Adventures In Nature: Health Hearty Snacks!

The Buchanan County ISU Extension and Outreach will join the Independence Public Library again on February 9th, 2015 at 6:00 PM for another Adventures In Nature Program, Health Hearty Snacks! Just like other Adventures In Nature programs, there is no fee or registration required, and Health Hearty Snacks is open to all ages (but is best suited for children in kindergarten through 5th grade). Alexia Hamlett will be here to teach us about portion control and to have a food fight. See you there!

February Is Amnesty Month!

February is Amnesty Month here at the IPL! If you have some fines to take care of on your account, you can clear them away anytime in February with food donations. For every nonperishable food item you bring into the library, we will remove $1.00 in fines. If you don't have fines and would like to donate food items anyway, the library would be happy to take those food items as well. All the food collected during the month of February will benefit the Independence Area Food Pantry. Free your self from fines and help fight hunger with the Independence Public Library.

Cards'n'Convo!

Join other adults for card games and some light conversation at the Independence Public Library every first and third Tuesday of the month. Cards'n'Convo is free and there is no registration required. The next Cards'n'Convo will be February 3rd, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. See you there!

TIPLINE: Metafiction

The Independence Public Library's Interesting Nuggets of Exploration: Metafiction

The 5-5-5 Reading Challenge has taken off and many of us are finishing up our first Genre. If you've already got your first Genre in the bag, be sure to stop in at the library to pick up your first prize. If you're looking for a Genre to dig into, try Metafiction.
What's Metafiction? Well, it's fiction...about fiction,...or writing fiction,...or living in fiction,...or something else fiction related. It's complicated, but it's fun. If you want a definition that is a little more exact try Dictionary.com they define Metafiction as "fiction that discusses, describes, or analyzes a work of fiction or the conventions of fiction."
Metafiction is more common than you might think, you may have already read some metafiction. Mo Willems' "We Are In A Book" is metafiction, and so is Jodi Picoult's "Between The Lines." Even some of the newer fiction at the library is metafiction, like "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield and "The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry" by Gabrielle Zevin. There are plenty more, you can find a short list by going to the 5-5-5 Reading Challenge's Genres Page, and clicking on the Metafiction Page. If you know of a book that fits the bill at the IPL, and isn't listed, feel free to add it. Just double click and type in the title and author. You can also add books to the other genre pages, just double click and type.

iPad Q&A At The IPL!

The Independence Public Library will hold another iPad Q&A session on February 2nd, 2015 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM in the Community Room. For more information or to register for the class, contact the library at 334-2470. The class will be taught by Kim Van Deest, and participants are encouraged to bring their iPad with them to learn in class.

Reading In The Palm of Your Hand

Join the Independence Public Library on January 29th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM to learn how to checkout and purchase ebooks for your phone, tablet, or other mobile devices.

Bring your device to the ebooks for Mobile Devices class. The class is free and open to the public, and will be taught by Kim Van Deest. You can register for the class by calling (334-2470), or stopping in at the library.

Closing Early To Better The Library!

The Independence Public Library will be closing early next Wednesday (January 28th) for Staff Development. Wednesday's alternative hours will be from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Normal hours will resume on Thursday.

Zen Doodle Day At The IPL!

Stop in at the IPL for Zen Doodle Day on January 31st, 2015 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. There's no need to register, and all the supplies will be provided. Just come ready to create and have fun. Everyone is welcome to attend, but the program is best suited for those 12 and up. You can give it a try before Zen Doodle Day by checking out one of the library's zen doodle books.

Flutterby Bits

Early Literacy

During Rhyme Time, the Itsy Bitsy Spider is a favorite finger rhyme.

Talking, singing, reading, writing and playing are fun, easy ways to build early literacy skills.  I get to practice these activities with great helpers that know all about fun (and they are approximately 3 feet tall- or less).   These are some of my favorite times!!   And I get to spend a few hours doing this every week! 

What a lucky girl I am!!

All of these activities start to build and strengthen early literacy skills in the youngest of us all.

Talking helps to build oral language, one of the most critical early literacy skills.  Singing &/or rhyming increases children’s awareness to the sounds in words.  Writing begins with scribbles and helps children to understand that print represents words.

Give your child plenty of playtime.  This is when children use their imaginations.  It encourages development of narrative skills and the understanding that stories and books have a beginning, middle, and end. 

Reading together or shared reading is probably most effective way to help your child become an accomplished reader.

These skills all build on each other! Besides being fun, they are some of the benefits of Story Time and Rhyme Time.

What better door can we help to open for our young?  This doorway will be used for entire an lifetime. 

Story Time for the 2-5 year olds is on

Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 10AM. 

 Rhyme Time for the 0-2year olds is on

Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 10AM.

  Give your child the beginning steps for reading, writing, and learning, the foundation and skills to help boost literacy.

Always great to see all the smiles, I hope to see yours soon. 

 

  Vonnie

  Children Services

Book Discussion Next Week!

The Independence Public Library will hold this month's Book Discussion on January 27th, 2015 at 6:30 PM. The book being discussed will be This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. If you have not yet read the book, you can pick up a copy at the library. If you would like to get a head start on the February's book, you can pick up a copy of The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.

iTAB Meeting

The Independence Public Library's Teen Advisory Board (iTAB) will be holding their monthly meeting at 6:30 PM on January 26th, 2015. Teens in 6-12 grades who are interested in joining iTAB can contact the library at 334-2470.

Cards'n'Convo At The IPL!

Join the Independence Public Library for Cards'n'Convo from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM on January 20th, 2015. It's two hours of card games and adult conversation. If you'd like to try a different date, the IPL holds Cards'n'Convo every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month.

Movies For No School Monday

Join the Independence Public Library on No School Monday for Reel Time x2. We'll be showing a movie at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM on January 19th, 2015, in the Community Room. You don't have to register, and there's no cost to attend. And be sure to try some of the free popcorn from the Friends of The Independence Public Library.

iPad Q&A!

New iPad? Looking for some tips and tricks to get more out of your iPad? Register for iPad Q&A at the IPL. The Class will be taught by Kim Van Deest, and will run from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM on January 13th, 2015. The class is free and open to the public,but registration is required. You are encouraged to bring your iPad with you to class. If you can't make it on the 13th there will be another iPad Q&A class available in February.

Kari's Corner

Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer

This novel splits between two different characters both counting down to an event in five days.  Mara is a lawyer, wife, and mother who was diagnosed with Huntington's disease four years ago.  Mara is planning on killing herself in five days.  Scott is a teacher who has five days left with his foster son before he is returned to his birth mother.  Both characters have five days left to say goodbye to their loved ones.

            Scott is dreading giving up his foster son back to his birthmother.   Scott’s wife is currently pregnant.   Scott comes across as caring more about his foster child than his pregnant wife and unborn child. 

I found Mara’s character much more interesting than Scott’s story.  The author does a good job of drawing you in describing how Mara goes from this successful lawyer to losing control of her own body.   She has to buy Depends for when she accidently pees on herself; She is horrified that she can no longer control her bladder.  She is shaking her arms nonstop and walking funny, like she is drunk, without realizing it.   She knows that she is going to keep deteriorating until she is in a nursing home.   Mara does not want to be in the nursing home, feeling she would be a burden to her husband and an embarrassment to her young daughter.  She decides the best thing to do would be to commit suicide before she loses even more control over her body.  Nobody has any idea that this is what she is planning and it is difficult to decide what is worse: for Mara to commit suicide before her disease gets worse, causing her family to lose the time they had left with her; or for her to keep deteriorating as her family watches her get worse and worse until she can no longer take care of herself.