Hello, Brentwood Public Library!

On Monday, July 18th, Derek and I found ourselves at Brentwood Public Library for the first in the series of SCLS Meet-and-Greets, where SCLS staff members are to chat about the different services we offer. Thanks to everyone who came and said hi!! While we were there, we took the opportunity to get a good look around.

First, we checked out the teen space, which was decked out in an awesome Brentwood-opoly theme, with giant versions of Monopoly property cards renamed with local streets and places of interest. A perfect fit for the SRC theme! They also have a great, well-stocked games cabinet that the teens were using while we were there. It was great to see so many teens using the library on a beautiful summer day.






Our timing turned out to be perfect, because we were right in time to see the incredible Free Lunch for Kids program in action! Through a partnership with Island Harvest, Brentwood offers free lunches for any and all kids up to 18 years old who come in from 12:00-1:00 every weekday. This is a big help to families in need and a great opportunity to introduce library services. Brentwood is seeing an excellent turnout, with attendance sometimes topping 100 children a day. Everyone seemed to having a great time, and the lunches looked delicious. What a wonderful program! Thank you so much to Monica Powers for submitting this program through the blog - we're so glad we got experience it in person. On Monday, we'll talk about the other libraries we got to visit that day!

Poster advertising the program

Introducing our Newest Kits!

You've been hearing about them at the last few meetings at SCLS, and they're finally here! The newest batch of Science Buddies Kits and Maker Kits are now available in the lending library! For today's post, we'd like to tell you a little bit about what's inside each kit.

Maker Kits

Our Maker Kits are built for use with teens and tweens, and feature Makerspace and STEM-related crafts and activities! Each kit circulates for two weeks at a time, so you have time to play around with and get used to what's inside.

Ozobot Bits

If you haven't heard of Ozobots yet, get ready to be thoroughly charmed. These adorable, round robots are designed to help teens and tweens learn the basics of coding. Ozobots are programmed to "read" colored marker lines and follow them, changing how it behaves based on the color of the line it's following. The actions it carries out depends on how YOU code it! Each Ozobot Bit Maker Kit (has a ring to it, no?) comes with four Ozobot Bit 2.0 robots, two sets of Ozobot markers, and one iPad Mini loaded with Ozobot apps (which you use to program the 'bots). There are two kits in the lending library for borrowing. Check out the Ozos in action:

Strawbees

Strawbees!! We are so excited about these little guys. Strawbees a prototyping toy for teens and tweens who love to build and fiddle. They are small plastic pieces that come in different configurations, which you use to attach straws to each other. Sounds really simple, right? That's because it is! But the creations you can build out of Strawbees are complex, cool and creative. There's no better way to understand how Strawbees work than by seeing them in action, so check out the video below - it's the pitch video from their successful Kickstarter campaign. The Strawbees Kit comes with Strawbees, Straws, and an Introduction to Strawbees creation booklet. Be sure to check out our Strawbees Pinterest Board for lots of project ideas.

Science Buddy Kits

Science Buddies Kits are designed for use with preschoolers in the 3-5 range. Each kit is designed around a unifying STEAM-based theme. Science Buddies kits circulate for one week.

Diggin' Up Dinos

What toddler doesn't love dinosaurs? And let's be honest, what adult doesn't either? This kit comes with three Dino-themed books and three experiments. In Build-A-Saurus, you'll put together a giant Tyrannosaurus Rex model puzzle as a group, and discuss the names of bones and what paleontologists do for a living. In Dino Egg Observation, toddlers are challenged to use their observational skills to determine what dinosaur each egg will hatch into. By identifying colors, shapes and characteristics, they'll be able to complete a simple matching activity and start down the road to making hypotheses. Finally, in Hunting for Fossils, little ones will become bone hunters as they hunt for hidden dino bones around the room, then match them up to fossil cards - just like real paleontologists!


Light Up Your Life

Light - it's everywhere, and it's waiting for you to start playing with it to unlock fascinating scientific properties! Toddlers will get hands on with light, shadows and mirrors in the three activities this kit comes with. In Fun with Flashlights, toddlers will play with flashlights, prisms,clear geometric solids and mirrors to experiment with what happens to light when you shine it on and through different things. They'll even make a rainbow! In Let's Reflect, break out the art supplies as young artists use mirrors to complete half-formed images, then draw what they see, all while learning about what mirrors do. Finally, in Refraction is Fun, see what water does to light by filling up clear plastic cups with H2O and sticking things in it! They'll never look at light the same way again!

Review: Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

by Jaye Robin Brown

     Joanna, aka Jo, is getting ready to start her senior year of high school.  She does so in a new town where her father requests she masquerade as straight.  In a town where almost everyone attends the same conservative Christian church, it’s heartwarming to hear Joanna’s viewpoint of an accepting and loving god.  Joanna and her friends attend the weekly Christian youth group, go to house parties and do other typical teenage things. There is underage drinking and talk of sex, nothing explicit. This story is optimistic but not fake, not all of Joanna’s new friends will still be friends after she admits to being a lesbian.

     This story takes place in a small-town southern high school and is filled with typical teenage situations.  How will I make friends and fit in? How can I be myself and also behave the way my parents/friends/society expect?  Is that person flirting with me or just being friendly?  When mistakes are made, will I be forgiven?  Regardless of sexual preference, this book engages the reader and has you rooting for the characters to be happy together.  

Post-Preview Chat: Simon & Schuster Fall Preview

S&S HQ

Darla: Last Tuesday, July 19th, Derek and I braved New York City in all its summertime glory to attend the Simon & Schuster Fall preview, and boy did they have a lot of new and exciting books to show off! Simon & Schuster sets their attendees up audience-style (after a lovely breakfast) to view presentations on their upcoming titles. But before the previews, we got a treat - Doreen Cronin and

It's a Birthday Party!

Betsy Lewin were there to read us their newest entry into their beloved series featuring wordy farmyard types - Click, Clack, Surprise! (9/6). This time, the crew is getting ready to celebrate Little Duck's birthday -- but Little Duck doesn't know how to get ready for a party! Hilarity ensues as he takes all the wrong advice from watching the sheep shear their coats, the pigs take mud baths, and more. It makes a lovely addition to the series, and another great read-aloud to add to your rosters. Also coming soon in new read-aloud additions: Is That Wise, Pig? ((9/13)by Jan Thomas! I bet you can guess the gist of the book from the title!

Sweet, springy diorama goodness!

Derek: Speaking of childhood favorites, do you remember what goes down stairs alone or in pairs? If that jingle rings a bell then you would know that it is a slinky! The Marvelous Thing that Came from a Spring written and illustrated by Gilbert Ford (9/13) takes readers, ages 4-8, through the history of one of America's favorite toys. Richard James worked for the United States Navy in 1943 and was tasked to invent something that would stop ship equipment from moving while out to sea. The engineer tried many springs and accidentally ended up with a spring that walked down stairs by itself (or in pairs of course).  While the information is interesting the way it is presented is incredibly fun. 2D and 3D art pair together in dioramas to make the story come to life. In one spread a 2D Richard James begs a 2D manager at Gimbels to buy his slinky. The pair are surrounded by 3D boxes, toys, and shelving. Quite inventive indeed!

The subjects of Ashley Bryan's poems,
with the prices they were sold for

Darla: Continuing the illustrated non-fiction trend but in a much more serious vane, you might have heard about this next book by Ashley Bryan, due out 9/13,  Freedom Over Me. Over the years, Bryan had grown a collection of sales records and wills that deal with the sale of enslaved people. He took those documents and wrote poems, with two poems about each person - one describing their life, and one describing a dream of what their life was, could be, or their innermost thoughts that are just their own. The beautiful mixed-media illustrations heartbreakingly overlay Bryan's depictions of the people he writes about over sales records, newspapers clippings and more. Betsy Bird flagged this gorgeous book in her Summer Newbery/Caldecott predictions, so this is one to watch.

Derek: Now from an all too real past to a stark dystopian future. Last year Erin Bow's The Scorpion Rules garnered three starred reviews with Kirkus stating it was "not to be missed." The book takes place in a future where a computer program rules the world. In order to keep the peace between countries heirs to thrones and children with family members who hold political power are brought to live together in one place. Held captive, held as bargaining tools. If your relative tries to invade another country you are taken to a room and sacrificed. I read this last year and thought it was fast paced, smart, thought provoking, and a standalone! Turns out I was wrong about the last one. This year (9/20) the second installment of the Prisoners of Peace series, The Swan Riders, will be back to continue the story of Greta right after she (spoilery stuff here).

Darla: My last book is one that you can't help but get excited about because it's finally here - Ashes, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the final book in the Seeds of America trilogy!!! I was able to read this through Edelweiss a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't really shut up about it since then. Readers, IT'S GOOD! Ashes continues the trials and tribulations of Isabel and Curzon, finally escaped from Valley Forge, and on a mission to find Isabel’s sister Ruth, who was taken away by their former master years before. Isabel and Curzon brave the swamps and forests of the south to continue their search - but what they find may not be what they were hoping for. Their attempts to find a place in the world while avoiding being recaptured into slavery will take them through many more dangers, and all the way to Yorktown. I can't wait for everyone to read this book so we can all talk about it! Especially my Hamilton fans out there.

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Lovin' that cover!

Derek: My final book is the new one from last year's National Book Award winner Neal Shusterman. Scythe is a pure YA title that takes place in a word where disease has been eliminated. The only way someone can die is if they are killed by professional reapers. Two teens learn this new trade by becoming apprentices, and come to find out that once their training is done their first task will be to kill the other one. This kill or be killed novel gives me feelings of the once popular TV series Dead Like Me and the YA trilogy by Gina Damico Croak that was out in 2012. Simon & Schuster has a lot of exciting stuff coming out for all readers this coming fall and we are definitely looking forward to it!

Media Mondays: Books to Movies... the trend continues!

Hollywood looks like it is still full steam ahead when it comes to taking both YA and children's books and transforming them for the silver screen. Take a look at what has just been released and what the future has in store!

The BFG by Roald Dahl

Released July 1, 2016

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Hitting theaters July 27, 2016

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Hitting Netflix August 5, 2016

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Hitting theaters September 30, 2016

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Hitting theaters October 21, 2016

Let's Pokemon GO to the Library!

Hey you, Pikachu!

So here we are, dear readers. Pokémon's basically real now, and we find ourselves in the presence of an actual new type of game. Game developers spend years trying to convince us that one expensive console or another costly VR headset is where the future of gaming lies, then someone goes and drops a free app and turns everything on its head. And libraries have made it into the game! I have had several conversations with friends discussing whether or not any of the cultural institutions featured in the game can expect to see an uptick in actual usage; one friend told of a local museum that usually sits empty, but now that it houses a PokéStop, is swarmed with people. But he couldn't say that he actually saw anyone going in. Luckily, we as librarians know how to harness the powers of outreach and programming to draw new audiences into the building, and the audience has just shown up on our lawns! So here are some ideas on how to get started.

First: if your library has come up with a successful way of engaging your local Pokémon trainers, please share it in the comments and we'll add it to this post!

Passive Engagement

SCLS is home to both a Pokéstop and a Gym,
and players were sitting on our
window ledges. Now there's a
picnic table in the shade! 

Summer's one of the busiest times of the year, rooms are booked up solid and staffing's tight, so passive engagement is a great option for time-strapped libraries. Start with simple outreach-- find the closest PokéStop and see if there's somewhere to post flyers and advertisements, library programs and services for teens and new adults in particular. Is your PokéStop in an awkward spot, and people are sitting on the grass or on window ledges? Put out a picnic table for trainers to sit at -- and now you have somewhere to put those signs. Just make sure that wherever you put your table, you can still access the Pokéstop or Gym.

While we're talking about people camping outside the library, summer's only getting hotter from here on out, and many libraries in New York state are mandated cooling centers. For those scorching days, consider creating a refreshment station -- if you're feeling bold, call it a Pokémon Center!

In the handheld games, Pokémon Centers
are where players go to heal up their
Pokémon and trade with other players.
And check out that bookshelf!

Make a seating area in a well-air conditioned area, put out some water, a charging station and a book display with fun summer reads and Pokémon books. (If you don't have Pokémon books in your collection, now's the time to grow it. There is a popular series of graphic novels based on the video games, numerous game guides, drawing how-tos, and Pokédex books for the 700s, and even a crop of easy readers for the Schoolkid trainers in your community.) 

Active Engagement

Pokémon trainers congregating spontaneously in Port Jeff

If you have the resources and want to take it further, schedule impromptu Pokémon GO meetups
or discussion groups. This is a community that's looking for opportunities to get together and talk; when I was in Port Jefferson over the weekend, trainers congregating near the waterfront were passing along by word of mouth that they had created Suffolk-specific Facebook groups to discuss the game, find friends and organize meetups. The Facebook pages would also be a great place to advertise said programs- check out the the team Valor group and team Mystic group. It looks like no one's made a Suffolk team Instinct group yet - maybe a librarian could start one? Pokémon programs for the school-aged set are sure to draw a crowd, but depending on your programming cycle that might have to wait for the fall - and that means now's the time to start planning! Pinterest is chock full of Pokémon crafts and ideas for Pokémon clubs and gaming programs. If you just want to bring people through the doors, consider offering a prize for engaging with the library in some way. You might give out a sticker to kids who visit the children's reference desk, or offer a Pokémon trinket to whoever can beat your library's Gym, or can show that they caught a Pokémon at your library. Oriental Trading has some cute favors like Yo-Yos, bracelets, pencils, and more. Party City has tattoos, bouncy balls, and a veritable ton of decorations if you want to dress up your trainer refreshment area (they also have a lot of the same favors as Oriental Trading, if you don't want to wait for them to ship). Over at Amazon, you can pick up sets of figurines at a really low cost. Some of the reviews say the paint jobs aren't great, but the prices are really low and nobody turns their nose up at a cute, free little 'mon! These look like they're probably choking hazards, so plan on awarding them to older trainers only.

There are already rumblings of new Pokémon GO features and accessories to come in addition to the new Pokémon games due out this fall, and while no one can predict what's to come, my guess is that this game is here to stay for a while. So let's rev up our creative juices and get this new community engaged! What are you planning for your library?