Hope all of you are planning fun (and safe) Independence Day celebrations with your families next week! We take a break from programming for the entire week and then resume our regular schedule the following week (Elementary and Teens on Tuesdays; Preschoolers on Thursdays).

Be sure to take time to see the new exhibits on the lower level of the library (in the hallway and also in the Children's Room) the next time you're in. The El Dorado doll collectors' club, an affiliate of The United Federation of Doll Clubs, Inc., has set up some wonderful displays of dolls and the books they're based on, such as
Eloise, Raggedy Ann and Andy, The Legend of the Bluebonnet, and Hitty: Her First Hundred Years.

Young people can become part of the UFDC Junior Collectors organization. You can download an application at their website.

Tell us what you think!

As you know, this is our first year to have you register via the web for our Summer Reading Program. The Youth Services staff really appreciates your willingness to take this step with us--it's been a real lifesaver for our small staff in helping us deal with registrations that just keep growing and growing every year!

There are, of course, some patrons that can't stand the new system (and we do sympathize with them). Most comments that we're hearing, however, are positive. Let us know what you think and if you have suggestions for next year for "tweaking" how we set up the program using the Library Insight summer reading program manager.

Thanks for your input!

Karen

"Was it a rat I saw?"....Palindromes!

Friend Hannah stopped by the library tonight and mentioned that her name is the same even if you read it backwards. I told her that there was a word for that phenomenon--palindrome! A palindrome is a word, phrase, verse, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward. Here's a link to a website that let's you play around with palindromes. It has palindrome riddles and also a list of single word palindromes. Have fun!

More on Exodusters and Archeology.....

It's been BUSY in Youth Services, so I haven't had a chance to tell you more about my trip to Nicodemus, Kansas, for the archeological dig earlier this month. Just in case you're looking for something new and different to read for Summer Reading Program, here are a few titles from our library about the Exodusters: Promised Land on the Solomon: Black Settlement at Nicodemus, Kansas by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service (978.1 Pro/Kansas Collection/Max Main Room); Wagon Train: A Family Goes West in 1865 by Courtni Wright (J 978.004 Wright); Black Frontiers: A History of African American Heroes in the Old West by Lillian Schlissel (J 978.004 Schlissel); and Exodusters: Black Migration to Kansas after Reconstruction by Nell Irvin Painter (978.1 Painter/Kansas Collection/Max Main Room). And here are a few dealing with archeology: Archeology by Dr. Jane McIntosh (J 930 McIntosh); I Can Be an Archaeologist by Robert Pickering (J 930.1 Pickering); Digging the Past: Archaeology in Your Own Backyard by Bruce Porell (J 930.1 Porell); and Going on a Dig by Velma Ford Morrison.

Enjoy!

Don't forget about the Teen program tomorrow. Lifting fingerprints should be fun. We will also play a game of pictionary using some of you favorite book titles.

Edinburgh has been a great place. I have noticed that ther is just a greater respect for authors and artists here. For example, there are countless monuments and statues in honor of different authors such as Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. At the same time, I have also realized that this is a much more literary place. There is more to write about and be inspired by. Just yesterday, I ate at this restaurant called The Elephant House. It is where J.K. Rowling wrote part of the first Harry Potter book.
Also, there are so many things that commemorate and cwelebrate the great achievements of others. There are monuements to soldiers such as Nelson, politicians like William Pitt, theologians like John Knox, and adventurers such as David Livingstone. Yet, this celebration is not limited to ancient times. Last night, I went to the appointment ceremony of a new govenor for Edinburgh Castle. There were military bands, bagpipers, soldiers, a general, a lord, and messengers from the queen. I even saw Princess Anne leaving Holyrood with her entourage.
I know that it all seems rather random, but there are so many things that though very inspiring, cannot be described as anything other than British. Well, that is all for a while so....

Cheers!
Evan

YNK @ Your Library

During next Tuesday's teen program we will practice lifting finger prints and look at the different kinds of sworl patterens there are. It should be fun and as always we will have snacks. Please don't forget to sign up ahead of time. I wouldn't want us to run out of food.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" replaces "Hogwarts Breakfast"!

We've had to change the date and time of our Harry Potter party. It will now be a "Happy Birthday, Harry!" party at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 31. Tickets are $5.00 per person and we only have room for 60. It's still being presented (with great enthusiasm!) by SCALA from the SLIM program at Emporia State University.

Advance registration and payment is REQUIRED. We will not be selling tickets at the event!

p.s. July 31st is also J. K. Rowling's birthday!

Hullo All,
I took the train from Stirling today, and arrived this afternoon in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the home of Hollyrood (the Queen's house in Scotland), Edinburgh Castle, and the University of Edinburgh. I already took a walk through and was very impressed. I am looking forward to more exploring. Tomorrow we start our lectures from a professor at the University of Edinburgh. I am really looking forward to this part of the trip as we begin to study a man named John Knox, who is infamous for his conflict with Mary Queen of Scots. I hope that this post finds you well...

Cheers!
Evan

Hello All,
I am now staying in Stirling, the home of Stirling Castle, Mary Queen of Scots, and the William Wallace Meorial. It is a lovely town, that I find much more agreeable than Inverness. The people are very friendly and the city is very clean. My group, after spending all of our previous times in hostels and dormitories, are now staying in bed and breakfasts. While most of my group is staying all together, I and four others are staying at another 10 minutes away. I am sharing a room, but not a bed, with one other guy. We have our own toilette and shower complete with a heated towel rack. We had a very authentic scottish breakfast complete with haggis and black pudding. I was able to handle the haggis, but black pudding is a tough bite to swallow (literally). However, I did have coffee this morning at a very nice old coffee house that took me back to the days when coffee houses were the center of political and literary conversation. Well, I am off....
Cheers!
Evan

This week’s Family Story Time is almost here!
Last week we had lots of fun with stories about hats. We all made wonderful newspaper hats to take home.
This Thursday we are doing stories about DOGS, Angus Lost, What’s What, and Widget and the Puppy. The books I read in story time will count towards your reading record if you are participating in the pre-reader level of the Summer Reading Program!
We will sing , “Where oh Where has my Little Dog Gone”, “How Much is that Doggie in the Window”, and “Bingo”. There is also a craft!
Please come and join us! Story Time is at 10:00 and 11:00AM on Thursday mornings.

Yo-Yo SpinMaster Program--Don't forget to sign up!

Don't forget that Yo-Yo SpinMaster Brent Dellinger will be performing in a FREE family program at 1:00 p.m. this coming Saturday at the library. Please call or stop by the library to register--we had an overflow crowd when he was last here with his music and light show about 4 years ago and the fire marshal will only let us squeeze a certain number of people into the Clymer Room!

After the free performance, Brent will take a short break and then will work with a small group in a workshop format. The workshop is limited to 20 PERSONS and costs $7.50 per person. You may either bring your own yo-yo or buy one of Brent's line of yo-yo's before the workshop. He is bringing his full range of yo-yo's, including the new "Yo Stick." ADVANCE REGISTRATION AND PAYMENT IS REQUIRED! It is really doubtful that any slots in the workshop will be available if you wait until the day of the program!

Hope to see you all there--this is a REALLY special program!

Get a Clue! - Elementary Program, Tuesday @ 1:30 p.m.

We had a great turnout last week for our first Get a Clue! summer program for Grades 1-5. And we expect an even better group for tomorrow's program--1:30 p.m. See you there!

YNK @ Your Library

Tomorrow is another teen program. This week we are making a Cartouch using Egyptian Hieroglyphics. We will have snacks and prize drawings. I hope to see a lot of you there.

Brianne

Hullo All,
I am now staying in Inverness, Scotland. We have been here two days, and have had a very relaxed time. The first day was dominated by school work (two tests and two short assignments), however overall things have been good. We will be going to Lock Ness tomorrow. We drove by it on the way here, and it is beautiful. It is really quite impressive at 23 miles long and 800 feet deep. At that size it is no wonder that they cannot find Nessie. Oh well.
Cheers!
Evan

Living on an Island

Hullo All,

Sorry that I have been so long in writing. I have spent the last weekend living on the Isle of Iona, which is a very small Isle off of the coast of the Isle of Mull, which off of the coast of Scotland. It was a very good and relaxing time. I stayed at a place called the Macleod center, a place that is affiliated with the Abbey that is on that Island. Though there is a long and diverse history since its inception, the original monastery was founded by St. Columba. He was an Irish monk that took part in what historians call the re-evangelization of Europe (a phenomenon recorded in Thomas Cahill's "How the Irish Saved Civilization" a book for any older readers interested in history). All in all it was a great time. I hiked all over the place, ate good food, had good fun, and worshipped in the abbey. I hope to write more consistently form now on.

Cheers,
Evan

Where in the World is Evan?!

We haven't heard from Evan since he last reported in from Glasgow, Scotland. Hmmm, do you suppose he's just having too much fun to blog?!

Hats, Hats, Hats...Don't Miss Tomorrow's Preschool Story Time!

Hope all you families with preschoolers (through kindergarten age) are planning to join us tomorrow as Teresa kicks off the summer preschool story time series! Teresa's theme for tomorrow is "Hats!" There will be fun stories, crafts & music, so drop in for either the 10:00 session or the 11:00 session. Registration is not required.

Here we go, the first program of the 2007 summer reading Program, Get a Clue @ your library is today at 1:30!! Pat has some fun mystery activities planned and is rarin’ to go.

Brianne has a great activity planned for the teen program tonight at 6:00. They will be making secret compartment books.

Our online registration for the reading program is going well. Registration started Wednesday June 6, and is ongoing. As of this morning, 298 have signed up! Our goal this year is 700. This is the first year for us to have online sign ups and reading records. Please feel free to leave comments letting us know what you like or don’t like about the online system.

Saturday’s KPTS Share-a Story program was well attended and a good time was had by all. Each family that attended took home a free copy of the book, “Hey, Little Ant”, by Phillip Hoose. The next one is scheduled for July14.

We will soon have pictures of the “Where in the World is Evan” map for all to see.
Follow his progress here on this blog as he travels in Scotland and England.

Keep reading!

"Where in the World is...? for Grades 1-5 on Tuesday!

Just a quick reminder that our first summer program for Grades 1-5 will be tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Your leader is Pat Powell and she has packed a lot of fun activities into the Tuesday programs, so grab a couple of friends and come on down!

Mrs. K

Hello Teens

Just a heads up to the teens. Our first weekly program is tomorrow at 6 p.m. We will be making Secret Compartment Books with paper bag covers. We will have snacks too. It should be lots of fun. I hope to see a lot of you there.

Brianne

Home Again, Home Again....

Hoo-boy, what a week! My daughter and I just got back from this year's Kansas Archeology Training Program at Nicodemus, Kansas, the Exoduster settlement in western Kansas. We had a fantastic time! I'll tell you more later...

Mrs. K

So far So good!

Hullo all,

I am already in Scotland (after a long day of travel). I did get one surprise. My group flew through New York City rather than through D.C.. That does not, however, give you an excuse to not check out the Smithsonian.

I arrived in Glasgow this morning, and after I got my bag I went to my hotel called the Tulip Inn. We are just a few blocks from downtown Glasgow, where I spent most of my day. I went with some of my friends, and we just wandered all over the place looking at all of the old buildings and exciting new things to see. After wandering for a little over an hour, we stopped in at a nice little pub and had a nice filling (but cheap) lunch.

After that, we meandered; until we found our way back to the hotel. Later in the evening we went with the whole group for supper at this nice little Italian Restaurant. The food was delicious, but we were tired from travelling across 6 time zones. So, we went back to the hotel to rest.

Tommorow, we will be leaving at seven in the morning on our day long pilgrimage to the very small Isle of Iona. I hope that I have a chance to tell you about Iona very soon. Well......

Cheers!

Hullo All,

By this time tomorrow, I will be arriving at my first stop on my way to Scotland. I will be stopping in Washington D.C. Washington D.C. is the home of the president, the capitol building, and the Smithsonian Institute. The Smithsonian is a big museum with lots of cool things. To find out more about the Smithsonian check out the book as the library called "A Picture Tour of the Smithsonian." This books has lots of great pictures and fun facts. Stay tuned for more updates, and check the map at the library to see "Where in the World is Evan?".

Ti Ti for Then and Ta Ta for Now

Evan