New & Noteworthy @ WHPLibrary

Do you have children in elementary school? Do they come home excited, after learning something new and interesting, curious to know more? Would you like to be able to answer their questions intelligently, but at a level they understand, or to motivate them to be more inquisitive and active about learning? We can help!

Check out our kid-oriented databases for some great information! One of the databases our library provides called Searchasaurus is easy to navigate by either parent or student. It includes maps, photos, books, magazines, encyclopedias, and a dictionary in kid-friendly format!

My own second-grader has been learning about volcanoes and compass points, and I was able to find a great Weekly Reader fact sheet on volcanoes and a hands-on science experiment on how to make your own compass. Try it out yourself and impress your kids, or have them search and learn something new!

This article was written by W.O, Reference Librarian

The Together Book Club is an online reading club for kids and parents, co-sponsored by the New York State Library and the New York Council for the Humanities.

Kids can share their thoughts with other kids from all over New York. Submit your summer reading book review and it will be posted to the Together Book Club blog within a week. You get to see it ONLINE and WIN A FREE BOOK!

Parents, who are encouraged to read and discuss the same books with their children, can increase their quality time as a family, while sharing their love of reading. Read the instructions, and get plenty of booklist suggestions online.

Summer is here! Need some suggestions on what to read?

Download these Middle School and High School booklists (compiled by the Nassau Library System's Teen and Youth Services) to your smartphone (iPhone, Droid, Blackberry). If it's available as an e-book, you can click on the link and check it out!

Access it on your smartphone by opening your web browser and typing in the address: www.nassaulibrary.org/teenreads

Visit the Garvies Point Museum in Glen Cove with our Family Museum Pass to learn about Native Americans on Long Island. A new "Woodland Village" interactive discovery room opened recently. Call the Museum at 516-571-8010 for more information.

Looking for something to do during winter break? If you haven't visited the Intrepid Museum yet, winter break is a great time to bring your older kids for a fun-filled day.

Our Museum Pass allows free entry for up to 6 people (2 adults and 4 children). Check the website for the KIDS WEEK 2011 Schedule of activities and special guests, which include Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus, Star Wars Characters, Broadway show performances, and more!

Use our free Museum Pass to experience Garvies Point Museum's annual THANKSGIVING NATIVE AMERICAN FEAST. This celebration of northeastern Native American culture has been held the weekend before Thanksgiving for more than 25 years. It will take place, rain or shine, on Saturday and Sunday, November 21 & 22nd, 2009 from 10am to 4pm.

Hands-on activities during the weekend will be on-going. These will include pottery-making, primitive fire-building and on-site cooking (including their famous popcorn soup). Face painting with natural pigments, and use of the atlatl, a spear-throwing tool, will also be demonstrated.

Authentic Native American cuisine; artifacts and tool technology will be displayed. Movies celebrating Native American life will be shown. Activities are appropriate for all ages.

If you've never visited this Nassau County treasure, take this opportunity to view the museum's exhibition hall, which explores Long Island Native American culture and archeology, as well as New York State and Long Island geology.

Haz clic aquí para video en español.

The very talented Terry Parrett will be with us in the Children's Program Room to help us kick-off our Summer Reading Club!

Kids aged 4-9 years old are invited to drop in on Monday, June 29 at 1:30 pm and join in the fun.

Come see what wonderful things balloons can be, and take one home!

The West Hempstead Union Free School District is sponsoring a Family Literacy Night, to be held at West Hempstead High School, located at 400 Nassau Boulevard on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The program is free to District families K-12, but registration is required. All students must be accompanied by a parent / guardian. Infants and preschoolers must be supervised by parents.

Family Literacy Night features a multicultural pavilion with music, food and dancing. Events include games, arts/crafts, parent workshops, students performing fairy tales and magic acts, parent/guest interactive read alouds, and multicultural stories.

Representatives from the West Hempstead Public Library will be available to help kick off the library's summer reading programs.

If you have any questions call Kathleen O’Farrell, Director of English at West Hempstead High School: 516-390-3255 or email : kofarrell@whufsd.com

Ten more West Hempstead families have won tickets to the New York Hall of Science. Here are the winners of the December 2008 drawing:

Robert Axel
Laureen Delay
Sharon S. Ellerton
Allison Fixler
Yael Ginsberg
Cindy Haynes
Joanna Marcia
Scott B. Moskowitz
Ellen Shanley
Uzma Wasti

If you haven't won yet, you still have time to enter. There will be three more lottery drawings for the 2008-2009 season coming up in February, April, and June 2009.

To be eligible for the Museum Lottery, you must be 18 or over and a member in good standing of the West Hempstead Public Library.

On Wednesday, November 12, a Norwich Terrier named Ruby visited the West Hempstead Library's Children's Room. Accompanying her, were the author, Maureen Sullivan and illustrator, Alison Josephs, to share how they created Ankle Soup, a new children's book. The appealing story is told from the point of view of a French Bulldog named Carlos in Grand Central Station on Thanksgiving Day.

Children collected in the children's program room to listen to the author and artist and meet Ruby, one of the canine characters. Later Friends of the West Hempstead Library set up a table where they sold autographed copies of the book

The West Hempstead Public Library is joining in to support the first ever National Gaming Day @ your library, sponsored by the American Library Association.

Libraries across the United States will be playing games as part of this national event. We will join in the fun with Pictureka! , Chutes and Ladders, Sorry! and more board games.

Children ages 3 and up, parents and siblings are welcome. No registration required.

Gaming begins in the Children's Room at 12:00 P.M. on Saturday, November 15, 2008.

For over a century, from the first flights by frail biplanes on the Hempstead Plains, to man’s walking on the Moon, Long Island has been on the leading edge of America’s aviation and space adventure.

History will come alive when you see the exhibits at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in Garden City and experience the IMAX movies that open up the world of science to young people.

Borrow the library's newest Museum Family Pass and find out about the aviation history that took place right in our own backyard!

On Wednesday, November 12 at 7 pm we will have a special event in the Children's Program Room.

Children from ages 4 to grade 4 are invited to a special reading featuring the author, the illustrator, and one of the canine characters from the book Ankle Soup. Ankle Soup is a Thanksgiving holiday story told from the perspective of a French Bulldog named Carlos.

Long Island author, Maureen Sullivan will read from the book; illustrator Alison Josephs will talk about her pictures. Come for fun and the inside scoop on this delightful, colorful picture book!

Register at the Children's Reference Desk beginning October 30 at 5 pm.

Copies of the book may be bought and signed in the main library through Friends of the West Hempstead Public Library.

Calling all kids ages 4-6!

Come to the West Hempstead Library on Thursday October 23 from 4:30-5 pm.

Children will pick out a gourd, decorate it, and bring home a seasonal decoration for the whole family to enjoy!

Registration is underway. Come by the Children's Room to save a place for your child!

Those of you who have been lucky in the past know how exciting it is to get a phone call announcing that you have won the lottery!

This year, the prize will be single-use tickets that provide free entry for four people to the New York Hall of Science in Queens.

West Hempstead library patrons who are 18 and over may enter the lottery once to be eligible for all five drawings this season. Drawings will be held in October, December, February, April, and June.

For more information, and to fill out an entry form, stop at the reference desk when you are in the library.

Join the Summer Reading Club! Click with your mouse to feed Freddie.

Courtesy of the 2008 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program

CRAFTY POEMS (Grades 3-5)
Miss Stefanie will be here on Thursday, April 17, 4:30-5:30 p.m. to guide children who would like to learn clever things to do with words.

Please join us on Sunday, January 13, at 1 p.m. when we dedicate the Children's Program Room in the new library to the memory of Merrill Skrocki and unveil a mural, by artist Ginny Sena, designed to evoke Mrs. Skrocki's interests and spirit.

Merrill Skrocki was an important member of the Children's Room staff from June 1994 until February 2002. She was a natural assisting children and finding the right books. She lead storytimes, established our popular Summmer Reading Club guessing game, and was editor of the library's newsletter.

We remember her love of children's literature, her quiet presence, her sparkle, and her humor. The new mural in the Children's Program Room reflects her ability to capture her storytime audience with a good book as well as her love of frogs. Kids who came to her storytime will remember "Freddy."

Patrons have been seeking a quiet zone in the library for many years. At last, we are able to accommodate this need in our new building.

We have designated the space on the second floor outside the Tutor Rooms and in the Periodicals (magazines and newspapers) Section as our Quiet Study Area. Here you will find individual study carrels similar to those you find in university libraries, large tables where you may spread out your materials, and easy chairs where you can sink in and get comfortable.

Patrons in this area must maintain reasonable silence. Conversational noise is allowed only within the Tutor Rooms. No audible tutoring may take place in the Quiet Study Area. Groupwork is likewise banned from this area and should be carried out elsewhere in the library. There are areas on the first floor to accommodate these needs.

Persons making noise or in other ways disturbing the Quiet in the Study Area will be instructed to leave this area immediately.

Please respect our "Silence is Golden" policy.

In our new library we have created two rooms for the purpose of tutoring. Both the tutor and the student must register at the Information Desk on the second floor and present identification prior to using these rooms.

The tutoring rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but preference will be given to West Hempstead patrons. West Hempstead patrons also have the privilege of reserving a tutoring room 24 hours in advance. Rooms may be used for a maximum of 3 hours in any day.

Please call 481-6591 and ask to speak to a reference librarian for more information about library guidelines regarding the use of these rooms.

Our entire children's language collection now has its own area in the new library. Please ask a children's librarian to guide you to this informative collection.

We feature beautifully illustrated picture books in both English and Spanish, English and Italian, and English and Hebrew. You will also find instructional kits with books and cassettes to get your child learning a new language. We have the popular Muzzy Language Courses that teach children French, Spanish, ESL, Italian, German, and Chinese. We also have dictionaries in Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, and Italian.

And please, help us get the word out about our Storytime in English and Spanish, on December 5 & 12.

Hora de Cuentos
en íngles y español, dos miercoles: los 5 y 12 de deciembre.

For more information, call 481-6591 and ask for the Children's Librarian.

Have you noticed? Children's videos can now be found

--Yes!--

in the Children's Room.

Please stop in and browse the collection.
Remember, you may borrow 4 videos per library card at one time.

Visit the Children's Room at the new West Hempstead Public Library anytime this week through November 18, enter your name and you will have a chance to win a book!

Let's help to keep our students safe. Join the AAA campaign to remind drivers to:

* Slow down when driving near schools, bus stops and playgrounds
* Take special care to obey lower speed limits in school zones
* Make sure to stop for school buses with flashing red lights
* Never use a handheld cell phone while driving - it's the law
* Drive carefully in bad weather

Parents should help children stay safe by identifying the "Best Route to School" and teaching children to follow AAA's pedestrian safety tips.

Presione Aqui para ver el documento "La Mejor Ruta Para Ir A La Escuela" en español.

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month.

Any child who is getting a library card for the first time is invited to come by the Children's Room for a small gift.

Kids 3, 4, or 5 (but not in kindergarten) are invited to a drop-in storytime at 10 a.m. on Tuesdays in September. Participation is first come, first served.

Come for stories, songs and a craft to take home...on Tuesdays, September 4, 11, 18, and 25.

You can still sign up for the Summer Reading Club - Get a Clue @ Your Library - if you are at least three years old and up to fifth grade in September. Come by to see some good books you can read or have read to you - and win a prize or prizes. August 2 is the deadline to complete five books. You can still participate if you are away. Stop by and see how!

We are scheduling the second Crazy Craft Time for kids who are four years old up to fifth grade (in September). Make masks, rain sticks, paper animals and more - on Friday, July 27, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Just drop in, No registration required.

New for 2007: We are pleased to add to our Family Pass Program, the American Museum of Natural History!
Instead of the lottery that we usually offer for this popular NYC cultural institution, WHPLibrary patrons may now borrow a Family Pass that provides complimentary general admission and special exhibition tickets for up to six people, including free admission to IMAX films and coat checking privileges.

We will also continue to offer Family Passes for:

For information about reserving these passes, please contact the Reference Dept (516) 481-6591.

SIGN UP beginning June 1 for the Summer Reading Club 2007

Children from ages 3 to entering grade 5 in September are invited to stop by the Children’s Room to register. Read together at home or read on your own, then “report” to us June 25 through August 2 for prizes, guessing games, and more!
If you are away, write us or email us.

Come by the Children’s Room to see some of the new picture books, such as
the charming "Hurry! Hurry!" by Eve Bunting,

or the super silly "Scallywags" by David Melling,

Or check out the unusual and arresting "Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick.

And don't forget to see what “oldies but goodies” we’ve contributed to the Book Sale going on now in the Community room.

Are you looking for information about animals? Is the library closed?

Here are some reliable sources available online 24 hours a day, courtesy of the West Hempstead Public Library. To access all of these databases, go to: www.whplibrary.org/research/

and click on

K for Kidsearch

G for Groliers

E for Electric Library

Hint: Try searching the animal name both in singular and plural (e.g., cat or cats). Here are some more tips for using these research tools.

You should have received your Spring 2007 newsletter in the mail. If not, or if it has somehow gone missing since it passed through your hands, you can now view it on our website or print it out on your home computer. A link to the full copy can be found on the adult page and age appropriate pages for young adults and for children can also be found on their respective webpages.

"Which book have you enjoyed that makes you appreciate the freedom to read?"

Write your answer in one or two pages and send it with this entry form by April 9, 2007. You may win a Barnes & Noble gift card and be honored at a gala reception at the Carle Place store on Thursday April 26, 7:30 pm. The age categories are: 5-12 years old, 13-17 years old, 18+ years old.

If you have any questions, call Mr. Ludemann at 377-6112 ext.103 or email him.

This is the Third Annual Essay Contest sponsored by the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Nassau County Library Association