Summer Reading!

Kira Shanks playing the violin at the Instrument Petting Zoo Storytime in Columbia Falls.

Don't forget that the Summer Reading Program is in full swing at the Flathead County Library System! The theme this year is BE CREATIVE, so we have been doing all sorts of art, theater, music (see above!), and other creative activities. See here for the full scoop on all of the summer's festivities.

Most Requested Youth Fiction for Summer 2009 (so far)

We have had a LOT of kids coming into all of the Flathead County Libraries this summer asking for all kinds of books. Here is an interesting list of our most requested (in no particular order):



1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
2. Warriors series by Erin Hunter
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson
5. Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne
6. Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park

Are there any other favorites being read in the Flathead this summer? Let us know!

Another round of computer grads

Please share with us the most important/interesting thing you learned throughout the course of the classes. Is there anything we missed or should have covered more in depth? Thanks again for your interest and attendance!

Stroller Central

School's out and Summer Reading Program activities are in full gear. Check out our kids' page for all the latest events, resources, games and more. We've switched our activities calendar to an embedded Google calendar for easier viewing.

http://www.flatheadcountylibrary.org/kids.htm

Working Smarter

Main Library Circulation staff, Julie, Joann, Sharon, Lisa, and Kat gather around their hero Mr. Brett. Brett has configured the automated library system to print out hold slips for self-service holds. We used to handwrite each slip, which was time consuming and sometimes not so tidy. Now, the self-service holds have easy-to-read labels for our customers. "Circ loves Brett!" is the rousing cheer.

After Brett worked his magic, Kat streamlined processes in the backroom so that all holds immediately go to the self-service shelf, making it easier for our customers to quickly get requested materials. Theses are just two examples of our fantastic Flathead County Library staff members working smarter to benefit our communities.

Oprah's Summer Reading Calendar

Need help finding some good reads for the summer? Check out the summer reading calendar on Oprah's website. She even has a bookmark checklist you can print out to keep track of what you've read.

Six days and counting....

Summer vacation is right around the corner for a lot of the kids and teens in the valley and that means we are getting ready to launch the 2009 Summer Reading Program. You can visit any of our libraries to register, beginning next Monday, June 15. If you have any creative juices flowing, this summer's program will be perfect for you! "Be Creative @ your library" is the theme for children and the teen theme is "Express Yourself @ your library." After you read enough to get a prize, extra hours will go toward our Readers to the Rescue program. This year we will be supporting an organization in the valley called "Human Therapy on Horseback" .


In addition to tracking the amount of reading you do, we will also offer many programs this summer. You can pick up a schedule at your library or check out the summer reading link on our website. Just go to the Kids page of the library website, click on "Summer Reading", and then click on the "Programs" or "Teens" link. In addition to activities like painting, dancing, and playing with clay, we will have a program about a form of storytelling from Japan called kamishibai. There will be some special guests popping in once in a while, too. Teens will get a chance to practice their origami skills or see who is the Guitar Hero champion! There will be lots of things going for kids of all ages so please join us!