Storytime Kids Decorate Cupcakes

They ate them almost before they were completely decorated, but who can blame them?

Busy Friends

A group of Friends got busy in the library workroom Saturday, organizing donated books and toys. No sooner had the area at the top of the stairs been cleared of books, another two boxes of donations came through the door! Ellen says we need to put that corner on birth control :) We now have a fresh collection of brand new-looking books to choose from in our on-going book sale area and staff will actually be able to walk through the workroom without stumbling over boxes, thanks to Anne, Ellen, Sylvia and Lee.

2nd Graders Visit the Library

Yay! A new school year means a whole new batch of 2nd graders to visit the library and get library cards and pick out books to borrow. This year the class is small, only 7, and two of them were absent the day they visited (and one is blocked in the picture by a library book - sorry Mathieu!). The class walked to the library with their teacher, Mrs. Pohl, and classroom aide Jodi Perry, and what a perfect fall day for a walk!

I read them If You Find A Rock, a beautiful book by Peggy Christian perfect for this age child about all the different kinds of rocks you might find out on a walk, including wishing rocks, splashing rocks, and worry rocks. I also read Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson about the benefits of helping each other out. After several animals help a witch find various items she's dropped from her broom, she in turn allows them to join her on the broom. Then the animals help her out of a pretty scary situation involving a dragon. You should see the deluxe broom she conjurs up at the end!

After I read to them, the children each got to choose a book to borrow. I took their picture before they headed back to school. I am looking forward to their visit next month!

Fall Storytime is underway at the Freedom Library. Every Wednesday morning at 10:00 we gather for stories, songs, fingerplays, games, rhythm instrument play, and crafts. Children ages 2-5 and their caregivers are encouraged to attend! Here are some pictures from a recent storytime.

Duct Tape is Cool

I bought about a dozen different colors of duct tape and Mary Rhymer taught other teens how to make a wallet out of duct tape. We created some pretty neat wallets and Mary and some of the others have gone on to create more items out of duct tape including purses and sandals. Here are some of the teens working on their projects.

Local Celebrity Visits Writing Workshop

Gair MacKenzie of WMWV radio station visited participants of the summer's first writing workshop on July 3rd. Gair came to pay tribute to Jim Clemons who ran the workshop to ever greater numbers of enthusiastic writers for four summers and who died on April 6, 2008. Gair became interested in Jim after reading his obituary and learning of all the great things he'd done in his life and the ways in which he helped people in this area over the past five years. Gair came to encourage this year's writers and to tell them some of what he learned about Jim when he was researching a radio piece he did on him. Gair told them about his years as First Petty Officer in the Navy and his volunteer work with Green Mountain Conservation Group doing water testing.

youth volunteers & the new sign

Thanks to the Friends of the Library for buying our great new sign for out front! Youth volunteers at the library enjoy putting the words on it. Here are Hillary & Jesse after creating our first message.

Last Day of School!

It was a "Last Day of School" party and all the girls came to sign up for the summer reading program before hitting the beach. Click picture to see a larger size.

Sadie makes her library debut

Sisters Cora, Tava & Anya brought their 14 week old golden retriever puppy, Sadie, to the library. That cute licky little ball of fur was a big hit with everyone visiting the library today!

Winter into Spring

Half the bike rack is covered in snow... the other half was holding bikes here at the library yesterday. We sure are enjoying the sweet spring breezes blowing through our open windows this week.

Louie's Special Friend Nia

Louie is gentle with people of all ages and is especially patient with the youngest patrons. Here he is with his storytime friend, Nia, age 22 mos.

Teen Program gets a $500 boost from Rotary

The Rotary Club of Ossipee Valley has disbanded after 80+ years of service to the community, but before they turned out the lights and locked the doors, they dispersed the remainder of the monies that had accumulated from their numerous fundraisers over the years. The Rotary Club granted the Freedom Public Library $500 in support of Rotary International's "Literacy in Action" program. I asked for this money to expand and improve the teen program. Thank you for all you've done for the community, Ossipee Rotary! We will miss you!

Cats love...

Louie got in this box as soon as we set it down. He still likes his cozy cat bed best of all, but put a box or a bag on the floor and you bet he'll check it out.

Zoe visits the library

Audrey and Elizabeth got a new kitty for Christmas and named her Zoe. She's about a year old and was adopted from the Conway Area Humane Society. Since we've met all the other Davis cats, it wasn't long before Zoe paid a visit to the library. Sorry it took me so long to put the pictures up, girls, and Zoe - come visit again!