November "Roarin' Reads" Blog

 

It is hard to believe , but we are headed into the holiday season and the end of 2024. Here at DPL the end of the year is always a busy time. In October we hosted 21 in house programs, plus the 43^rd Annual Quilt Show, and took part in 5 Outreach events outside the library.  That was a lot of programming and event participation!  We hope we saw you at some of the in-Library programs and the outreach events, too.

We will kick-off November by participating in Downtown Decatur’s Día De Los Muertos Celebration on Saturday, November 2^nd from 11:00am until 5:00pm. Come see us if you are in the downtown area. This November there will be lots of activities in the Youth Services department and a couple of programs for teens and adults.  Our Friends will host their Holiday Book Fair on Thursday, November 21^st from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm  and on Friday, November 22^nd from 10:00 am until 4:30 pm.  We would love to see you at any or all of these programs!

This last task for the 2024 Adult Reading Challenge is all treat, no trick!  You are getting it a day early and it is an easy one to boot.  In the 1920s the most popular dog breed was the German Shepherd. For the November task read a book with a German Shepherd as a character in the book.

Don’t forget the deadline to turn in your Reading Log is Wednesday, November 27^th by 6:00 pm. We hope you enjoyed reading books inspired by the Roaring Twenties and will sign up for the Adult Reading Challenge again next year.

Happy Reading!

October "Roarin' Reads" Blog

 

There are 44 quilts displayed in the Decatur Public Library during our 43^rd Annual Quilt Show. We need you to come in and vote for your favorite before we close on Saturday, October 19^th,  at 4:00pm. The ribbons for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place for Viewer’s Choice will be posted on Monday, October 21^st . The quilts will be on display until Saturday, November 2^nd.

There are also programs to learn about quilting. Join the Piecemakers and  the Decatur Quilt Lover’s Guild to learn how to hand quilt at a quilting bee in the main seating area on October 9^th and 30^th from 10am until 4pm. Teens and adults are welcome to come put in 2 or 200 stitches. If you have no idea how to stitch, they will teach you. 
There will also be a class on making pictorial pixel quilts on Wednesday, October 16^th,  at 12 noon in the Training Center, taught by Heather Whiteside. Her pixel self-portrait quilt is hanging outside the Youth Services room.

If you are participating in the Adult Reading Challenge, it is time to start making sure you have entered all of the books you have read that work for clues or tasks on your reading log. The deadline for turning in reading logs is Wednesday, November 27^th,  by 6:00pm. Please make sure your name, library card number and phone number are on the reading log before you turn it in. If you signed up for the challenge but did not read enough books to qualify for one of the drawings, please turn in your reading log anyway. We realize not everyone has time to read as much as they would like, but if you filled out any of the reading log it shows participation.

The October task for the ARC is to read a book with a séance in it.  The 1920s saw a resurgence in the paranormal and occult. Many people had lost loved ones in the first world war and were desperate to contact their lost loved ones. Some people hosted seances as parlor games the same way they played with an Ouija Board. Mediums, mesmerists, and magicians were all popular during this time.

Happy Reading!

 

 

September "Roarin' Reads" Blog

 

Alabama has made changes to the state guidelines for funding public libraries. These changes affect the Decatur Public Library in two main ways: our collection development and library card policies.

The biggest change for the collection development policy impacts our Young Adult section. Some of you may have noticed that the YA section has been shrinking.  This genre designation will disappear from our catalog  effective October 1^st and the books will be assigned to the Adult fiction shelves.  If you are over 18 and usually browse this section to find your next book, please try the adult section. If you need help finding the books you are used to reading from this area, please ask at the Public Service desk. Any staff member will be happy to assist you.

The impact for the library card policy will change how we issue cards to juveniles (a designation that now applies to birth to 17 years old). The following is a letter we will be handing out to patrons to explain the changes and the parent’s ability to decide the level of access their juvenile will have to DPL materials.

Dear Parent/Legal Guardian:

On October 1, 2024, Decatur Public Library (DPL) will implement required changes to our library cards so that we may comply with new state guidelines regarding what materials are available to those patrons under 18 years old. 

Library cards for ages 17 and under will be designated as “juvenile” and may only checkout materials from the library’s Youth Services department.  Juvenile designated cards will no longer have access to the hoopla and Libby platforms.

Parents or guardians who wish to grant their child permission to access all sections of the library’s collection, may do so by signing the Parental Agreement Form.

Visit our Public Services Desk on October 1^st or later to sign the Parental Agreement Form.  Please have your Decatur Public Library Card and a government issued I.D.  Once you sign the Parental Agreement Form, your child will have access to all material in DPL’s collection.

Thank you for being a patron of Decatur Public Library.  We look forward to continuing to serve you and appreciate your patience and flexibility.

                           Decatur Public Library Staff

We ask the public be patient and understanding as we all navigate these changes. We are working to make this as easy as possible for our patrons, while also making all of the changes as quickly as possible in order to be in compliance with the state guidelines.

If you have questions or concerns, we are happy to speak with you and try to make these changes as easy as we can for you, our patrons.

Banned Book week this year is September 22^nd-28^th . The September task for the Adult Reading Challenge is to read a banned book.  Celebrate your intellectual freedom by reading a banned or challenged book. Some of the best and most loved books have been banned or challenged, from To Kill a Mockingbird,  to Harry Potter, The Bluest Eye, and even the Bible.  We bet there is a book on your To Be Read list that is on a banned or challenged book list, if you are taking part in the Adult Reading Challenge, read it for the September task. If you are not taking the Adult Reading Challenge, but are 18 or older, read it because you can. Then decide for yourself if it is or isn’t a book you enjoyed, but either way, leave it for the next person to decide for themselves.

Happy Reading!

 

August "Roarin' Reads" Blog

August this year finds us getting ready to start the school year, watching the Olympics, and hoping for cooler weather soon. The library has been busy this summer; we hope you had a chance to enjoy some of the many activities and programs. The Summer Reads finale on Thursday, July 25^th saw quite a few unexpected visitors running around in the Youth Services room. If you missed the Land to Sea Exotic program with all of their cold-blooded friends, you missed a great experience. Below are some pictures of just a few of the exotics (with our patrons and staff) they brought to educate and entertain both young and old.

        

 The Youth Services room has another new face that we hope is more permanent: our new Youth Services manager, Zoie Hornish. If you haven’t met her yet, please drop by and welcome her to the Decatur Public Library.  While she is learning the policies and procedures for her new role, Youth Services programming will pause. She will start back with Story Time on Tuesday, August 20^th and Book Babies on Wednesday, August 21^st.

If you are taking part in the Adult Reading Challenge, the August task is based on the Olympics. I heard every last one of you roll your eyes and immediately say, “I’m not doing this task!”.  Before you make that decision, please finish reading this post. The decade of the 1920s saw three different Olympic Games. The 1920 Olympic games, held in Antwerp, Belgium, were the VII Olympic Games . From January 25^th through February 5th, 1924 , Chamonix, France hosted the first ever Winter Olympic games. That same year in July, Paris, France, hosted the VIII Summer Olympics. In February 1928, St. Moritz, Switzerland was home to the II Winter Olympics, while later that year, Amsterdam, Netherlands hosted the IX Summer Olympics. For the ARC task, you must read a book set in one of the places the Olympics was hosted during the 1920s. The setting of the book must be the same city and country.  The book does not have to mention sports or athletes, but you get “extra points” if it does.

Happy Reading!

July Roarin' Reads Blog

 

July is here and Summer Reads is going strong at Decatur Public Library.  The library will be closed on Thursday, July 4^th,  for the holiday but will re-open at 10:00 am on Friday, July 5^th. The next week is packed with fun and we hope you can join us for some of the programs. We will have Story Time with Barbie (who appears courtesy of Magical Memories, AL) on Tuesday, July 9^th, at 10:30 am; Book Babies on Wednesday, July 10^th, at 10:30 am; FYI Series: Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia on Wednesday, July 10^th, at 12 noon; Lu’au Day from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm on Thursday, July 11^th, and the Speakeasy Book Club on Thursday, July 11^th, at 12 noon. If you prefer to be outdoors, we have a StoryWalk® installed on the Atkeson Cypress Trail at the Visitor’s Center on the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.  If you are looking for something to do next week that won’t break your budget, join us for a library program. We have programs for every age and everybody!

If you are taking part in the Adult Reading Challenge this year, or would like to be part of the Challenge, please join us for the Speakeasy Book Club. We will meet in the Training Center Thursday, July 11^th, from 12 noon until 2:00 pm.  We will discuss books we have read in the last month and the clues and tasks the books work for on this year’s Roarin’ Reads Challenge.

The 1920s saw a dramatic increase in the number of women cutting and styling their hair and in the use of cosmetics by both sexes. This translated to a steady increase in beauty shops over the course of the decade.  At the beginning of the twenties most beauty shops would not bob a woman’s hair. The determined flappers, did not take no for an answer, instead they went to the barber shop to get their locks sheared. As the trend gained popularity, more beauticians starting offering the hairstyle.  The July task is to read a book that has a beautician as the main character. The book must be partially set in a beauty/barber shop or the character must be using their skills as a hair stylist or salon worker in order for the book to work for this task.

Happy Reading!

June "Roarin' Reads" Blog

 

 

June at Decatur Public Library means two things: Summer Reads and the Readers and Writers Jubilee.  Summer Reads through the app- READsquared-has something for every age, 0 to 99+. The Readers and Writers Jubilee is intended for adults who love reading and/or writing.

You can learn more about the online Summer reading challenges for all ages by installing the free READsquared app on your device and setting up your account.  All events for kids are listed in the app and here on our website. There are digital badges awarded for reading and completing missions. There are some games on the app too.

The Readers and Writers Jubilee will be held Saturday, June 8^th from 12noon to 5:00pm.  There will be 21 authors in the library doing meet & greets, sitting on panels to answer questions, and teaching classes for aspiring writers.  The featured speaker this year will be Miranda James, pen name of Dean James, New York Times best selling author of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries. The full list of authors and programs can be found at www.myDPL.org/jubilee .

The June task for the Adult Reading Challenge is to read a book by one of the authors taking part in this year’s Readers and Writers Jubilee.  Be sure to come to the Jubilee to meet the authors and maybe get a personal copy of a book signed.

Happy Reading!

May "Roarin' Reads" Blog

 

The display cases this month have artwork from local artist, David Thompson. If you get into DPL this month be sure to look over the various pieces he has on display. The collection will be available for viewing until Thursday, May 30^th.

The May installment of our FYI Series will be held on Wednesday, May 15^th, from 12noon until 1:30pm in the Community Room. Dr. Wylheme Ragland will be speaking on “Three Methodist Congregations in Old Town: Shared Methodist Traditions with Unique Denominational Histories”. Everyone is welcome to this free program.

This month we will also be getting ready for our annual Summer Reads program. The kick-off will be Friday, May 31^st, from 10:00am until 2:00pm in the circle drive on the Cherry Street side of the library.  Every child 12 and under in each car that drives through will get a sign-up goody bag that includes a free hardback book, courtesy of the Friends of Decatur Public Library (while supplies last).  We have a lot of free fun programs planned for kids in June and July and we hope you will bring the young ones in your family to as many of them as possible.

On May 26, 1927, Ford Motor Company produced the 15 millionth Model T. This historic car was the last Model T to roll off the assembly line.  While it had been the “Universal Car” that provided for a new personal mobility and transformed how we lived, the demand for the standard workhorse had been eclipsed by the new models with more amenities that had evolved in the 19 years since the first Model T was produced.

The May task for the Adult Reading Challenge is to read a book with a car on the cover. You can get “extra points” if the car is a Model T.

Happy Reading!