Get Your Taxes Done at the Library!

Schedule an appointment today!

The Pinelands Library is once again a VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) site for FREE tax return preparation for low to moderate income taxpayers. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic state and federal tax return preparation to qualified individuals. 

We are now taking appointments! In February, we are offering appointments on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Beginning in March, we will also be offering Friday appointments.

To schedule your free appointment, stop in the library or call us at (609) 654-6113.

And the Oscar goes to...

Well, we won't actually find out who wins until Sunday, February 26th. But until then, you can catch up on all the nominees here at the library!

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
     (the DVD is due out in April)
The Descendants
     (check out the book, audiobook, or e-book, the DVD is due out in March)
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
     (check out the book or audiobook, the DVD is due out in May)
Hugo
     (check out the book, audiobook, or audio e-book, the DVD is due out in March)
Midnight in Paris
     (check out the DVD out now)
The Help
     (check out the book, audiobook, e-book, audio e-book, or DVD out now)
Moneyball
     (check out the book, audiobook, or DVD out now)
War Horse
     (check out the book, audio e-book, the DVD is due out in April)
The Tree of Life
     (check out the DVD or Blue-ray out now)

BEST ACTOR
Demian Bichir - A Better Life
     (check out the DVD out now)
George Clooney - The Descendants
     (check out the book, audiobook, or e-book, the DVD is due out in March)
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
     (the DVD is due out in April)
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
     (check out the book, audiobook, e-book, the DVD is due out in March)
Brad Pitt - Moneyball    
     (check out the book, audiobook, or DVD out now)

BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs    
     (the DVD is due out in June)
Viola Davis - The Help
     (check out the book, audiobook, e-book, audio e-book, or DVD out now)
Rooney Mara - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
     (check out the book, audiobook, e-book, the DVD is due out in March)
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
     (check out the book, the DVD is due out in April)
Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn
     (check out the book or audiobook, the DVD is due out in March)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn
     (check out the book or audiobook, the DVD is due out in March)
Jonah Hill - Moneyball    
     (check out the book, audiobook, or DVD out now)
Nick Nolte - Warrior
     (check out the DVD out now)
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
     (check out the DVD out now)
Max Von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close    
     (check out the book or audiobook, the DVD is due out in May)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo - The Artist
     (the DVD is due out in April)
Jessica Chastain - The Help         
     (check out the book, audiobook, e-book, audio e-book, or DVD out now)
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
     (check out the DVD or Blu-ray out now)
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
     (the DVD is due out in June)
Octavia Spencer - The Help
     (check out the book, audiobook, e-book, audio e-book, or DVD out now)


For a complete list of the nominees, click here.

Stuffed Animal Sleepover at the Library!

Twenty five lucky stuffed animals got to sleep over at the library this week. And boy did they have fun! Take a look at their adventures...

First, they raided the kitchen.
All that sugar helped them stay up late!

Monkey found some new
friends to HANG out with!

Comet, Kitty, and Wubzzy has fun
playing on the computer!

Kelly Bear thought the library needed more pink.
So she cut out some new decorations for us!

Bolt and his new friends found
Miss Danielle's stash of markers!

Teddy went fishing for a late night snack.

But Octiey warned his fishy friends!

It was getting late, so Miss Danielle read
 everyone a silly bedtime story.
Goodnight friends!!!

If your stuffed animal missed the sleepover, don't worry - we are having another one this summer! Check back for details! Thank you to everyone who participated this week.

Book Trailer Tuesday

KIDS BOOK: A Dog is a Dog by Stephen Shaskan
A dog is a dog, right? Not so fast! This lively picture book will keep young readers guessing (and giggling!) from beginning to end.

TEEN BOOK: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

ADULT BOOK: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

You can request any of these books by clicking on the title above to find it in our catalog or give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and we would be happy to put it on hold for you.

Winners of the 2012 Youth Media Awards!

This morning the American Library Association (ALA) announced the winners of the 2012 Youth Media Awards. These awards go to the top books, video, and audiobooks for children and teens. You are probably familiar with the Caldecott and the Newbery Medals, but they are just two of the many exciting awards given out. Here is a complete list of the winners, with links to our catalog, so you can request a copy today!

Caldecott Winner

Caldecott Medal - for the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Winner - A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Honor - Blackout by John Rocco
Honor - Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Honor - Me... Jane by Patrick McDonnell   

Newbery Winner

Newbery Medal - for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.
Winner - Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Honor - Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Honor - Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Printz & Morris Winner

Printz Award - for excellence in literature written for young adults.
Winner - Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Honor - Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
Honor - The Returning by Christine Hinwood
Honor - Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
Honor - The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

 Morris Award - for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.
Winner - Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Honor - Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
                                             Honor - Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
                                             Honor - Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
                                             Honor - Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Geisel Winner

Theodore Seuss Geisel Award - for the most distinguished beginning reader book.
Winner - Tales for Very Picky Eaters by Josh Schneider
Honor - I Broke My Trunk by Mo Willems
Honor - I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Honor - See Me Run by Paul Meisel

Sibert Winner

Sibert Award - for the most distinguished informational book for children.
Winner - Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
Honor - Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene 'Bull' Connor by Larry Dane Brimnerand
Honor - Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
Honor - The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O'Connell and Donna M. Jackson
Honor - Witches!: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer



YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction for Young Adults - honors the best non-fiction book published for young adults, ages 12-18.

YALSA Winner

Winner - The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery by Steve Sheinkin
Honor - Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
Honor - Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal
Honor - Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy
Honor - Music Was It: Young Leonard Berstein by Susan Goldman Rubin

King Author Award

Coretta Scott King (Author) Award - recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults.
Winner - Kadir Nelson, author of Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans
Honor - Eloise Greenfield, author of The Great Migration: Journey to the North
Honor - Patricia C. McKissack, author of Never Forgotten

King Illustrator Winner

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Award - recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.
Winner - Shane W. Evans, illustrator and author of Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom
Honor - Kadir Nelson, illustrator and author of Heart & Soul: The Story of America and African Americans

Belpre Author Award

Pura Belpre (Author) Award - honoring a Latino writer whose children's books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.
Winner - Guadalupe Garcia McCall, author of Under the Mesquite
Honor - Margarita Engle, author of Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck
Honor - Xavier Garza, author of Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller

Belpre Illustrator Winner

Pura Belpre (Illustrator) Award - honoring a Latino illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.
Winner - Duncan Tonatiuh, illustrator and author of Diego Rivera: His World and Ours
Honor - Rafael Lopez, illustrator of The Cazuela that the Farm Maiden Stirred
Honor - Sara Palacios, illustrator of Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match





Schneider Family Book Award - for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.
Winner - Close to Famous by Joan Bauer
Winner - Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words in Pictures by Brian Selznick

Schneider Winner

Schneider Winner

Stonewall Winner

Stonewall Book Award - given annually to children's and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience.
Winner - Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright
Honor - a+e 4ever by Ilike Merey
Honor - Money Boy by Paul Yee
Honor - Pink by Lili Wilkinson
Honor - with or without you by Brian Farrey




Odyssey Award - for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults

Odyssey Winner

Winner - Rotters by Daniel Kraus,
narrated by Kirby Heyborne
Honor - Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri,
narrated by JD Jackson
Honor - Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt,
narrated by Lincoln Hoppe
Honor - The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater,
narrated by Scott West and Fiona Hardingham
Honor - Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt,
narrated by Wendy Carter




Carnegie Medal - for excellence in children's video
Winner - Children Make Terrible Pets produced by Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard

Alex Awards - for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.
* Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin
* In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard
* The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
* The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser
* The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
* Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
* Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel Wilson
* Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
* The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston
* The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo

Did You Know?...

Did you know that with your library card you have access to a Lynda.com subscription? Lynda.com is an amazing website that provides over 42,000 training videos on topics like photography, design, web and interactive design, business, 3D, audio, and much more.

So if your New Year's resolution was to learn something new, then this is the website for you! With Lynda, you can learn how to use anything from Photoshop to Twitter to Excel to Facebook.

To access your library subscription to Lynda, first go to the library homepage at www.bcls.lib.nj.us. Next, hover the mouse over the "Research & Learning" tab, then click on Databases, A-Z from the drop-down menu.

Next, find Lynda.com listed on the right side of the screen and click on it.

 

At this point, you will be prompted to enter your library card number. Enter the full 14-digit number on the back of your library card. Do not include the spaces.
 

Now you are logged on to Lynda.com and have access to over 42,000 tutorial videos. Have fun exploring!

* Please note that only 5 library users can access Lynda at one time. So be sure to log out when you are finished with your session.

If you have any questions about this service, give us a call at (609) 654-6113 and ask for the Reference Desk.

Homeschool Open House for Parents

Homeschool Open House this weekend!

PLEASE NOTE: This program will be held at the Evesham Branch Library.

Parents involved in homeschooling (or those considering homeschooling) are invited to explore the ways that the library can support their home school program! We will join the Evesham staff to present a helpful overview of our services, inlcuding: databases, eBooks, borrow-a-book club, and more! The Open House will also include a tour of the Evesham Library, a question and answer session, and time in the computer lab.

This event will be held at the Evesham Branch this weekend on Saturday, January 7th at 10:30AM. Registration is requested. To register, you can call the Evesham Library at 856-983-1444, or call the Pinelands Library at 609-654-6113, or visit the online calendar. We hope to see you on Saturday!