How Much Do You Save By Using the Library?

Hi there! I found this really fascinating calculator that estimates how much you spend per visit at the library. You can plug in the various items you get per visit, and then see how much you are saving by having your library card!

Check out how much you spend, and then post a comment with the amount in the comments section (you can do this without posting your name or joining blogger!)

http://www.masslib.org/value-new/calculator.html

Funny Comic Strip

I think this comic strip is hilarious and totally relevant!

And people think we're just about shoooooshes and books!

(Depending on your monitor size, you may have to click the strip to see it fully.)

Volunteers Needed!

Hi friends!

Due to a great event suggestion from an anonymous blog commenter, we are going to go ahead with a special Heritage Night event. The event will be a celebration of the diverse community we live in, all run by teens and 'tweens from Shrewsbury. Here's what I need now though:

*I need between 5-10 volunteers to help organize the event. I put together the basic rules and so forth so we could get the information in our next newsletter. I need people to help make more concrete plans. Volunteers would be expected to meet a few times prior to the event to help get things in line for a successful Heritage Night.

I think this event has HUGE potential, but it will require the help of a small team of you guys and gals. Ask your friends if they can help out, because this is YOUR event. I enjoy putting things together - it's my job - but I also want you to enjoy it!! So contact me at dbarbour@cwmars.org as soon as you can with the best days and times you could meet, and we will work on scheduling our first session.

Peace!
Dan

E-mail from the author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid!

Hi guys and gals! I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out to the launch party last week for the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, and as I said I would do, I sent the picture that is in the previous post to the author of the books, Jeff Kinney. He managed to take time out of his crazy schedule to send us a brief e-mail message back, and I thought I would post it here for you to read! Totally cool!!

Thank you so much for having a Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 launch party! It was so gratifying to see the picture of the kids holding books. I put a lot of work into the kit and am so glad that it was well received!

Jeff

'Wimpy' Event Super Cool

Thank you to Dunkin Donuts, Fidelity Investments, and Amulet Books for sponsoring this great event!
If you're visiting the blog for the first time, WELCOME!! This is the place to get the first notice of events for grades 5-12, and sometimes younger ages for our scavenger hunt events. Bookmark this site and check back often, and be sure to vote in our polls.....they sometimes help shape different events we have!!

Peace,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Program Ideas!

Hey there! So I just wanted to seek out some program ideas from you guys and gals. We're going to be doing more video game nights and cooking competitions as those have been quite successful.

What other types of events do you all think would be good to have in the library?

I've received a couple of good suggestions, but am always looking for more ideas to enhance the programming here at the SPL. It's your area - make it your own! Post a comment or e-mail me (dbarbour@cwmars.org) and we can work something out around your idea. Whether it be another or more specific type of game night, or having someone come to the library to teach you some skill, or a competition of some sort, let me know what you think would attract a lot of people!

Peace!
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

The Search for Atlantis is on....ALL MONTH

Drop in ANYTIME during the month of January to make your way through a maze in hopes of finding the lost city of Atlantis....right here in the library!! Here is the first part of the adventure:

The following is fiction:

Welcome library visitors! You are about to embark on a unique adventure right here
in the library. If you are “in-the-know” on the topic of Greek history, you are well
aware of who Eratosthenes was. For those of you who may not know him, he is the
guy who theorized about many things, including the lost city of Atlantis. A lot of
historians have had ideas about where this ancient city is located - or whether or not it
even exists. Eratothenes however had a team of investigators who thought they discovered the whereabouts of this mythological land. When they unveiled their findings at a “press release” type of event, they concluded the city was located in the Strait of Sicily. There was very little evidence to conclude this though, and the team became the laughing stock of the entire community. What many people didn’t know however is the person doing the talking at the “press release” was Oopsithenes, a philosopher who made many mistakes (this is where the English word “oops” is derived from.) Instead of saying the lost city of Atlantis was in the “Straight of Sicily”, he should have said the city was located in a “Street in Shrewsbury.” The library has compiled a lot of evidence and theories about these findings, and if you choose to continue on we must warn you: There are some evil people hunting for the information that you will seek. Make your decisions wisely along the way, or risk falling into a treacherous trap! So, want to continue on?

Look under the YA Fireplace to make your next move.....

Best Chef a Success!

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for one of the most successful events we've hosted for teens and 'tweens. The library had over 60 people either competing or in the audience for what was a fun night of cooking, competition, and a whole lot of laughs. Here are some pictures from the event.

The teams gather as they wait notice of which four lucky teams will get a chance to cook.

The teams get ready and wonder what is in their mystery boxes.

The trio of culinary experts watch the creations come into fruition.

The RED TEAM - the winners, prepare their dishes.

The BLUE TEAM puts together a tasty cake creation called "Chocolate Wonderland"

The YELLOW TEAM puts their tough ingredients to good use!

The WHITE TEAM earned some very high marks for their plating and creativity!

Thanks again to Fidelity Investments for sponsoring this great event!

Read the Winning Story!

I started a new blog called SPLATsterpieces to feature the writings of the teens and tweens in Shrewsbury. I thought it fitting to kick off the first post with a winning story - and that story would be "Blood Cabin" by Matthew Romano. On a personal note, I loved the story. I wasn't a judge in the competition, but as the scores reflected, the judges loved the story too! Read the story at the new blog, and post your review below the post.

Bookmark the new blog: http://splatsterpieces.blogspot.com/

Again, congratulations to all of the finalists and I cannot wait for the next competition to read even more great stories!!

Peace!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Sorry about the delay - please note that both prize winners may claim their prizes next Monday after 12PM. If you were one of the eight finalists but not a winner below, there will also be a small prize waiting for you at this time as well. Congratulations!

In second place, with a score of 335 out of a possible 400:
Tatiana Karadimitriou for the story "The Girl Named Eustronia"

And our grand prize winner, with a score of 355 out of a possible 400:
Matthew Romano for the story "Blood Cabin"

Thank you to all who participated - the scores were very close!! We will be holding another contest in the New Year - and hope you enter then. Also, a special thank you to our four hard working judges who managed to read through so many of your stories and pick the winners above.

The judges were:

Anne Wentzell, Assistant Principal, Gr. 7, Oak Middle School - Shrewsbury
George Brown, Assistant Library Director, Shrewsbury Public Library
Sarah Sogigian, Trainer/Consultant for Youth Services, Metrowest Regional Library System
Dennis Holtgrefe, Electronic Resources Librarian, Shrewsbury Public Library

Why So Serious?

I have not forgotten about announcing the writing competition winners - we're just waiting on the final scores to come in!!

I need to address an unfortunate situation that has occurred in The Loft.

SPLAT purchased some new posters for the room - one of them a "Batman: The Dark Knight" poster with the Joker on it. It fit the room well, and was suggested by a teen. Unfortunately though, the poster has been stolen.
One could argue that it's just a $10 poster and we shouldn't worry about it, but on the other hand, it's more than just a $10 poster. It's a part of the new Loft which I for one am very excited about. Every detail, including the $10 posters help add something to the room which makes it more inviting. I will not replace the poster for a good long time, and I am not looking for anyone to donate another in the time being. I don't think anyone should have to spend money on something we already own.

If anyone has seen the poster or knows who may have taken it, feel free to e-mail me: dbarbour@cwmars.org with details. If by chance the poster-napper is reading this post, if you could just please hang it up on the wall or leave it in The Loft, I will not seek any sort of action against you - I just want the poster back.

I would hate to have to close the room if this type of theft continues - but it is a possibility.

I know that this post doesn't apply to most of you - so many of you use the room and help make it great - this message is only intended to inform and talk to one person - you know who you are.

'New Moon' Movie Gets a Release Date

Whether you love or hate the Twilight saga, I will inform you that according to Yahoo! news and the Associated Press, the next film, "New Moon", has been given a release date of Nov. 20, 2009.

Did you see "Twilight" yet? Write your reviews under this post. I have heard incredibly mixed things but haven't seen it yet.

Peace!

The Last Straw

Thank you all for your patience in the announcement of the winner of the first writing competition! We received over 80 entries, so the process has taken a little bit longer than originally anticipated. Please know though that this time is being spent carefully choosing the two prize winners, so if you are a finalist, just be comforted in knowing the judges are thoughtfully considering each title for the top honor!

I thought you might all like to know about a new upcoming event we'll be having - "The Last Straw" launch party. If you are a fan of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, you'll want to come to our event on Thursday, January 15th, from 5:00PM-6:15PM. The event is for students in grades 4-9, and each student must bring a parent or guardian to enter a special mystery competition. I will say though that every attendee will receive a FREE hardcover copy of the new book, a tattoo, and an official bookmark featuring Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The event is sponsored by Dunkin' Donuts, and space is limited to only 30 students and their parents/guardians. Sign up begins today - at the circulation counter of the library!

Weather Notice

Due to the weather conditions, the
SPLAT Meeting for this afternoon will be postponed.

The library is currently without power (10AM), so I feel it's better to push the meeting back. I will post the new date on this blog when I can check the schedule.

Peace and Be Safe,
Dan Barbour
Young Adult Librarian

Winners Coming Soon

Due to the overwhelming amount of stories received in the Teen Writing Competition, the judges are still hard at work selecting the winners from the finalists listed below. Unfortunately, individual comments and/or criticism is not available as so many stories (80!) were entered into the competition.

A reminder to all entrants:

• Stories that did not follow the formatting rules (font, spacing, length) or submit their story with the form attached as the rules state, were not considered for judging.
• Stories that were received late were not considered for judging.
• The judges have mentioned how hard it was to narrow the field down to the eight finalists, and how much harder it will be to narrow those down to two. At least two judges stated how pleased they were with many of the submissions!
• Due to the success of this competition, we hope to offer further writing competitions in the future. If you weren't selected as a finalist, don't despair - more chances to win and show your work in this arena are to come!
  

The winners will be posted here as soon as I get the word!

Hopefully very very soon!!

Congrats to the Finalists!

Teen Writing Competition Finalists

(Listed in Random Order)

Once in a Blue Moon

By Eliza Mendoza

The Dark Side of Life

By Jack McShane

The Girl Named Eustronia

By Tatiana Karadimitriou

A Different Kind of Friend

By Emma Aulenback

The Lamp on Freedom Way

By Abby Joseph

The Weirdest Birthday Present Ever

By Joelle Jura

The Dark Rose

By Dhanya Kumar

Blood Cabin

By Matthew Romano

Winners will be posted here when the judges finish scoring - hopefully by the end of next week - if not sooner!

Today! (If you're reading this on Thursday!)

The Loft is opening today!

Stop by anytime from 4PM-7PM, eat some cake, try to win a prize (one raffled off every 15 minutes, and now a chance to win the new Prince Caspian DVD!) and see the new space which is totally for you! Also, we will be announcing the top eight finalists in the writing competition, and unveiling a few other ways to win prizes in the coming months!

See you later!!

Find Out First!

I have written numerous times that there are advantages to reading the blog. Sometimes you learn about new events before they hit the newsletter. Sometimes you see pictures from library events. Now, I am going to post a list of prizes we'll be giving away at the Loft grand opening. Remember, the counter above is dwindling (almost exactly three days to go!). Be here on Thursday from 4-7.

Here is what you can win:

DVDs:

Spider-Man (Widescreen Special Edition)
Spider-Man 2 (Widescreen Special Edition)
Rush Hour 2 (Infinifilm Edition)

Games:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle (For Wii)
Scene It? TV Travel DVD Game
Spiderman DVD Blast!
VG Pocket Tablet

Books:
Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
Disney High School Musical: All Access (High School Musical)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
Select Naruto Titles

Movie Stuff:
Twilight Soundtrack
Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Figurines

A couple of the posters are no longer going to be prizes - one was damaged, and one was actually used in the room itself. We did replace these prizes with two others - both donations worth more than the posters!!


Each person can win one time - prizes that aren't claimed by the end of the evening will be used in other events. You must be present to win! You must be in grades 5-12 to be eligible to win.

Welcome Newsletter Readers!

If you don't normally read the blog, and decided to check it out due to the mention in the recent library newsletter, welcome! This blog, having recently gone through an upgrade, is here to provide you with the most up to date information on library services, items, and other random bits of interest. One of the many benefits to this blog is that event details are often posted here first. If you've ever tried to attend a library teen event and the registration was full, this blog will help eliminate that problem if you check it often. We hope you peruse the recent posts, add a comment or two, and check by often. Again, welcome!

LOFT GRAND OPENING!!