Shopping Reviews for eReaders

Our Reference staff would like to share some eBook reader reviews for those who may be planning on buying an eReader this holiday season.  Check out the following links: eReader Comparison or eBook Reader 2012 for on line reviews. Or come in and check out the December 2011 issue of Consumer Reports (the Reference Desk has an issue you can view if the others are already checked out) or the January 2011 issue of PC World which feature reviews and articles on eReaders. Looking for information on how to download free books from Overdrive? Check out our December 8, 2012 blog post here.

Letters from Santa!

The Friends of Dracut Library are offering a special gift for your child at this holiday season: a personalized letter from Santa Claus to your child! It’s very simple: Fill out the form neatly (links to the form are below) and drop it off at the Circulation Desk or in the Children’s Room along with a donation of $3.00 per letter. Checks can be written to the “Friends of the Dracut Library.” Forms need to be received by December 10, 2010. Don’t wait late requests will only be processed based on time and availability.

Children 0-5 years old

Children 6 years and older

National Read a Book Day

Today is National Read a Book Day!  I know that librarians can sound like nagging mothers when it comes to encouraging people to read, but we have medical science to back us up! Yes, some TV time can be a good thing but consider the follow (from Kidshealth.org) :

Children who consistently spend more than 4 hours per day watching TV are more likely to be overweight

Kids who view violent acts are more likely to show aggressive behavior but also fear that the world is scary and that something bad will happen to them.

TV characters often depict risky behaviors, such as smoking and drinking, and also reinforce gender-role and racial stereotypes.

WHY SHOULD YOU READ??

People learn to read by reading. Skill building is important, but without practice putting all the skills together, learning is slowed down. Quantity and intensity matter.

Frequent practice reading for longer periods of time pays off in fluency and ability to use skills automatically.

Increasing competence is motivating and increased motivation leads to more reading. When students can see their own progress, they want to read more.

Pleasure reading has cognitive benefits. It improves skill and strategy use, builds fluency, enlarges vocabulary, and builds a student’s knowledge of the world.

Children learn by example. Set aside 5 minutes of time where both you and your child read. Make it an important aspect of your day. As your child gets older, just doing the same activity can be a bonding experience – reinforcing the value of education. Whether it’s a magazine, newspaper, eReader or iPad, the important thing is Just do It!

National Dog Day

Today is National Dog Day.  Founded in 2004, National Dog Day is celebrated every August 26th. This day acknowledges all that K9′s do to help and enrich our lives! Whether serving in the military, working as police or therapy dogs, aiding in library literacy programs, or even just as pets – canines are our tried and true friends.

If you are thinking of adding a canine family member, educate yourself about the type of breed you are considering.  Give yourself half a chance of obtaining a good match for you and your family by knowing some of the behaviors you can expect from that breed. Dog ownership is not a decision to be taken lightly.

The Dracut Library is a great place to start your process!! We have books and DVD’s on specific dog breeds as well as books and DVD’s on dog training. Go to your local shelter or look into breed rescue programs. Every breed has a rescue group. Ask questions! Dog’s surrendered to rescue groups or animal shelters are not ‘damaged’ goods – often they are the victim of being the ‘wrong fit’ in their human family.

Most of all just celebrate Dogs!

Museum Passes

Did you know, that as a resident of Dracut, you can check out passes to a wide assortment of local museums? Explore the treasures of The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston or the underwater world of the New England Aquarium. Discover the Children’s Museum in Boston or the Discovery Museum in Acton, MA. How about a day at the beach? Did you know you could visit Massachusetts State Parks for free? How about the Zoo? You could visit there too! We have passes for both the Franklin and Stoneham Zoo! Don’t let the summer months pass you by – Discover. Explore. Have Fun!

You must be a Dracut resident with a Dracut Library card in good standing. For more information visit our website. To Reserve passes click here.

YA Summer Reading

Pi please!

What do reading and math have in common? Math fiction of course! Never heard of it? Well let me introduce you to Alex Kasman from the College of Charleston who has compiled a reading list of Mathematical Fiction. Select a topic, genre, motif or medium. So if you love math (but aren’t so fond of reading) give Mathematical Fiction a try – think of it as literary pi!

4th of July Fun

The library is closed for the 4th of July weekend and reopens July 6th – but we know you need to know that Holiday Trivia for your weekend BBQ’s! From our friends at Chiff here goes:

30
Number of places nationwide with “liberty” in their name. The most populous one is Liberty, Missouri (26,232). Iowa has more of these places than any other state: four (Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty and West Liberty).

66 million
Number of visits in a recent year to our national parks — a particularly scenic locale for a July 4th picnic. There were 766 million visits in a recent year to another popular picnic venue — state parks or recreation areas. Those in California (80 million), Ohio (59 million), New York (56 million), Washington (48 million) and Illinois (44 million) recorded the highest number of visits. DID YOU REMEMBER TO RESERVE THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE PARKS PASS FROM THE LIBRARY??

And then there are the Holiday mishaps…but we have you covered (no pun intended! Though I do warn you, we’ve never tried these treatments so use good judgement!) Poison Ivy Treatments, Sun burns, and those often dreaded Family Reunions! We hope you have a wonderful, safe 4th of July!!

Important Interlibrary Loan Notice

Due to the 28% cut in state tax support for Massachusetts libraries, materials delivered to you from other Massachusetts libraries may experience a delay, or materials obtained from libraries outside of Massachusetts may be assessed a charge by you local library, as of July 1, 2010.

Moses is on Vacation

Moses Greeley Parker is on vacation. He is visiting places he hasn’t seen since he was a surgeon during the Civil War.  Can you identify where Moses is??