Successful Summer Reading Club at North Orange Library

Photo--Early last summer the Friends of the Orange Public Libraries purchased an accessible picnic table for the library lawn. Library patron, Nate Johnson, is shown enjoying his lunch at the new table in the photo.





Sixty children, teens and adults took part in the Summer Reading Club at the Moore-Leland Library in North Orange. They read 647 books in total to earn $161.25 for "Pennies for Peace." "Pennies for Peace" was started by former Himalayan climber Greg Mortenson to build schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Friends of the Orange Public Libraries pledged to give $ .25 to the charity for each book read. Two prizes were raffled to summer readers. The Flematti family won the Big E tickets and Jessica Boothroyd won tickets to the Lipizzaner Stallion Horse Show.

Read a Picture? Write a Picture! Picture Books for Big Kids and Teens

PHOTO CAPTION: Artist/bookbinder Amy Borezo at a previously successful library workshop

The Wheeler Memorial Library in Orange, MA announces a 7 part series for big kids (ages 9 and up) and a favorite adult, or pairs of teens. Limited to ten pairs, the lucky participants will explore various genres of beautifully illustrated picture books which deal with complex issues. They will then be coached by award-winning author, Anne Turner, and artist/book binder, Amy Borezo, as each pair takes their own original story from thought to word to picture to page, culminating in a professionally produced picture book that will be given to the pair to keep.

This program will run Monday evenings from October 19th through November 30th from 5:00-6:30 in the Meeting Room of the Wheeler Memorial Library. Participant pairs are asked to commit to attending the whole series. Candy Cross and Robin Shtulman will co-host the workshops. A light supper will be provided. All of this for free!

For more information and to register, please contact:

Candace Cross
Childrens’ Librarian
Wheeler Memorial Library, Orange
978.544.2495, ext103

WHEELER MEMORIAL LIBRARY OFFERS PLAYAWAY® DIGITAL AUDIO BOOKS TO PATRONS

The Wheeler Memorial Library today announced that they will begin offering Playaway – the first self-playing digital audio book – in their library, adding the innovative digital format to their existing audio book collection.

Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaway is the simplest way to listen to a book on the go and – with no tapes or CDs - can hold as little as two or as much as eighty hours of content on each unit. Using clearly marked buttons, Playaway gives listeners the ability to move back and forth within or between chapters and alter the speed of a narrator’s voice. It even has an automatic bookmark feature that remembers where you left off. Additionally, Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone or mobility accessory.

“Playaway’s simple functionality and immediate usability separate it from other audio book formats,” said Walt Owens, library director. “With Playaway, our patrons can enjoy best-selling content with first-rate digital audio.”

There are over 1,200 bestselling current and classic titles on Playaway. The Wheeler Memorial Library's collection includes 80 titles consisting of a mixture of classics and bestsellers.

“With Playaway, we set out to create a product that was portable, technologically simple and easy to use, and it’s been a perfect fit for libraries,” said Christopher Celeste, President, Findaway World. “In fact, 99% of our current library customers would recommend Playaway to another library. We are excited to have provided such a welcome audio format for this important channel.”

For more information about Playaway at Wheeler Memorial Library, please contact the Library at 978-544-2495 or visit http://orangelib.org. To see our Playway titles in our catalog, click here.

Children's Room Fall 2009 Schedule

PHOTO CAPTION:
Naomi Borezo, Lindsay Anderson, Colleen Basque try out their moon boots before they fly into the new school year.

The Fall 2009 schedule for the Wheeler Children's Room is as follows.
TUESDAYS 10:30
Rise and Romp Storytime for young children birth to 3 years old. This is a program of handplays, songs, stretches, rhymes and short short stories. After the activity time children will be invited to do a craft or play together as suits their age.
WEDNESDAYS 3:30
After School Story Activity for children 4 years old and above. This is a program of stories and activities including crafts that share a different theme each week. SWEET DREAMS STORYTIME HAS BEEN CANCELLED

From mid October through November a series of Monday evening workshops will explore sophisticated picture books including a visit from nationally known author Ann Turner. The culmination of this workshop will be individually created hardbound picture books made by the participants. This activity is intended for those 9 years old and above with each young person bringing an adult of their choice. Registration will be required and limited to 10 pairs so check your Monday evening schedule and watch for further announcements.