Think of Your Library
Teen Read Week Writing Contest
“Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul” Plato
Teens, itching to test your latest garage band lyrics on a fresh audience? Have some soulful poetry you’d like to share outside the coffee house?
Submit your lyrics or poetry to our Teen Blog September 6 - October 9 for a shot at winning an electronic drum kit.
Library staff will sift through the entries and pick their top 6. Those Top 6 will go head to head in a People's Choice contest with you, the public, choosing your favorite during Teen Read Week October 18 - 24.
The winner will be announced October 25.
The rules:
- Writers need to be 12 - 18
- Material must be original
- Writing may not contain offensive language of any type (if you wouldn't show it to your grandma, don't share it with us)
Celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up Month
Celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up Month with us during September at all of our branches. We have something for all ages happening during the month.
Every parent signing up for a library card for their under two child will receive a bag of goodies promoting our literacy kits. Babies can amuse themselves with just their feet – throw in a board book and that’ll buy you enough time to get those dishes done!
Kids (3 - 11), get out your crayons and start coloring! You can enter a drawing for a mysteriously grand prize by stopping into a branch and filling out an activity sheet.
Teens and adults (12+), enter a drawing for a Boogie Board LCD Writing Tablet by IMPROV Electronics by telling us why your library card is important to you. Tell us just one reason – either in person at a branch or online – and be entered into the prize drawing.
Photos of the lucky winners may be chosen to be used in upcoming program promotional posters! So strike a pose!
Drawings will take place on Friday, October 1st. Winners will be contacted on Monday, October 4th.
Rock the Vote
Teens, vote for your favorite book of 2009 from now until September 30. Winners will be announced in October during Teen Read Week. Make your voice heard and vote!
The list of nominees.
Got Bit Yet?
Want to dip your toe into the supernatural world but not sure where to start?
The new breed of supernatural creatures, known as “vamps”, “weres” and “shape shifters” are less like the stiff, scary characters of old black and white silent movies and more like your next door neighbor with an edge. In this world of urban fantasy, supernatural and paranormal literature, beings are out of the closet, drink synthetic blood, and hold regular jobs.
Leading author Charlaine Harris, made more famous by HBO's True Blood series, serves up a blend of mystery, romance, fast-paced action and a bit of thrill and suspense in her Southern Vampire Mystery series. Follow Sookie Stackhouse, the smart, upbeat, main character and telepath, as she mixes with the supernatural folks in the ten book series.
No time to read? What better way to savor the southern humor and soak in the small town atmosphere and life of Sookie Stackhouse than to listen to the book on CD A Touch of Dead, a collection of short stories by Charlaine Harris, read by Johanna Parker.
Prefer movies or TV? Try:
More to Explore
Once bitten and smitten, find more to satisfy your blood lust @ your library:
- Vampire fiction
- Paranormal romance stories
- Werewolves fiction
- Supernatural fiction
- Psychic ability fiction
- Clairvoyance fiction
Still looking for more? Check out Read-A-Likes to find similar authors.
New Site Is One Stop Help for the Unemployed
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJS) has a new website designed to be a one stop source of information for Ohio's unemployed workers and their families. Ohio Here to Help assists users to:
- Search for a job
- Find education and training opportunities
- Learn about other supports available to them
Ohio Here to Help provides direct links to job openings via Ohio Means Jobs, as well as to training and education resources via the State Library of Ohio. It also has information about:
- Money
- Food assistance
- Health care
- Housing
- Transportation
- Child care
- Veterans' services
- Legal services
- Clothing assistance
- Youth employment
Pictured L to R: Ken Cook, Veterans Commission President; Cliff Riley; Howard Daugherty; Dan Bare, Veterans Commission Director; Sue Riggs, CCPL Assistant Director; Robert Derr; Don Chandler.
Library Honors Veterans
The library presented over 250 thank you cards to the Clermont County Veterans' Service Commission. The cards were created by library customers as a way to show countywide appreciation to the veterans for their service and dedication.
"Our veterans will truly appreciate such a warm and caring act from the public." -Dan Bare
The Commission will distribute the cards to veterans who visit their offices. Dan Bare, Veterans Commission Director, praised the program calling it "unique" and "heartfelt."
Carol Tyler Draws Us In
What happens when you cross unlimited creativity and passion for storytelling with a room full of teenagers who are ready to absorb knowledge like a sponge?
The result is something quite impressive, thanks to a grant from the Ohio Arts Council & a recent visit from Carol Tyler, internationally recognized cartoonist and published graphic novelist.
Teens at the Amelia and Williamsburg Branches were treated to a two-day Graphic Art Residency workshop led by Tyler where they learned the art of visual storytelling.
Using their own stories as a backdrop, teens drew autobiographical sketches and later inked their creations with Tyler offering encouragement and instruction.
About the artist
Carol Tyler is an award-winning, internationally recognized autobiographical cartoonist. Tyler studied technical aspects of making sequential art in the early eighties at Syracuse University. In 2005, Tyler published Late Bloomer, which pulled together all the comic stories she had published over 20 years.
She began teaching in 2006 at the University of Cincinnati DAAP School of Art. Her most recent work titled You'll Never Know is a three-part 300+ page graphic novel that depicts the experiences of her father in WWII. Book 1, A Good & Decent Man was released in June 2009.
Check out the artwork created by local teens during the two-day workshop:
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Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer |
Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer |
Ch-Ch-Changes
Effective September 1, Mango Languages will no longer be available to CCPL customers. Try our new language learning database, Byki Online instead. Byki is a cheaper, easier-to-use language learning software, offering ESL options and 40 more languages than Mango.
Byki (pronounced 'bike-y'), short for "Before You Know It," is a rapid learning system. The Byki learning method takes you through the simplest steps to memorize words and phrases in a new language.
You can start using Byki today - no need to wait until September when Mango disappears!
All users will have to register with Byki in a library branch (one time only.) Once you've created a Byki account within the library you can access Byki Online from any computer with Internet access, including from home.
Click here! to start learning a new language today! Did we mention it's free?!
You can use all of our databases from within any Clermont County Public Library Branch, or home. To use library databases from home, you'll need your library card number. Simply click Homework and Research on the top menu on our website and select Databases from the list. Filter your choices by subject, search alphabetically, or enter your search term. So many different ways to find the information you need.
Still need a little help? Visit the information desk at the library, call your local branch, or even send us an email.
Only Six Months 'til Christmas!
Stop by the Williamsburg Branch on Mondays from 6-7:30pm and learn to crochet. Already know how to crochet? Then stop by to learn a new stitch. You'll have handmade gifts for everyone on your holiday gift giving list in no time at all! Plus it's a fantastic chance to make new friends.
Can't stop by the branch? Then check out these crochet resources @ your library:
You're Never Too Old
Picture books never lose their charm, no matter what age you are. Our staff chose some of their all-time favorites to share with you and still more.
If you need a reason to pick up a picture book, don't forget that reading to children is one of the most important things you can do. Check out Ready to Read, our early literacy resources page. As if you need to justify the fun that comes with reading Moo, Baa, La La La! or Chicky Chicky Chook Chook (C'mon, didn't it make you smile just to read those titles?)
In further picture book news, the winners of the 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book were recently announced.
And it's Eric Carle's birthday on June 25th! The Grouchy Ladybug is always a favorite of mine, if only for the title. Check out the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.
Do You Have a Story to Tell?
Come to the Williamsburg Branch @ 11am every Thursday for an informal creative writing group. Adults will gather at the library to inspire each other and to offer suggestions or merely serve as a sounding board to each other.
The writing group's goal: Sharing our hearts and minds with like-minded writers. We will be making new friends and having fun.
Their action plan: Challenge ourselves to try something new, expand our use of words, and aspire to develop our talents.
And their mission statement: To create an interest in writing through sharing and encouragement. The group is open to all levels of writers, including beginners.
If you're unable to attend the sessions at the branch, here are some other resources @ your library:
Books, Music and Movies, Oh My!
We’ve added a whole new section to our web site, Books, Movies, Music, especially intended to help you discover books, music, and movies that you’ll enjoy. Explore databases and recommended web sites, find links to bestseller and awards lists, and check out our staff picks. Read our three blogs: Off the Shelf, CCPL Teens, and CCPL Kids. Learn about our discussion groups and find resources for leading your own club. See what we have on order, get tips on how to locate items you want to check out, and subscribe to eNewsletters about new and upcoming books, audiobooks, and DVDs.
What else would you like to see added to our site? Let us know.