Summer Reading Program - Halfway Point!

It is hard to believe, but we are already at the halfway point in our summer reading program. Today starts the second half of the program. So if your kids haven't signed up yet, they still have time. And we still have lots of fun programs lined up for the summer! For a schedule of upcoming events, check out our online calendar and select "Pinelands Library" for the location.

Let's take a quick look at how things are going so far:

On June 25th, we kicked off the Summer Reading Program. This summer's theme is: Dream Big, Read!

This year, we have a new Early Literacy Program
for kids between the ages of 0-3 years old.

The Summer Reading Program is for
kids between the ages of 3-12 years old.

One of our first programs was the summer Lego Club event! This month we decided to "Dream Big" and build whatever our imaginations could come up with! Check out these creative masterpieces:

At storytime, we read these fun books about stars and the nighttime sky, and then made our very own shooting star!

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray

Papa, please get the moon for me by Eric Carle

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers

We had some intense games of Book Cover Bingo:

Last week, we were visited by a Singing Cowboy, who had the kids hopping around to the tune of his banjo:

The Singing Cowboy and his pal, Amy Oakleaf.

And last but not least, our newest program, Reading Buddies, has been a big hit! Kids (Pre-K -- 3rd Grade) get paired up with a teen buddy. It is great for building self esteem and reading skills! Look how much fun they are having:

Nora read with her buddy, Kyra

while her brother, Nathaniel,
read with his buddy Isaac.

Another Nora read "The Lightning Thief" with her buddy

while her sister, Claudia, read Spot.

If you are interested in signing your kids up for the Summer Reading Program, simply stop by the library at any time and pick up a summer reading supply bag. It has everything they need to get started - a reading log, a bookmark, stickers, prize slips, and more! Speaking of prize slips, don't forget to turn in the prize slips so that your kids earn cool rewards for all of the reading they do this summer. We have everything from free books to fun toys to free Rita's water ice coupons. The more reading they do, the more fun stuff they earn. And we even have a weekly raffle for a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card. Don't forget, there are still 4 weeks left to participate!

We got a facelift!

http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/

Have you seen our new website? We just went live with our new, updated website this morning!

It may look a little different, but don't worry, you can still search for books and ebooks, manage your account online, and access the same great databases as before.

If you have any questions about navigating the new site, just stop by the Reference Desk for a virtual tour or call us at 609-654-6113.

We have an app for that!

Download the app today!

We are excited to announce that we have launched a BCLS app for various devices. Search for our library on Google Play (previously known as Android Market) or in the iOS App Store. The BCLS app is also available for the Kindle Fire and Blackberry.

You can now stay connected with the library from your mobile phone or tablet. Look for items in our collection, place holds and access your account. You can also download books from our digital library, check our calendar of events or locate any of BCLS location with turn-by-turn directions. Wherever you are, your library goes with you!

 

HAPPY NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK!

To celebrate National Library Week, Miss Danielle is having a book giveaway bonanza! To enter, kids just have to tell her why they love the library.

She has already gotten some great responses. Check them out below. Tomorrow is your last day to enter. Winners will be announced next week. Good luck!






"I love your puzzles." - James, age 2

"It has awesome, cool, super, fantastic, terrific, and LOADS of books I want to read!!!" - Christian, age 7

"Because it has lots of library programs." - Tyler, age 7

"I love the library because they have so many good books and almost every kind of genre a kid like me would like." - Danny, age 8

"Because whatever books or movies you need, they are free and even if they don't have it, somehow you'll get it." - Jessica, age 9

"I love the library because it's a place where you can discover new things and learn new things!" - Bridget, age 9

Thanks kids!!!

Last Week in Review - Kid's Programs!

It was a fun week for kids at the Pinelands Library!


On Monday night, we kicked off the week with Family Movie Night. It was our biggest turnout yet! Everyone got juice and popcorn and laughed all night at this month's feature, 'Puss in Boots'. The library felt just like a real movie theater!

On Wednesday, the kids got crafty and made personalized signs. Some kids chose to do a name sign while others chose to express an interest of theirs. Check out the creativity!

SKATE!

MALENA!

NORA ROCKS!

On Thursday, we got a visit from the Reading Magician. He came to the library to help us celebrate Read Across America with a special Dr. Seuss Magic Show!

Magic at the library!

On Friday, our littlest library goers enjoyed a Mother Goose on the Loose storytime. We had lots of fun bouncing, singing, crawling, and listening to stories!

And then on Saturday, we ended the week with our first ever Lego Club program! The building theme was "Out at Sea" and you won't believe how creative the results were! The kids built everything from pirate ships to entire beach-scapes. We also had fun listening to the Kidz Bop station on Pandora radio... so much fun that a few mini dance parties broke out between building sessions. We even had a break dancer in the crowd! Who knew that Legos and dancing went so well together?!

The builders got right to work.

The three man team working on the beach scene.

The final product!

Yellow patrol boat by Brandon

Jeffery's bicycle powered pirate ship.

Alex's Lego masterpiece

Can you spot the Lego man steering this
big steam ship by Joshua?

Steven's ship even had tentacles - beware!

Be sure to check out our online calendar for more upcoming kid's programs or pick up a monthly program calendar next time you are in the library. Remember, space is limited so registration is required for all programs. Sign up always begins two weeks before the date of the program.

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.

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!

Did You Know?...

Did you know that you can now put our museum passes on hold for one hour? First of all, have you heard about the new Museum Pass Program at all?!?  It is so amazing and I cannot recommend it enough right now! It is a *free* service that gives you access to several area museums and gardens. You check the passes out the same way that you check out a book or any other library item. However, the museum passes can only be checked out at our Main Library in Westampton. But, we are happy to announce that you can now call ahead and have them reserve the pass for one hour. To see which passes are currently checked in, just visit our website (http://www.bcls.lib.nj.us/), click the Search the Catalog link, which is located under the Books, Movies and Music tab. Then type "museum pass" into the title alphabetical search bar. Voila! You will find a listing for all five museum passes:

Garden State Discovery Museum - pass admits 6 people and entitles you to a 15% discount in their Discovermore Toy Store.

Grounds for Sculpture - pass admits 4 people.

Morris Arboretum - pass admits 2 adults and up to 4 children.

National Liberty Museum - pass admits 6 people and will entitle you to a 10% discount in the museum gift shop.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts - pass admits 2 adults and all children in your household under the age of 18.


If you were looking for a fun and free way to enjoy some quality time with friends and families this holiday season, this is it! If you would like to put any of these passes on hold, call the Main Library at (609) 267-9660 x2.

Book Sale Blowout!

Enjoy the lovely Fall weather this weekend and come down to the library to check out our special two-day sidewalk booksale. Cider and cookies will be on hand too!

Pricing info:
Fill a bag - $2.00
   OR
Each Book - $0.25

EXCEPT:
New Paperback - $0.50

New Hardcover - $2.00

DVDs/CDs - $2.00

VHS - $0.50

And don't forget that our 2nd Annual Costume Swap will also be taking place this Saturday. We have already received a ton of costumes, so there will be a big selection!

Changes in the Children's Room

This week you may have noticed that some of the children's books aren't quite where you are used to finding them. Don't worry, they weren't blown around by Hurricane Irene! We are just doing some rearranging. All of the books are now settled into their new homes, but we are still in the process of putting up new signs. If you need help locating a book, don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks for participating!

Believe it or not, the Summer Reading Program is over already. We can't believe how fast those 8 weeks went by either! This summer's travel inspired theme was fun for all. For kids it was "One World, Many Stories", for teens it was "You are Here", and for adults it was "Novel Destinations". We would like to thank you all for your participation and continued support of the Summer Reading Program. Here's a breakdown of how the program went this year:

KIDS - 303 participants read 5,612 hours!

TEENS -  15 participants read 240 hours!

ADULTS - 8 participants turned in 83 book reviews!

And three cheers for the Friends of the Pinelands Library for funding the prizes, as well as many of our programs! Thank you!!!

Book Sale!

It's a beautiful day for a book sale, especially an outdoor sidewalk book sale! We've got lots of kids, teens, and adults book to choose from.

Judy Adams, the President of the Friends of the Pinelands Library, stopped by to check it out and so should you.

The book sale will be open until 3:00PM with plenty of lemonade and animal crackers to go around. And if you can't make it today, we are having other sidewalk book sales on Friday, July 22nd, and Friday, August 12th.