Thursday, June 30, 2011

Free Online Ebooks, Games, and Language Learning for Kids

The Vineyard Haven Public Library has just subscribed to TumbleBooks, a collection of online ebooks and games for kids. Library patrons have unlimited access from their home computers with internet access. To connect, click on the TumbleBooks logo on the library homepage, www.vhlibrary.org.

The TumbleBookLibrary is a collection of TumbleBooks (animated, talking picture books) with fiction, non-fiction and foreign language titles, Read-Alongs (chapter books with sentence highlighting and narration but no animation), TumbleTV which consists of pre-set playlists of a sequence of books, and Tumble Puzzles & Games. TumbleBooks are created from existing picture books which have been converted to the TumbleBook format.

You may want to explore the site by checking out all the books, games and features. The catalogue has book descriptions, book reviews, and author/illustrator/publisher information. You can view a TumbleBook by clicking on the ‘View Online” button or on the cover of the book. There are a number ways you can access a book: The index page lists all the TumbleBooks. Click on the title (hyperlink) and you will be taken right to that TumbleBook. Scroll through the collection in any of the sections to read the descriptions and view the reading levels.

Automatic/Manual Button: TumbleBooks are designed to be experienced in either automatic or manual mode. In automatic mode, the pages turn by themselves and are narrated; in manual mode, the readers turn the pages at their own speed.

The Pause Button: Use the pause button to stop the story at any time in order to practice story prediction, interpret pictures, discuss new vocabulary words, empathize with a character, discuss possible consequences of actions, encourage problem solving, or provide historical, geographical, or other perspectives.

Word Helper: This feature allows you to click on a book to hear a sentence repeated, or click on a vocabulary word in order to hear it pronounced.

Reading Levels: Each title has recommended reading levels: Grade, Lexile and Accelerated Reader information. Click on the reading level to see other books at the same level.

TumbleGames: The TumblePuzzles and TumbleGames are great educational tools.

Language Learning: The Language Learning section has a growing collection of books in Spanish and French, to name a few.

Navigate en Español/ en Français: The drop down menu on the top right hand corner of the site allows you to view the entire site in Spanish or French.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Summer Reading and Activities for Children and Teens

Registration for the Summer Reading Program at the Vineyard Haven Public Library begins June 27th. Visit the Children's Room at the library to sign up, log your books and earn prizes including a T-shirt. Teens ages 12 to 18 can choose to register online by visiting our website.

The theme for this year's program is "One World, Many Stories." A schedule of special programs for children and teens is now available at the library or on the online event calendar. All programs at the library are free.

A few of our special summer programs include:

Wednesday, July 13th, 3- 4:45PM: Movie for ages 8-11, based on the second book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Rated PG.

Thursday, July 21st, 11AM, Special Musical Performance with the Allards. For ages 4 and up. This event is made possible by a generous contribution from The Anderson Foundation and the Friends of the Library.

Tuesday, July 26th, 10:00AM (ages 0-2) & 11:00AM (ages 3-5): Music & Songs w/Jeremy Berlin.

Tuesday, August 2nd, 10:00AM (ages 0-2) & 11:00AM (ages 3-5): A visit from storybook character Madeline!

Thursday, August 11th, 3:30PM, African Drum and Dance, for all ages. This event is made possible by a generous contribution from The Anderson Foundation and the Friends of the Library.

"One World, Many Stories" is sponsored by your local library, the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. Summer reading at the Vineyard Haven Public Library is supported by the Friends of the Library and donations from community businesses including MV Bagel Authority, Bob's Pizza, Bunch of Grapes, Capawock Theatre, Dinghy Dogs, EduComp, Island Music, Mocha Motts, Murdick's Fudge, and Riley Reads.

Summer Reading for Grownups

Register now to participate in the Vineyard Haven Public Library's 1st ever Summer Reading Program for Grownups! Read a book a week (8 books July through August) to be eligible to win a free paperback or other prizes. Open to all CLAMS library card holders, age 18 and above.

Create an online account by visiting our summer reading website. Login to your account to log the books you read over the summer, write reviews, and register for prizes. Registration begins June 27th, and all books read should be logged by Saturday, August 27th.

Reading incentives for those who complete the program include a choice from 75 paperback bestsellers donated to the Vineyard Haven Public Library by Geraldine Brooks and Penguin Publishing, in celebration of the publisher's 75th anniversary. Incentives will be awarded the week of August 29th.

"Novel destinations" is sponsored by your local library, the Massachusetts Library System, the Boston Bruins, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Summer Book Sales Held 3rd Saturday of the Month

The Friends of the Library hold "mini" book sales at the library, from 1pm-3pm on the third Saturday of each month. The June sale will be held on Saturday, June 18th.

Proceeds from these sales benefit library programs for children, and other library services supported by the Friends. Sales are also planned for Saturday, July 16th, and Saturday, August 20th, from 1pm-3pm.

June Events Celebrate Art, Music, Nature and History

The library has taken a short break from programing while hosting the Friends of the Library's 2nd Annual Art Show, on display through June 18th.

Adult programs will resume on Tuesday, June 21st at 7pm, when special guests the Gravestone Girls will present a talk and slideshow about the art and history of Martha's Vineyard cemeteries.

On Wednesday, June 22nd at 7pm, Martha's Vineyards own Klezmer Band will perform and discuss their musical tradition.

On Saturday, June 25th, from 2pm to 4pm, join us to play the exotic game of Mahjong. We will be playing only the traditional Chinese version of the game using Henry Snyder's rules and simplified scoring method. Beginners are welcome and refreshments will be served.

On Tuesday, June 28th at 7pm, wildlife biologists Luanne Johnson and Liz Baldwin will talk about the island's beach nesting birds.

Programs for all ages will continue throughout the summer. Check our online event calendar often, for updates and more information.

CLAMS Online Catalog Updated with New Features

The CLAMS online catalog at library.clamsnet.org has a new look and new features! Some of the new functionality was added due to requests from our recent patron survey. Here are a few things you may not have realized you can do online:

To limit your search to DVDs, CDs, or other formats, choose one of the links under "Search by format", or use the "Advanced Search."

Forgot your PIN number, or need to create a PIN? Just visit the "My Account" link and follow the instructions.

Looking for a book that is not in the CLAMS system? Click on "Virtual Catalog" to request an item from other networks and academic libraries statewide.

For more information, click the "Help" link at the bottom of the page, or visit the Frequently Asked Questions page prepared by CLAMS staff.

Vineyard Haven Library staff are also happy to assist you, or give you a one-on-one lesson on searching the online catalog.