2016 Summer Reading Program

Summer is here, and with it the Virginia Public Library Summer Reading Program! From June 1^st to August 5^th we have free events and activities at the library for anyone who wants to have fun. If you are in Preschool through 12^th grade and are reading books this summer, you can sign up to win awesome prizes at the library!

Boy Reading About Being a Mountain Climber

Being part of the Summer Reading Program is easy! Come in to the library to sign up and pick your reading goal for the summer. Then log the books or pages you’ve read online, and come in to the library to claim your prizes. In addition to standard prizes, you can get entries for weekly drawings – the more you visit the library the more possible prizes you win!

We have lots of wonderful events going on this summer – so many we can’t list all of them here! Here is a good way to know which days will work best for visiting the library:

Froggy Riding His Skateboard with a Bag of Books

Thursdays    June 2^nd – August 4^th

Special guest performers visit the library! We have musicians, magicians, and even some animal friends visiting – see our brochure or website for more details!

Tuesdays    June 14^th – July 12^th

Craftastic Tuesdays! Come into the library to make free crafts! We will make crafts that float, crafts that fly, and many more! Visit between 10 and 12 in the morning.

We have lots more happening at the library this summer including visits from Muggsie and Katie the R.E.A.D. dogs, storytimes on Monday and Wednesday, and scavenger hunts, puzzles and challenges all summer long!  If you are looking for a fun free time this summer stop by the Virginia Public Library – we will be happy to see you!

--Stephanie Wichlacz, Children's Librarian

Season of Giving

Rohian Cover

We are entering a season of giving, beginning with Thanksgiving, when we give thanks for the bounty provided over the preceding year, and continuing through New Year's Day, when we give up something we think we no longer need or take on something we believe will be good for us. While the library can "give" to you in the form of self-improvement, recreational reading, music CDs and movies, have you thought of giving something back to the library? 

For example, do you have an old copy of the Rohian gathering dust at your house?  The library collects the Virginia high school annual for patrons to use within the library.  We have most years, but there are several years missing from our collection.  Check our list of missing years to see if your copy of the Rohian is one of those we could use. 

Funding Factory Logo

Another way the library can be helped is with items that are discarded regularly--used inkjet and toner cartridges, old cell phones, and even out of date laptops can be donated to the library, which in turn sends them to Funding Factory.  Funding Factory "pays" the library for the donated items by adding funds to an ongoing account.  From that account, we buy items such as printers and other equipment that the library needs to run smoothly.

Giving Tree

The Friends of the Virginia Public Library can also use support.  The Friends are very instrumental in raising funds for programming, among other things.  Without their support, we would not have many of the monthly programs we provide, nor would the annual Summer Reading Program be nearly as successful as it is.

However, this can not be sustained without donations from the public as well as without new members.  Donations can be made to the Friends at any time, but this year they are going to have a tree with donation envelopes at the library.  People can specify what they are donating money for, from the Summer Reading Program and other programs to book and media item purchases. 

If you have any items that the library can use, or if you would like to more actively support programming at your library, take the time to do so @ your library!

--Susan Hoppe, Adult Services Librarian

Fortune Bay Resort Casino Donation

Have you seen the library news in the Mesabi Daily News?  If not, here is what they printed from Fortune Bay Resort Casino: 

The Virginia Public Library recently received a $433.07 donation from Fortune Bay Resort Casino that will be used to enhance the library’s Summer Reading Program. The donation was made possible by customers who tossed coins into the large waterfalls like fountain at Fortune Bay.

Maintenance employees collected the coins and presented them to Fortune Bay Resort Casino employee Rob Alger, whose daughter, Delia, takes part in the program.

“We really appreciate this donation from Fortune Bay Resort Casino,” said Dawn Heisel, Virginia Children’s Services Librarian, who plays an instrumental role in the reading program.  “This will really help our efforts in providing our local children with an even better Summer Reading Program.”

Pictured left to right are: Rob Alger, Delia Alger, Dawn Heisel , Nancy Maxwell, library director, and Kathryn Cremers, member of the Friends of the Virginia Public Library. Submitted photo.

Thank you, Fortune Bay, for your support of reading and the Virginia Public Library, and thank you Delia Alger and family, for thinking of us!  

Susan Hoppe, Reference Services Librarian

The Popularity Paper

Amongst all the other things I’ve been doing for this summer’s fantastic reading program, I squeezed in a webinar on the impact of libraries on early reading development.  To be fair, I grumbled about the timing of the program.  I mean, what are they doing presenting this program to Children’s Librarians at the busiest time of the year?  But then I decided that I could probably fit in an hour, especially if it was quiet in the library.  As it happened, I was only interrupted 5 times, which was very manageable.  Anyway, while I learned some new information on early reading, I learned far more about how parents (and others) around our nation feel about libraries from Lee Rainie of PewInternet.org.

The Pew Research Center is considered to be the gold standard for unbiased, scientific community surveys, so I fully expected the presenter to be somewhat dull and perhaps a little boring. Imagine my surprise when he sounded downright giddy to be talking about their recent report concerning libraries.  To quote:  “We just don’t see these numbers in other areas.  This level of agreement throughout our nation is unheard of in any of our other studies.”  Yikes, and they’re talking about libraries?

Well, this got my attention and I completely ignored the ruckus being raised at the puzzle table.  What I learned is that parents and the general populace really like us.  I mean they really, really, like us and they think we’re important to them.  The number one takeaway from this vast nationwide study is that libraries are appreciated.  A full 91% (this was the statistic responsible for the giddiness) of the respondents said libraries were important to their community.  Another 76% said they were important to their family and them personally.  And then, when it comes to parents, 94% said libraries are important for their children.  Ok, so I knew that, but I never in a million years thought that many other people knew it too.

from http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/05/01/parents-children-libraries-and-reading/

Wow!  I confess that I was starting to feel a bit like Sally Field when she won her Oscar.  Then Mr. Rainie began with the survey comparisons between libraries and other institutions.  Once again libraries came out on top.  (Mr. Rainie was almost jumping out of his seat now.)  Did you know that Americans have more confidence in libraries than just about any other service provided by our fine government (excepting those hunky firemen), and even many other services provided in our communities?  Yep, libraries beat out banks, TV stations, newspapers, schools, hospitals, big business and more.  Of course I believe this, but no one can accuse me of unbiased thinking when it comes to libraries... 

from http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/05/01/parents-children-libraries-and-reading/

So, what about our future?  I’ve heard plenty of doomsday prophecies.  E-books are the death of libraries; print books will be gone, etc.  How does America really feel?  Well, more than 80% of them say “keep the books”.    Hmm... not only do Americans like libraries, but they also like print books.  I’m starting to think that perhaps the rest of the world is finally catching on to the wonder my world.  Way to go, Pew!

Click HERE to read the summary of findings.

-Dawn Heisel, Public Services Librarian