Parsons Public Library

New Website

2008-04-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

We are no longer using the old website or blogger. If you go to http://www.parsonslibrary.com/ you will be directed to our new website. On this websites front page will be our new blogger. If you have any questions, please come to the front desk or call 620-421-5920. Thank You.

2008-03-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

The second book for our Book Discussion Group will be March 24, 2008 at 6:30pm over A Lost Lady by Willa Cather. On March 13, 2008 at 7:00pm, will will have a Movie Night for ages 18 and up to go along with the Book Discussion. For more information contact Delores at the front desk or by calling 421-5920.

Book Discussion

2008-02-27T15:15:00.000-08:00

The book discussion leader was Carmeletta Williams for the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Patrons love Carmaletta, enjoy listening to her speak, and participationing in a delightful discussion. Cup cakes and coffee were served for refreshments.

Book Discussion Group

2008-01-30T14:36:00.000-08:00

In honor of Black History Month, on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 6:30pm will will have our first book discussion lead by Carmaletta Williams over the book Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. There will be a movie night to go along with this book Friday, February 22, 2008 at 7:00pm. Please sign up by Friday, January 8, 2008.Hope to see you there!

Story Time

2008-01-18T13:27:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 23, 2008 at 10:00am and 1:00pm, Miss Ellynne will be starting back up the the much loved story time. She will be reading The Lady with the Alligator Purse by Mary Ann Hoberman & Nadine Bernard Westcott. The following is the story time schedule for the next three months.

Preschool Story Time
Ages Preschool - 5 years
Wednesday’s
January 23 & 30
February 6, 13, 20, & 27
March 5, 12, 19, & 26
10:00am & 1:00pm

Evening Family Story Time
Ages 5 - 7 years
Monday’s
January 28
February 4, 11, & 25
March 3, 10, 17, 24, & 31
6:30 pm

Sorry

2008-01-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

Due to complications in logging in, I had to start up a new Flickr page for the pictures. I then had to transfer the previous pictures as well as add the new pictures. Flickr is now uptodate and the Our Library Pictures link on the right will take you there. Also the My Library link will take you back to the library's website. Sorry for the inconvinence, and enjoy checking out the pictures.

Holiday Tasting

2007-12-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

Our annual Holiday Tasting was a wonderful success and has become a favorite community event. Around 150 patrons attended, which is a record number for this event. Food was donated by patrons, staff, and several local businesses. Patrons commented on how good the food was and how well the room was decorated. Jeannie Manners and Anita Murphy kindly provided us with seasonsal music. Money was also collected for Coats-for-Kids during the tasting, and we thank the patrons who donated. We appreciate everyones help in making this event a success.

Holiday Tasting

2007-12-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, December 12th from 11:00am to 2:00pm we will be having our annual Holiday Tasting. You are invited to join in and enjoy the treats while welcoming our new Director Jean Strader.

Book Discussion

2007-11-14T14:38:00.000-08:00

On Monday November 19 at 6:30 Janet Juhnke will be leading a book discussion on Bailey’s C·A·F·É by Gloria Naylor. We Look Forward to seeing you there.

Book Discussion

2007-11-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to sign up for the last book discussion. The book discussion is over Bailey's CAFE by Gloria Naylor and a copy can be picked up at the front desk when you sign up. The discussion will be held on Monday, November 19, 2007 at 6:30pm.

Hitchcock Double Feature

2007-10-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

Last night we had an Alfred Hitchcock Double Feature Movie Night. We played "The Birds" starring Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor and "Psycho" starring Janet Leigh and Anthony. Refreshments consistated of Sub sandwiches, chips, popcorn candy mix, and soda pop. Twenty-two patrons came and enjoyed the movie and treats.

Sea Shell Collecting

2007-10-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Next Monday on October 15 at 7:00pm, Bret Raines and Mary Taylor will be here to talk about all the wonderful shells we now have on display.

Book Discussion

2007-09-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

On Monday, September 24 Ann Birney will be leading a book discussion on Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fanny Flagg. We look fowward to seeing you there.

Movie Night

2007-09-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night at 7:00pm we are playing a movie related to the book we will be exploring at the next group discussion. Hope to see you there!

Book Signing

2007-08-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

Book Review of August 24, 2007
The Beginning of Mankind by Melvin Dean Owen

Melvin was the author for the book review. Melvin attened the Parsons Business College and worked in the accounting Dept. of the Katy Railroad. He later recieved a BA in bible from Cenrtal Bible College in Springfield, a master of Arts degree in education from Middle Tennessee State College at Murfreesboro, Tennesse: and a specialist degree in education from Pittsburg State University. He has been employed as a pastor at Assembly of God Churches in Shelbyville, TN and Neodesha, KS. He has also worked for 30 years as a classroom teacher and principle in Chanute, KS.

At the book Review, Melvin read excepts from his new book. He also spoke about the process of getting a book publised and dicussed his book. He sold and signed around 20 copies of his book. The review was excellent, and the public really enjoyed it.

Gilda Bird

2007-07-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

If you didn't make it to the library to see Gilda Bird today, you missed a real treat. Local public school librarian, Bev Crim brought Guilda and a new little baby puppet named Dickens to entertain us. They sang songs, read books, told stories and even played the ukulele.

Chasing Vermeer Book Group

2007-07-16T11:20:00.000-07:00

“Chasing Vermeer” by Blue Balliett" is the book Miss Ellynne chose for the second book group of the summer. While it’s too late to join the group, we do have the book available for checkout. Read it for yourself. You may become interested in pentominoes and want to look at one of these websites.

http://www.scholastic.com/titles/chasingvermeer/index.htm

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~desilva/pento/pento.html

Boys who missed the previous two book groups this summer may have another chance in August. Plans are in the works for another book group then. Jeff Jack will be leading a book discussion group just for the guys.

Hogwart-a-thon

2007-07-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter fans will stay up late reading the last book in the popular series. Some may even drive to another town and join a group of fellow fans at a bookstore as waiting in line for the books’ midnight sale takes on a party atmosphere. If that isn’t enough, there is another chance to quench your thirst for all things Harry Potter. Come to the multipurpose room of the library on Saturday, July 21 from 10am to 6pm for our Hogwart-a-thon. Movies will be shown. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served. A special door prize will be awarded. You must be 12- 18 years old to get in the door. Sorry, no exceptions.

The book will be available for checkout. There is already a long waiting list. Even though we have ordered 4 copies you may have to wait for your chance to read it. Call or come by the library to get your name on the waiting list.

Next Week at the Library

2007-07-05T12:16:00.000-07:00

On Monday July 9, "Be a Detective". Detective Steenrod from the Parsons Police Department will do a hands on presentation of crime scene investigation procedures at 1:30pm for ages 9- 11.

There will be a movie night for adults on Thursday evening, July 12 at 7pm. We can't tell you the name of the movie, but it goes along with our summer theme of "Clue Into a Book." This is for adults 18 and over.

Young Adults ages 12- 18 will be able to find their fingerprint type, make invisible ink and do other crime solving activities at "Detective 101" on Friday, July 13 at 2pm. As always, these events are free.

Foodie

2007-07-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

When you come into the library and pick up bookmarks or lists of ideas for books to read, you’re probably picking up a list that I have created. In order to do this I spend a lot of time looking at booklists that other people have created so that I can get ideas. One day I found these two lists from NextReads. One called The Gourmet Way and another entitled Foodie.

According to Wikipedia, foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. While gourmets want to eat the best food, foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food.

The descriptions of the books looked interesting, so I checked out “Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen” by Julie Powell and “Garlic and Sapphires” by Ruth Reichl. I liked “Julie & Julia” well enough to keep reading to the end. I shot through “Garlic and Sapphires” in about 24 hours.

“Julie & Julia” is about a woman living in a small New York City apartment who borrows her mom's copy of Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” and decides on a whim, to cook all 524 recipes. She sets up a blog and writes about her experiences.

“Garlic and Sapphires” is about a food critic for the New York Times who finds out that there is a reward offered to anyone who can spot her in a restaurant or alert the restaurant to when she will come to critique it. She discovers that her picture is posted in kitchens all over the city. She knows that if she goes into a restaurant and is identified she will get special food and special service so her solution is to hire a retired acting coach and disguise herself. Each time restaurateurs learn to identify her she switches to a new character.

My next read?

Just a Reminder

2007-06-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

Our next special program for adults will be The Learning Tree: Gordon Parks and other African American Artists from Kansas presented by Pittsburg musician, Lemuel Sheppard. The program will include blues, folk songs, spirituals and songs from the civil rights movement. It is for adults 18 and over. Join us in the library's multipurpose room on Friday, June 22 at 7pm.

There is an activity or event for some age group happening nearly every day this summer. Pictures are taken and added to the flickr site or the blog on a daily basis. Keep your eyes open, because you may just see a familiar face.

Just Me and My Dad

2007-06-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the second story time of the summer. Miss Ellynne read "Just Me and My Dad" by Mercer Mayer in celebration of Father's Day this coming Sunday. Miss Julie snapped every child's picture for their take home puzzle-piece picture frame to give to their dads. It read"Dad, I love you to pieces."

Musician Dennis Warner

2007-06-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Musician and children's book author, Dennis Warner came to the library today. He sang several familiar childrens songs and many others that he had written himself. He also read his book, "Beads on One String" aloud to the group of about 60 children and adults.

Summer Story Time

2007-06-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

Today was the first story time of the summer and come to think of it, the first event in our summer reading program. On Thursday at 2pm Young Adults ages 12-18 will watch a mystery movie. There are lots of things happening each week and it’s not too late to come in and pick up a calendar or sign up for any of our programs. Next week Jackie Brogeson from the Safari Museum in Chanute will talk with kids 11- 14 about her trip to Transylvania and share what she learned about the legend of Dracula. Children’s musician Dennis Warner will perform on Tuesday followed by story times on Wednesday and dominoes for adults on Thursday. Be sure to check out the library Flickr account to see pictures all summer long.

Library Visitors

2007-05-30T10:25:00.000-07:00

Before school was out the first grade classes from Lincoln Elementary came to the library for a visit. Miss Ellynne is always willing to set up appointments with schools, scout groups, preschools or anyone else who would like to visit the children's room. Just call 421-5920 to schedule a time.

Summer Reading

2007-05-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

The calenders are in and beginning Friday, May 18 you can come to the library and sign up for any of our summer reading programs. This summer we have a mystery theme. It's all about finding clues, reading mysteries and crime scene investigations. There are musicians and storytellers for the children, a craft class, preschool story times and book groups. Young adults will watch a Hogwart movie marathon, watch Anime, play a live game of Clue and make candles. Adults have a movie night, several game times and a special Gordon Parks program with Lemuel Sheppard. Stop by and pick up a calender to find out all that is happening at your library this summer.

Katy Days

2007-05-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Preschool children listened to a train story today. You can join the celebration of our railroad heritage too. Come to Katy Days May 25- 26- 27.

George Hill Book Signing

2007-04-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, April 12 the library celebrated George Hill's recently published book, "The Season" with a book signing and refreshments of frosted basketball cookies and coffee. George Hill is a patron of the library and a former NCAA Division I basketball coach. His book, "The Season" covers the story of the men on a team from West Virginia State where he coached for a season. Hill captivated his audience as he told about his life, his experience coaching and how he came to write and publish his book. He stressed that the book is not autobiographical but is "about the boys on the team". Another book by Hill, "Investigation" a murder mystery will soon be out, and he is in the process of writing a third book centered on his grandchild who has cerebral palsy. Patrons stayed after the presentation to chat, get their copies of the book signed and enjoy the refreshments. If you would like to read George's book you can check it out at the library or buy your own copy from Barnes & Nobel or Amazon.com.

Another Wednesday, Another Story Time

2007-04-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

Despite the cool temperatures and cooler winds a large group of preschool children came to morning and afternoon story times yesterday to hear a garden story and plant some seeds.

There are just a few more story times before Miss Ellynne takes a break to prepare for the summer reading programs. The last two daytime story times are April 18 and 25 at 10am and 1pm. There will also be an evening story time at 6:30pm on April 26.

Book Signing

2007-03-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, April 12 at 7pm George Hill will read excerpts from his new book The Season. He will speak about the process of getting a book published and discuss his experiences as a coach including college athletics in general. Copies of his book will be available for purchase.

George Hill was a college coach from 1958 until his retirement in 1995. He served as head basketball coach at Rogers State University, the United States Coast Guard Academy, The Citadel, Robert Morris U and Oklahoma Panhandle State U. In retirement, he worked for The Parsons Sun as a sports correspondent covering high school football and college basketball for five years.

Welcome Home, Jim!

2007-03-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Come into the library and meet our new director, Jim Payne, pictured here with his wife, Sylvia.

The Last Cattle Drive

2007-03-20T08:36:00.000-07:00

The Last Cattle Drive is also the last book discussion program in our Kansas Literary Heritage series presented by the Kansas Humanities Council. Here’s how they describe the book.

The Last Cattle Drive, written in 1977, focuses on these characters:
Spangler Tukle, a rancher;
Leo, the greenhorn from Kansas City
Jed, the last real cowboy
Opal, Spangler’s wife and the brains of the outfit
Heather, Leo’s ex-girl friend

Spangler is a victim of circumstances in the modern world. He attempts against all odds to drive his cattle from the western Kansas town of Gorham to the Kansas City stockyards. We learn about the cattle drive and Leo’s initiation into cowboy life through Leo, who relishes delivering his tall tale. After all, cowboys aren’t cowboys unless they can sit beside an open fire chewing tobacco and weaving stories about their exploits. Perhaps Day is really reminding us not to forget the rich history and traditions of the cowboy and of western Kansas.

Come by the library today to pick up a copy of the book. Read the book and then join us on Thursday, May 10 at 6:30pm.

Picnic Book Group

2007-03-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

William Inge, another native of Kansas, wrote Picnic in 1953 drawing on his experiences growing up in Independence, Kansas. Picnic is the story of a beautiful girl from the wrong side of the tracks who seems destined to marry one man until a sexy drifter comes to town. Within a twenty-four hour period she makes a decision about how she will spend her life.

It is not too late to sign up for the book group on Thursday, April 5 at 6:30. Pick up a copy of the play at the front desk, read it and come prepared to discuss it.

Want to learn more?

http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc63.html - William Inge info.
http://www.ingecenter.org/ -the William Inge center in Independence
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1795 -his grave
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0408718/bio - IMDB on William Inge
http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0408718/ - William Inge filmography

Study Guides for Picnic can be found at:
http://rs243.securehostserver.com/~anoisewi/studyguide.shtml
http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-picnic/

The Learning Tree Book Talk Discussion

2007-03-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

The second discussion in our four part book talk series on Kansas Literary Heritage took place on Monday, March 19. Our designated book was The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks. This was also the book chosen by the State Library for its One Book, One State project.
We began the program with a wonderful meal provided by Ellynne Booker including fried chicken, corn bread, apple butter, sweet potatoes, greens, peach cobbler and pound cake. A red velvet cake was provided by Naomi Long. The meal was based on Sister Sara's Sunday dinner as described in the book.

Our presenter was Carmaletta Williams, Professor of English at Johnson County Community College. She has visited our library several times in the past and is very popular with our patrons. Twenty-five people from a variety of backgrounds and ethnic groups attended this event. Carmaletta is a very dynamic presenter and engaged us in some very insightful and productive discussion. We had many positive comments about this event.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

2007-03-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

On this bright sunny day we had 27 for afternoon story time. As you can see, everyone got to make their own Dr. Seuss hat.

Book Discussion Group

2007-02-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

The second book in our four part book talk series on Kansas’ Literary Heritage is the Learning Tree by Gordon Parks. The group will meet on March 19 at 6:30pm with Carmaletta Williams of Johnson County Community College leading the discussion. Many of you have enjoyed Dr. Williams when she has visited our library twice in past years as a presenter for our Black History Month programs.

The Learning Tree is Gordon Parks’ semi-autobiographical novel about growing up as a black man in the last century. Parks was born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1912. The book tells the story of a family as they struggle to understand the world around them and to leave it a better place. The Learning Tree was chosen this year for Kansas' first ever One Book One State program.

Information and reading guides for The Learning Tree can be found at:
http://www.bookrags.com/The_Learning_Tree
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/kcfb/lt/discussion_questions.htm

Information about the life of Gordon Parks can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Parks
http://gordonparkscenter.org/

The Internet Movie Database is a good source for information about all kinds of movies including the ones directed by Gordon Parks.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0662953/

Our book discussion groups are presented thanks to the financial support of the Kansas Humanities Council.

Black History Month

2007-02-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

Parsons Public Library will present a movie for Black History Month on Friday, February 23 at 7:00pm.

Our movie is the true story of a team that changed college basketball and the nation forever. The coach of a small Texas university goes against convention and starts the best players he can find, history's first all African American lineup. In a turbulent time of social and political change, their unlikely success sends shock waves through the sport as they play and win the National Championship. We hope you'll join us.

Goodbye, Dayna

2007-02-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, January 25 the library board and staff had a reception to say goodbye to our director, Dayna Williams-Capone who has taken a new job at a public library in Texas. She will be missed.

Book Discussion Group

2007-01-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

The book groups we hosted in the fall were so successful that we’re beginning a new series this winter and spring. This time the topic is Kansas Literary Heritage.

On January 22 there will be a discussion of Trail of the Spanish Bit by Don Coldsmith, followed on March 19 with The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks. On April 5 the book will be Picnic by William Inge and on May 10, The Last Cattle Drive by Robert Day.

You can sign up for one discussion group or all of them. All books groups begin at 6:30pm. This program is provided by the Kansas Humanities Council, a non-profit organization with 30 years of promoting the understanding of the history, traditions, and ideas that shape our lives and build community.

Resignation and New Job

2006-12-22T12:41:00.000-08:00

It is with a feeling I can only call bittersweet that I am announcing my resignation effective the end of January as director of Parsons Public Library in order to accept the position as assistant director at Victoria Public Library in Victoria, Texas. The last 10 ½ years at Parsons Public Library have been years of great learning, hard work, wonderful opportunities and growth. Over the last 10 years I have had the opportunity to work with a wonderful staff who have worked so hard to achieve the goals I have set for this library: to provide access to up to date and current materials and information, to increase programming and attendance at programs, to make the library an aesthetically pleasing place. I have also had a very supportive board of directors which have listened and discussed my ideas and trusted me to make good decisions. It is also through the library that I have met so many interesting, kind and well-read people. Thank you for your suggestions, your questions, your participation and your support over the years. One of the best parts of my job and the hardest part of leaving is that every day that I come to work I see at least 5 – 6 close friends, more than 6 acquaintances, even more than that of friendly faces and at least 1 person with an interesting request, story to tell or book to recommend. Thanks for letting me serve as your library director, it has been an honor.

Woodworkers Display

2006-11-30T10:10:00.000-08:00

Currently on display at the library are some beautiful wooden bowls and other woodworking projects. In the front window is a display of quilts from the Parsons Area Quilters.

The Chinese Gold Murders

2006-11-09T07:50:00.000-08:00

Tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the library will be our last book discussion in the "Encountering Asia" series sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council. Our discussion leader will be Tom Lewis of Oklahoma Panhandle State University and we will be discussing the book The Chinese Gold Murders by Robert Van Gulik. There is a nice article on wikipedia about Van Gulik and if you enjoyed this book there are many more books in the Judge Dee series. We currently have all of the Judge Dee books on display in the main library near the south atrium seating area. Please join us tonight as we travel to 7th century China.

What is the purpose of our blog?

2006-11-08T09:01:00.000-08:00

An interesting post I came across this morning is a request from an academic librarian for more library directors to blog. Well, that is what I try to do, but I probably don't always include my current goals, plans or what I did today in my entries. I also have the help of one of my staff, Julie who is interested in blogging and wanted the opportunity to promote our programs and events and also give her perspective on working in a public library. I can't really call our blog a director's blog and it's not a blog only from the staff perspective. Our blog is just a nice mix of events, happenings and random thoughts. Let me know if you want more random thoughts.

Bookmarks and Booklists

2006-11-07T12:07:00.000-08:00

One of my jobs at the library is to make bookmarks, booklists and “If You Like…” sheets for patrons to pick up and use. Today I updated a Robert B. Parker list and a Danielle Steel list, adding the new releases. Then I made a Nicholas Sparks bookmark and a bookmark that lists all the Left Behind series in order. Pick one up at the front desk the next time you are in the library. These lists are handy for those who enjoy a certain author and want to read all he or she has written. Having done that, I decided to prepare a new list of books by another popular author. I don’t read her myself, but I’ve noticed that Nora Roberts gets checked out a lot and thought she would be a good subject for a book list. I didn’t know that she is such a prolific author. Her list of books wouldn’t fit on both sides of sheet of paper, let alone a handy little bookmark! Take a look at the Nora Roberts entry in Wikipedia if you are interested in reading all she has written.

Library Elf

2006-11-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

In the last month I had a library user ask if it was possible to use Library Elf with our online card catalog. Sadly, I had to say no, but I am hoping that by this time next year you will be able to use Library Elf (a bit of software that sends you email reminders about your overdue books) and do many other things with your library account than has been possible in the past. One of my goals for the past several years has been to make our library catalog available via the internet. Two of the main hangups for quite awhile were money and security concerns. Thanks to grant money from the State Library of Kansas, the assistance of the Southeast Kansas Library System and a generous offer from Pittsburg State University's Axe Library to host our data on their server and use their circulation and catalog software we should be migrating to a new system next September. Our online catalog should be very similar to this or this depending on how we decide to configure our system. Each library user will be able to set up their own personal account, place their own holds or requests for books and many other things. In order to move to the new system from what we have now is going to take a lot of work on our end. We are already getting our collection ready to be re-barcoded which means taking each one of our 65,000 + items off of the shelf and putting a new barcode on it. We are also going to be updating some of our computers, getting new barcode scanners, adding a new feature for us called receipt printers and learning how to work with a completely new system. The staff and I are excited about all of the changes coming up and ready to tackle this big job. I hope the users of Parsons Public Library will see the benefits once we have everything in place.

I was just reading some of our posts from a year ago and came across this. It looks like the dream is becoming a reality.

Happy Halloween

2006-11-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some of us on Halloween.

Movie Night - The Thing in the Swamp

2006-10-30T07:35:00.000-08:00

On Friday night we had 40 adults turn out for our scary movie night. This was almost twice the turnout as compared to our last adult movie night and took us by surprise. Luckily we were able to order more pizzas and borrowed some more drinks from the anime club's stash to feed our crowd. We watched two movies about a thing in a swamp. Thanks to everyone who joined us for a fun evening. For those adults who missed the event keep an eye out for future adult programs by checking our calendar of events.

The View from My Desk

2006-10-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

My desk faces a big glass window and I can see the preschoolers as they come and go each week for story time. I can see their anticipation as they come in with their moms and their excitement as they check out books and movies and then leave the building. Usually I get to see them wearing their latest craft creations. Like this weeks Eiffel Tower hats. You can see more story time pictures on Flickr. Story time is for preschool children ages 3-6. It meets on Wednesdays at 10 am and 1 pm. There is an evening story time once a month. Call the library to sign up or if you have questions.

Book Talk Series: Memoirs of a Geisha

2006-10-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Our book discussion group met last Thursday with leader Sara Jane Richter of Oklahoma Panhandle State University. We had a very good discussion of the book, Memoirs of a Geisha and this time I had the camera along, so I have pictures. I also handed out a survey asking if we would like to continue having book discussions and in what format. At this time it appears that the majority of our participants would like to schedule another session with the Kansas Humanities Council for next spring. I will be working on that and provide an update once we have something definite. We meet again on Thursday, November 9 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the book The Chinese Gold Murders by Robert Van Gulik and our discussion leader will be Tom Lewis from Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

Changes

2006-10-02T12:20:00.000-07:00

It is a time of transition at the library. Mary, our interlibrary loan librarian, is switching to part time so that she can spend more time with her family. Mary has worked at Parsons Public Library for 24 years starting out as a shelver, working at the front desk, answering reference questions and helping to plan adult programs. We will miss having her help us out in all of these areas. Samantha, who has worked evenings and weekends since the spring will be full time and is taking over some of Mary's duties as well as working at the front desk part of the time. Mary will be gone for the month of October, but will work part time just in the interlibrary loan department starting in November. In the meantime, if you need help getting a book from another library or have a question about your interlibrary loan request, please ask any librarian.

Book Talk Series: Memoirs of a Geisha

2006-09-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time at our last book discussion meeting and have been hearing lots of positive things from other participants. I forgot to bring my camera to the last meeting and was having such a good time that once I realized I was "cameraless" I did not want to leave the room. Thanks to Nancy Hope from KU for leading a great program and to the Kansas Humanities Council for their financial support of the program.
I plan to have camera in tow on Thursday, October 5th at 6:30 p.m. when we meet to discuss "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. Sara Jane Richter of Oklahoma Panhandle State University will be our discussion leader. From email correspondence with Sara she sounds to be quite enthusiastic about joining us here in Parsons. I will once again bring in a selection of teas and some surprising Asian snacks. Here are some websites for your perusal if you are needing more information about our book. Look forward to seeing you a week from Thursday.

BookBrowse

Random House

Skokie Public Library

An Artist of the Floating World

2006-09-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Our first adult book discussion for our fall session entitled "Encountering Asia" and sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council will meet this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. We will be discussing the book "An Artist of the Floating World" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Here are some websites that may be helpful in learning more about this writer and his book:
http://www.bookrags.com/An_Artist_of_the_Floating_World
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Artist_of_the_Floating_World
http://www.bridgewater.edu/~atrupe/ENG101/Artist_overview.htm

Here is a nice page with general biographical information and a link to an interview with the writer:
http://www.lectures.org/ishiguro.html
and here is another site with some literary criticism of all of Ishiguro's works:
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth52
and more too from:
Montgomery County Public Libraries
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on Thursday. If you are planning to attend and have not signed up, please do so immediately. I have brought back a collection of interesting Asian snacks and teas I picked up on a recent trip to Seattle for us to enjoy as well.

Preschool Story Time Begins Again

2006-08-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

The fall session of story time will begin next Wednesday, August 30. As always, children may come at either 10:00 am or 1:00 pm. Miss Ellynne will be reading a back-to-school book, Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate. The craft project this time is a school bus "sewing card". Story time is for children ages 3- 6.

Book Talk Series

2006-08-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

Encountering Asia, a three part book talk series sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council will begin at 6:30pm on September 14 with a discussion of An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro. This is the story of an aritist as an aging man, struggling through the aftermath of World War II in Japan. The other two books in the series are Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden on October 5 and The Chinese Gold Murders by Robert VanGlick on November 9. Memoirs of a Geisha is the most familiar of the three stories and was made into a movie in 2005. The Chinese Gold Murders is the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes-like mysteries about Judge Dee who takes a magisterial post in the remote Chinese district of Peng-lai and must immediately begins investigating the murder of his predecessor, the disapperance of his chief clerk and the disappearance of the new bride of a wealthy local shipowner. All three books will be available to be checked out to participants in the book group. Participants my come to one or all of the talks. Sign up is required.

The End is Near

2006-07-27T06:45:00.000-07:00

Summer isn't officially over until Saturday, September 23. In the library, however, summer ended this week. Reading contracts were due for kids and teens on Monday, the party in the park was today (Wednesday) and the young adult end of summer party is Thursday. Adult reading logs need to be turned in by this Friday. It is a time of transition as we get ready for fall and school schedules. There is still time to read those summer novels, and to check out some books on CD to take along for that last minute vacation. Here are some pictures from the party in the park. Don't forget to look at the rest of the summers' pictures by clicking on the link at the right.

X-Box Gaming Tournament

2006-07-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

We had our first gaming tournament last Saturday. There were 18 participants between the ages of 6 and 13 and 2 adults running the event. The kids had a great time and are asking for more tournaments. I had a great time too and am so thankful that Ryan (the other adult) was there to help me get the equipment setup, show me how to run a tournament and provide general crowd control. From 10:30 until noon we had open gaming where the kids could play Project Gotham Racing 2, Carve, MechAssault, and Tony Hawk Underground Skateboarding. We took a short lunch break and ran tournament play in the afternoon. We discovered during the tournament play that the favorite games were MechAssault and Tony Hawk Skateboarding. At future gaming events we may focus on fewer games, but have the same number of stations so that more kids can play the same games. We projected three of the games on the wall had a very nice large screen television for a fourth game and a smaller television for the fifth game. Tournament winners were awarded prizes and we had give-away prizes for all participants. A great big thank you to all of our sponsors and to Ryan for all of his help. Movie Gallery provided our games for the day which included a copy of the X-box game Amped, gift cards and other prizes; Pizza Hut provided pizzas for lunch, Family Video provided an extra X-box and controllers plus several free rental coupons; Rentway provided a beautiful large screen television; andYouthFriends/Greenbush provided prizes.

Turtles and Frogs and Snakes, Oh My!

2006-07-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday the Oldham family of Oswego came to the library and talked about common reptiles in Kansas. They brought several live snakes and turtles and even a couple of tree frogs. Their fascinating hobby has taken them all over the state doing population surveys of various reptiles. Even those who professed to be scared of snakes were leaning forward to take a look at these interesting creatures.

Last Storytime of the Summer

2006-07-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

There is just one more storytime this summer. If you've meant to come and haven't made it, come tomorrow for Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale by Pamela Duncan Edwards. We will begin again for the fall session on Wednesday, August 30 at 10am and 1pm.

Storyteller, Jim Schmitz

2006-07-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Jim Schmitz, a local teacher and county 4-H agent brought his storytelling stick to the library on Monday and allowed the children to choose which stories they would like to hear by choosing one of the carvings he had created on his walking stick. He began by reciting "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost.

X-box Gaming Tournament

2006-07-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

Parsons Public Library is having it's first gaming tournament here at the library on Saturday, July 22 from 10: 30 - 3:30. It is open to the first 20 people who pre-register and you must be between the ages of 7 and 16. There will be a $5 registration fee at the door. Lunch will be provided. In the morning there will be open gaming and in the afternoon we plan to have 3 or 4 mini tournaments. Thanks to Ryan for all of his work in getting this set-up and in finding our sponsors. Thanks to our sponsors which include Movie Gallery, Pizza Hut, YouthFriends and RentWay. We are still needing 2 more X-Box machines and at least 12 more controllers. So if you want to be included in the first ever library gaming tournament or have equipment we can borrow for the day please call the library or email/IM me.

First Week of July

2006-07-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

The library was closed on the 4th for Independence Day, but things were back to normal on the 5th...and normal in the summertime means busy! On Wednesday magician Marty Ludlam performed. The adults had a Scrabble game on Thursday and Miss Vi taught an origami class to children on Friday. You can find more fun pictures of library events by clicking on Our Library Pictures on the right side of this page.

"Spin Master" Brent Dellinger part 2

2006-06-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

I did manage to take a few pictures of Brent Dellinger's actual performance. They don't do him justice, though.

"Spin Master" Brent Dellinger

2006-06-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Yo Yo master Brent Dellinger delighted both children and parents today. I found myself watching in awe rather than taking the pictures I was supposed to take.

A Busy Summer Day at the Library

2006-06-27T09:01:00.000-07:00

While working at my desk today I happened to notice what a busy day it was at the library. There were children here early for the Picture Lady program picking out books while they waited. There were parents with children looking at books and videos. People using the internet computers, people putting together jigsaw puzzles, people reading the latest magazines and newspapers. Part of my job at the library is to take pictures of library events, but this time I just grabbed the camera and went out into the library and took pictures of people. The pictures you see here were taken in about 5 minutes of just walking around the library and snapping shots of library users. It’s a beautiful day outdoors and a busy day in the library.

My Side of the Mountain Book Club

2006-06-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

Adult B-I-N-G-O!

2006-06-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Lots of good friends, tasty snacks, smiles, laughter AND you could BINGO for BOOKS! Both library patrons and staff had a good time at our BINGO program on June 15.

Story Time

2006-06-14T11:49:00.000-07:00

Keeping with the summer theme of Paws, Claws, Scales and Tales, Miss Ellynne read Noah's Ark by Jan Brett to the children. Then they made a Noah's ark hat.

Raptors: Birds of Prey

2006-06-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Delia from Pittsburg State University's Nature Reach Program provided an excellent program for the children on Tuesday June 13. She brought a barred owl, a screech owl, a harris hawk and an American Kestrel to introduce to the children.

Bunnicula Book Club

2006-06-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Cowboy Poet

2006-06-14T08:41:00.000-07:00

Cowboy poet and trick roper Harold Carpenter of Sedan, Kansas entertained a large group of adults. Strawberry shortcake was served afterwards.

Flip Flop Fun

2006-06-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Young adults had a fun time for about 2 hours on Thursday, June 8. They painted toenails and decorated flip flops. The results were colorful and creative.

Art Session

2006-06-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Tom Ozier, a local art teacher, helped kids make and paint a fish themed necklace for themselves. As you can see everyone had a good time.

Our First Story Time of the Summer

2006-06-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

Curious George made a visit to our first story time of the summer.

2006-06-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

The LEGO party was a success with a great group of kids in attendance. They built LEGO towers and searched for LEGOs. They raced to put together a LEGO motorcycle policeman in a relay race. They ate LEGO cake and drank LEGO punch.

Next Week at the Library

2006-05-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

There are still openings for the LEGO party on June 6 at 10am and 2pm. This is for ages 7- 10. Dayna, our library director, is planning all sorts of fun games and contests involving LEGO’s. You can win prizes and even enjoy a LEGO cake and LEGO punch for snacks.

Preschool children ages 3- 6 can come to story time at either 10am or 2pm on Wednesday, June 7. The story Miss Ellynne has chosen will be Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. We’ll be having a special visitor that day…Max, of Max and Ruby fame, is coming to story time.

Flip Flop Fun is a craft session for young adults ages 12- 18. Willie will have all the supplies ready so teens can decorate a pair of their flip flops. Also, learn how to give yourself a perfect pedicure. Teens need to bring a pair of flip flops. That’s at 2pm on Thursday, June 8.

Last, but certainly not least Friday evening, June 9 at 7pm. the library will host cowboy poet, Harold Carpenter of Sedan, KS. Harold was born in the rural area of Chautauqua County in 1930 during the depression and dust bowl. His early years were spent working on farms and ranches where he learned trick roping at an early age. Harold has been writing cowboy poetry for almost 40 years.

Get your summer off to a great start and join us for some of these fun events. Be sure to sign up, some events have limited space.

Origami Class

2006-05-25T12:30:00.000-07:00

School’s out and we’ve already had a lot of people come in and sign up for the summer reading program and the other programs and events at the library. The response has been so good that the two children’s art programs are already full!!! Realizing that another art program of some sort is needed we’ve added an origami class that will meet on 5 consecutive Fridays in June and July. It is for kids in grades 2- 5. They can choose to come either at 10am or 2pm. There is a limit of 10 for each class, so sign up soon. You can click the library events button on the right side of this blog and register for any of the library’s events. If you would like to get an e-mail reminder, just click “send reminder” on the form when you are asked to do so. See you soon at the library!

Anime Club

2006-05-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

Our anime club for teens will meet again tomorrow at 4 p.m. We will be watching the Anime Advocates club disc #18. Please join us in watching some Japanese animation and filling out a survey at the end of the event. No registration is required.

Ready For Summer!

2006-05-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

For the last several weeks the library staff has been busily getting ready for summer. The calendar is full of events and programs for all ages and is ready to be picked up at the front desk. You can also find the calendar on our website. An exciting new feature this summer is that you can now register online. Just click on the library events button on the right side of this page. All you have to do is fill out the form. If you enter your e-mail address, you will receive a reminder a few days before the event. It’s easy to do and if you have any problems, just ask at the front desk. We’re always ready to help.

Audio Books from Overdrive

2006-05-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Starting today thanks to a new program from the State Library of Kansas you can now download audio books onto your own MP3 player using a computer connected to the internet. You must be a resident of the state of Kansas and have a Kansas Library Card. If you try out this new program and like it or have trouble let us know by leaving a comment here or contacting us at the library.

Anime Club

2006-04-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

The first meeting of our new anime club will be tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the multipurpose room of the library. We will be watching disc #17 from Anime Advocates. The program should last about an hour and a half. There will be lots of snacks and we will ask each participant to fill out a survey at the end.

Too Quiet at the Library Blog?

2006-04-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

Well, our egg hunt is over and was quite a success, but then things at the library got a little crazy which led to less time for the blog. Thank you for your patience and I hope you will keep checking in with us. In a library of our size it is sometime hard to do everything we want. I have been busy teaching a blogging workshop for other librarians and then being involved with a new online course called Library 2.0. The blogging workshop was quite successful and hopefully more libraries in our area will be starting blogs. Take a look at what the director at Eureka Public Library is doing. It will be fun for people in their community to follow the construction of the library on the new blog. How about a blogging class for people who want to start their own private blog? Yeah, it is on my mind. I hope to offer a class as soon as my schedule is a little less full.

Last Egg Hunt Clue (Friday)

2006-04-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day for our egg hunt. There will be a new clue for today and also Wednesday's egg (Day 8) has still not been found.

Today's clue:

To find the egg look in a book with the call numbers REF 820.3 D756.

Egg Hunt, Day 9 (Thursday)

2006-04-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Clue:

Discover the next egg inside the latest Discover magazine.

Good luck.

Anime Club

2006-04-13T12:57:00.000-07:00

An anime club will be starting at Parsons Public Library this month. Our club will be through Anime Advocates and we will meet monthly to view new anime episodes and trailers. All of the epsidoes are rated for ages 13 and up so the club will only be limited to teens from ages 13 to 18 and we need at least 10 participants. If you are interested contact us here at the library to sign up. We also would like to know if you prefer meeting after school, week-day evening or on a Saturday.

Library Egg Hunt

2006-04-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's egg has not been found, so keep looking. I worked last night and did not have time to post the clue until late and then we were so busy that there was no time to encourage people to check out the library blog. If you have already found the egg encourage your friends to try this.

I received a comment earlier this week about having a contest just for teens and that is on the backburner. We already have plans for a fun blog and search event that ties in with our summer reading program and will be open to all ages. Please keep checking back here for more information.

Egg Hunt, Day 8 (Wednesday)

2006-04-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

Today's clue:

Today's egg is in a book by Kathleen Norris that has the word Dakota in the title.

Egg Hunt, Day 7 (Tuesday)

2006-04-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

I am busily preparing for tonight's board meeting which occurs the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 in the board room at the library. The public is always invited to attend. We have a wonderful board of seven dedicated and supportive members. If you have an interest in serving on the library board, applications can be picked up here at the library or at the city offices in the Municipal Building.
Now, on to:

Today's Clue:
There is a book in our library entitled Entertaining. The egg can be found in-between the pages on making omelets.

Egg Hunt, Day 6 (Monday)

2006-04-10T14:52:00.000-07:00

Our egg hunt is really catching on. I worked this last Saturday and had several disappointed kids stop by wanting to participate. Sorry about that. We will have to plan to do this on Saturdays too in the future!

Today's Clue:

YA means "Young Adult" in library speak. Look in the dictionary near the YA section under the word "egg".

Summer Reading for Teens

2006-04-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we made our final plans for some special summer programs for teens. The teen reading program theme this year is "Creature Feature". We will be showing movies, having special craft days, starting an anime club and wrapping everything up with a special event to be announced at a later date. All teens ages 12 to 18 are welcome to participate in these events. Look for complete calendars of all summer library events to be available at the library or on our website in early May.

Egg Hunt, Day 5

2006-04-07T07:09:00.000-07:00

Here is today's clue:

We have lots of plants in our library. Check around the plant stand for today's egg.

Egg Hunt, Day 4

2006-04-06T09:21:00.000-07:00

As our egg hunt becomes more popular I need to add one rule and one suggestion. Our rule is that if you have already found an egg then please give someone else a chance (i.e. if you have already received a prize then you are not eligible to win another prize during this contest). My suggestion is that if you have been one of our winners then we would love to have you post a comment on our blog. It helps us know if our blog is being read, if it is helpful and it is a place to add your suggestions for improvement.

Here's today's clue:

The egg can be found in a biography about Dinah Washington.

Think Spring!

2006-04-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

Here at the library we've been thinking about spring and what type books and other materials our patrons might be in the mood to read and enjoy. For the sports fan, there is a display of baseball books and some on Nascar. The coin club has put collectable coin and currency into the cases that they will leave until the end of May. Also in the cases is a collection of miniature watering cans from one of our patrons. Still to come is a group of miniature windmills. We pulled out some artists in fiction titles and several Sherlock Holmes books for your enjoyment. There is a table full of jazz books and CD's since April is Jazz Appreciation Month. As always, feel free to check out any of the items that we have on display in the library. If you can't find what you're looking for, we'd be glad to help you find it.

Egg Hunt, Day 3

2006-04-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

Our egg hunt contest is going great with eggs being found on both Monday and Tuesday. Today we will try a little harder clue:

Who wrote The Sixteen Pleasures? Find another book by this author. The egg is in-between pages 30 and 31.

Kansas Carnegie Libraries

2006-04-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

The other library staff member who helps me with this blog has started her own personal blog about her current passion which is questing. She has already gone on one quest and will be doing more in the future. Follow her progress and read about all of the delightful things she discovers about Carnegie libraries in Kansas at http://carnegiequest.blogspot.com. Congratulations Julie on joining the blogosphere!

Egg Hunt, Day 2

2006-04-04T07:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's egg has been found. Here is today's clue:

Lots of things get lost in the library couch. Check there today for an egg.

Wondering why your kids keep bugging you to buy?

2006-04-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

I read an interesting post this morning from Boing Boing about kids, advertising and screen time (television, video games and movies). One book we have at the library on children and advertising is Consuming Kids: the Hostile Takeover of Childhood by Susan Linn. Here is more information about this title.

On the other side of th coin we have a couple of good titles by Paco Underhill including:
Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping
and
The Call of the Mall: A Walking Tour Through the Crossroads of our Shopping Culture.

Underhill spoke at the Public Library Association conference I attended in Boston. Libraries are very interested in this topic and the way that people decide to buy or in our case check-out materials. In many larger communities libraries must compete with bookstores and often merchandize (promote the selling of a product through placement or displays) the library. Some very interesting reading on psychology, the media and consumers.

Egg Hunt, Day 1

2006-04-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Today we will start our egg hunt with what we think is an easy clue. If you find the egg then just bring it to the main desk to receive your prize.

Clue:

Todays egg is in the last book on the shelf in the adult fiction section.

Egg Hunt Begins Monday

2006-03-31T13:50:00.000-08:00

Starting Monday I will post a clue each weekday on the whereabouts of an egg hidden in the library building. The clue may be posted at a different time each day. Only one egg will be hidden each day and once it is found then you must wait until the next day to find an egg. If you find an egg then bring it to the main desk to pick up a small prize. Please encourage your children, friends and relatives to read the Parsons Public Library blog for clues.

City of Parsons Survey

2006-03-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

The city of Parsons will be mailing out a survey of city services to all households that receive Parsons water bills. I have been told that the library is one of the city services on the survey and I hope that all library users will take time to complete the survey even just the part on the library so that we can receive feedback on how we are doing. The library is also a drop off site for the survey, so please take time to let us and the city know how we are doing, what we are doing well and areas where we can improve.

Treasure Hunt

2006-03-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

Parsons Public Library is hosting a unique treasure hunt. Each weekday in April read the library blog for a clue. Find the hidden egg and bring it to the front desk for a prize. Only one prize will be awarded each day.