Spirit of Shrewsbury

It's that time of year again! The Spirit of Shrewsbury will be celebrated on September 29th and 30th. On Saturday, the 29th, the library will have a booth at the Oak Street Expo and we need volunteers in the afternoon, from 12:30 - 4 PM. You would be selling raffle tickets for the YA basket and help with kids' crafts. Do join in the parade on the 30th and represent the library. Volunteers will meet at Wesleyan Terrace (next to the Post Office) in the Pink Division at 12:30. The parade will last for about 30 minutes and end at Oak Middle School. Hope to see you there.

Concert on the Common

Exciting event on Friday, August 24th, at 2:00 pm on the Shrewsbury Common. The concert will feature Shrewsbury's own Midway and others. Rain date is Saturday, August 25th. Come and enjoy!

Blogger's Choice Awards

Check out http://www.bloggerschoiceawards.com. You can vote for your favorite blogs and there are categories like Best Education Blog, Best Geek Blog, Best blog design, Best Photography Blog, Best gossip Blog etc.

Christmas in July!

Yeah, we are celebrating Christmas in July, July 25th, to be more specific! Apparently, it's not that unusual. According to Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_July, it's mostly for commercial reasons that the US celebrates Christmas in July. But in places like Australia, New Zealand and the Antartica, where July is the coldest month, the celebration is as official as Christmas in December.
Come to the library and have cookies with us!

Police and Wiis!

In case you haven't heard, I finally got my hands on a Nintendo Wii! It's the grand prize in our summer reading raffle, so if you haven't signed up, I think you should NOW!!!

So where do the police fit in? No, I didn't get arrested in my quest, but Det. AJ Saball from the Shrewsbury Police will be here next Monday, July 9 to present a program on how police collect evidence and use it to solve crimes. No registration necessary, and this program is for students entering grades 5-12.

KAPOW comes to SPL!

Virgin Comics author and Shrewsbury resident Saurav Mohapatra is leading a comics workshop here at the library for students entering grades 6-8. The sessions are almost completely full, so if you're interested in joining us, call the library NOW!

Saurav has put together a blog where we'll be posting info about the group, and maybe some of their work. Check it out here.

For more info on Saurav and his work, visit his website.

The 501st visit the Library!

The 501st Legion of Worcester are coming to SPL! The Stormtroopers and special guest will be raiding the library on Saturday, June 30 from 3-4:30. Help us celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope. We'll have cake, too. This is the perfect opportunity to engage in a lightsaber fight or dress as your favorite character! Click here for more info on the 501st.

The Baskets are Coming!

Actually, they're here!

SPLAT'S Spring Basket Raffle had begun! Tickets are $.50 each or 12 for $5.00. Winners will be drawn on June 15. Spider-Man, Superheroes, Dining Out, Red Sox, and Summer Fun are the themes for this spring.

All proceeds benefit Teen Programming at the Library! Tickets available at the Front Desk of the Library.

Worcester County Youth Poetry Slam

This Sunday, May 6 at the library!
2:30-4:30 PM

Free and open to all intersted. For more info, email George Brown at gbrown@cwmars.org.

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!!!

This SATURDAY, May 2!


Yes, this day really exists! Actually, it's an annual event: the first Saturday in May! So are they really free? Why, yes they are!

"The annual event is the perfect opportunity to introduce your friends and family to the many worlds of wonder available at your local comic book store. From super-heroes to slice-of-life to action/adventure and beyond, Free Comic Book Day has a comic book for everyone!"

So where can you get your hands on some free comics? Well, we don't have them here at the library, so visit That's Entertainment at 244 Park Ave in Worcester. Chynna Clugston, who wrote Scooter Girl and Blue Monday, will be there, along with other special guests! Be sure to thank the TE staff, for all they do for us at SPL!

For more info:
Official FCBD Website
That's Entertainment

No More Myspace or Blogs in the Library?

It could very well happen. Republican Senator Matt Murphy of Illinois is attempting to get a bill passed that would make it illegal for all public and school libraries to allow access to social networking sites like MySpace and blogs.

Read more about it hereand here.


So what do you think? Should MySpace and blogs like this one be available in the library? Or should they be blocked?

Hell freezes over...AGAIN!

OK, now this is getting a bit crazy!

April's book chat title was recommended to me by a couple of SPLAT members. And, once again, not my favorite genre. But, WOW! I liked this one too.

Twilight
by Stephanie Meyer
April 18 at 3:30 PM

As always, copies of the book are available at the front desk and you have to be in grades 5-12 to participate.

Whose got a title suggestion for May's chat?

SPLAT Recruitment Meeting

***Notice***
Date for this event changed to Saturday, April 14th.

We're having another SPLAT recruitment meeting, this time, with a twist! It's going to be on Saturday, April 14, from 6 PM-9PM. Wait...isn't the library closed on Saturday nights. Why, yes it is!

After Hours SPLAT Recruitment Party!
We'll have pizza and snacks and watch a movie!

Want to come? All you have to do is register at the front desk of the library and pick up a permission slip. Everyone must have their parents/guardian's signature to participate in this program. This program is for Shrewsbury students in grades 5-12.

No one comes in or out between 6 and 9! Registration and parent permission is Required for this event.

Image from http://www.correllconcepts.com/Pizza_Packaging/history.htm

Hmmmm...I think I slept through it

I'm sorry...I must have missed something. Did hell freeze over? It seems that it may have. I am proud to announce that I've finally discovered a Young Adult fantasy book
that I'm actually enjoying. To celebrate, I've picked it as our March book chat book: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud! There are copies at the front desk if you'd like to join us on:

Thursday, March 15 at 3:30 PM.

As always, this group is for students in grades 5-12 and snacks will be provided! Come join in the celebration 'cause who know when I'll find another fantasy book I'll like! Everyone remember my thoughts on Eragon?

Big Day for Music

This past week had been a BIG week in the music industry! First, for all you rock fans out there,
Van Halen announced that they are going on tour with David Lee Roth for the first time in 20 years! To give you an idea of how important this is, think of it like this--David Lee Roth was the '80s version of Pete Wentz. Since the band has had a revolving door of lead singers, we'll have to watch and see how this plays out. I'm hoping for the best!
Then, My Chemical Romance announced their Spring '07 tour dates, and they're visiting beautiful Worcester, MA! May 8 at the DCU Center.
Fall Out Boy's new album comes out today, and they are also visiting MA--May 31 at the Tweeter Center. Click here for tickets.

Finally, tonight, Justin Timberlake is performing at the Garden in Boston. I'm so jealous of any of you out there who have tickets. I haven't seen him in concert since his 'NSYNC days.(5 times!!!)

College Funding Seminar

We're hosting a college planning seminar for all you college bound kids and parents. Straight from the press release:

"Learn the hidden financial traps before it’s too late, when applying for financial assistance that can end up costing you thousands of out-of-pocket dollars. Discover strategies that can save you big bucks, such as: the right way to position your assets to maximize aid, how to send your child to an expensive private university for less than a state school, or how to pick colleges that will give you the best financial packages.

This powerful workshop will guide parents through the process of college funding, from FAFSA applications to student aid reports, with descriptions of all the major grants and loans.

While this seminar is aimed primarily at upperclassmen and their parents, a note to parents of high school sophomores is in order: Now is the ideal time to arrange your finances in order to get the most financial aid possible, before your “base years” arrive!

This seminar will be repeated on March 6, April 11 and May 9. Call College Funding Architects at 800-975-6108 to register for the evening of your choice, or call the Library at 508-842-0081."

Next SPLAT meeting!

This is the perfect time to join SPLAT!We're having our first meeting of the new year on Saturday, February 10 at 10 AM and we've got a lot of stuff to cover: CD and DVD orders, programs, and other stuff like our SPLAT newsletter and summer plans (yes, I said summer). Fill out a form using the link on the right. Bring a drink; I'll provide donuts!

Niki Burnham at SPL!

Author Niki Burnham is coming to SPL! Tomorrow, Wednesday, January 17 at 6:30 PM. She'll be talking about her experiences as an author, answering your questions, and autographing books! Don't miss a visit from this very cool author. Click here to visit her website. Copies of her books will be available for purchase at the event.

Interesting Article

So this article appeared on the front page of the New York Times on Tuesday. Read it...and let me know what you think of the NJ library who couldn't "handle" the teens in the library, so they closed.