will be returned safely at the end of the month. Patrons of the smaller variety will receive a dinosaur sticker each week. Ms. Maria will stick to a dinosaur theme for that month’s Storytime on Fridays at 11:00 am.

Finally, the furriest event will be on Thursday, November 14^th at 2:00 pm when we’ll host a special dino-storytime. Mr Nibbles, a local bunny and sometimes library patron, will wear his dinosaur costume and share his favorite story. Snacks will be provided. I’ve been instructed to make them dinosaur shaped. Fans of Drew Daywalt’s The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors may be disappointed to learn, they will not be dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. For those of you who don’t know the book, I highly recommend it and will happily do a read aloud upon request for patrons brave enough to visit us amidst the upcoming dangers.

Audiobook Options

 

10-18-2024

The second weekend of the play kicks off without me as it is also Parent’s Weekend at UW-Eau Claire. I shall be taking Emma her new winter coat per her request, which means I’ll probably be covering my Eau-Claire Mom gear with my own.

It’s a long drive, but I hope to negotiate with my husband on a good audiobook. Listening to a Joy Ellis mystery on my way home from dropping Emma off in August is what stopped got me home safely: focusing on the investigation distracted me from the empty passenger seat. Being able to select what I listened to went a long way to reconciling me about leaving Emma behind.

In all likelihood I’ll use my phone and my car’s Bluetooth capabilities to listen to an audiobook on Libby. Gone are the days most vehicles allowed for books on CD. That includes mine. I love the Bluetooth option, but sometimes the waits on Libby are discouraging. We’ve been exploring viable options for listening to Playaways without headphones and CDs in a time when even home CD players are disappearing.

The easiest way to use a Playaway in the car is through an auxiliary cord. The one complication with that method is programming newer cards to play from the auxiliary port. Playaways are also compatible with FM Transmitters. They plug into the Playaway. The transmitter and the vehicle’s radio are then tuned to the same otherwise static filled station. Of these two methods, I prefer the auxiliary cord as the FM Transmitter purchased for the library didn’t block out all of the static.

We also searched for a portable CD player. Amazon reminded us, portable CD players were popular after the Walkman and before vehicles had CD players. We have come full circle. Too bad I didn’t keep mine. Today’s models have a few upgrades beginning with the built-in rechargeable battery that saves money if not time. My circa 1990’s model used a cassette adaptor to play through the car stereo. A new model can use the auxiliary port, Bluetooth, or a built in FM transmitter.

Frequent audio book listeners will probably want to own their own devices and cords. However, the library does have an FM Transmitter, a portable CD player, and a portable speaker (for Playaways at home) available to try before you buy or for use on the occasional road trip.

 

Honoring Women Veterans - I Am Not Invisible

 

10-11-2024

The article will run on the opening day of Wine, Cheese and Murder. You know where I am; however, even though the play still pulls my focus, it is time to turn at lease some of my attention to our next program. Since Veterans Day is exactly one month away, it’s time to announce that program.

This will be ETLPL’s third year hosting a military program in November. We started with Ace of Aces: The Dick Bong Story by Mike O’Connor. Last year Mike came back to talk about his second book, Badger Aces: Wisconsin Fighter Aces, 1917-1972, paired with the traveling exhibit Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.

This year we will again host a traveling exhibit from the WVM paired with two guest speakers. I Am Not Invisible began in Oregon as an awareness campaign highlighting the role of women veterans. It is now a nationwide program. The traveling exhibit is composed of pop-up banners each featuring a different veteran. More information about these women can be found on the museum’s website which hosts the oral history interview.

On November 4^th at 4:00 pm we are pairing the banners with a presentation from two local women. Commander Michelle Himsel is in charge of East Troy’s American Legion Loomis-Martin Post 188. She will be joined by 3rd Class veteran Eleanor Montano.  Himsel and Montano will give a talk about their experiences in the military.

One of the goals in our strategic plan reads, “Create solutions to minimize facility shortcomings.” With that in mind and knowing a portion of our target audience includes patrons who find the stairs to our lower level difficult to manage, we have asked the East Troy Intergenerational Community Center for use of their space. Located in the back of the East Troy Community School Districts business office, the former Doubek Elementary building, the Community Center is one level and offers plenty of parking.

The exhibit will be set up for the November 4^th talk at the Community Center. Afterwards it will be on display at the library November 5^th through November 16^th. It is important to note that the ETICC entrance is accessed from a driveway on Division Street rather than the district’s entrance on Beulah Avenue. It is set back quite bit so don’t let the open grass areas confuse you.

We hope to see you there as we honor these and all military women for their service.

Reading Now: Twilight by Stephanie Myer (I WILL finish this book. Maybe after the play.)

Listening to Now: Graves on the Fens by Joy Ellis

Library Field Trips

 

10-4-2024

We go on a lot of field trips at the library. To the lower level, to the kitchen area, to the storage/bookdrop room, to the spider (there aren’t actually any there)/Kostopolis/periodical room, to the Lion’s Club room, to the Friend’s room.  After years of teaching, the phrase comes out anytime I want to show a staff member an idea I have to use the space differently and, hopefully, more efficiently. It’s actually reached the point that staff has begun calling out, “Field trip,” to announce a move to a different room. They even manage to sound excited.

This past week has sent Friends and me on several actual, leave the building field trips in preparation for next week’s play. Mary Hubbard Nugent and part of the cast took a field trip to the Honey Creek Collective’s Brown Barn. Formerly the property of Michael Fields and still home to its office space, the Brown Barn is a beautiful space housing several other businesses, a folk school, and two churches. The play will use the same space in which the churches congregate. Mary and cast visited to familiarize themselves with their performance space as rehearsals move into run-throughs and solidify blocking.

Another group with Friends and me met with Jason Neu, HCC’s owner, to plan the logistics of the lower level for placement of ticket/will call, tables, bar, and cheese plate sales as well as a layout of the parking spaces. A note on parking, we are limiting ticket sales to 85 each performance not because of the space, but because of the parking. There are more parking spaces than a drive by the site might indicate; however, we want to be certain to use the space efficiently. Therefore, Don Roberts has volunteered to direct traffic. Before the performance the north entrance will be an entrance only, the south entrance an exit. Between the entrance and exit is the white barn. After the performance, all driveways will be available for exit.

Our next field trip was to Hill Valley Cheese Shop and Cheese Bar. There we selected the three cheeses that will make up the bulk of the auction’s cheese baskets. In addition to selling those cheeses at wholesale cost, Hill Valley donated 10 blocks of cheese for the cheese plates and a $40 gift card for the Cheese Bar which will also be auctioned.

Individual field trips took place to Global Glass, Kelly’s Pot Pies and Yaya’s Skordalia. Yaya’s, also located at Honey Creek Collective donated containers of their almond spread for the cheese board. Kelly’s Pot Pies donated six gift cards, one for each performance, for the cheesecake in the cheesecake basket. Rather a pivotal donation. The gift card will allow the auction winners to choose when to bring a cheesecake home. Whether that is during a family gathering or when the family is all far away is their call. Also in that basket will be a Wine, Cheese and Murder apron. Melanie at Global Glass helped select the majority of the wines in those auction baskets.

Thank you to all the business that are partnering with our Friends and Off the Square Players. We look forward to two fun-filled weekends. October 11, 12 & 13, and 18, 19 & 20. Tickets are still available at the library.

Reading Now: A Man of Two Faces by Viet Thanh Nguyen, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (PBS Great America Reads title)

Listening to Now: American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin