SALISBURY — The library recently changed to a new and improved online card catalog. It’s a system I think patrons will come to love. I personally love the saved list feature found within your personal account and can imagine all sorts of uses for different ages. All you need to access this feature at home is your library card number and your PIN. (Note: PINs may be set up or changed at the library or over the phone.)
To start your first list, go to the Rowan Public Library Home Page, www.rowanpubliclibrary.org , and click on “Find Books.” Enter your search term and begin looking for items of interest.
For example, my inspiration for a saved list was a children’s book, “Dem Bones,” written and illustrated by Bob Barner. Like many excellent picture books, this book reads on two levels. Reading the author’s dedication, “To Dr. Robert Wilkerson who is frequently humerus and to my boney wife,” I expected this would be a book loved by both children and adults. There’s a simple story line song, “The ankle bone connected to da leg bone,” with enough scientific information added to each page to provide fun details for all ages.
After finding this clever book with cross-over appeal, I thought it might be fun to develop a list for a family read, with everyone in a household pursuing their own bone-connected book and discussing their favorite reads. Here’s how my list developed.
Once I brought up “Dem Bones” in the catalog, I clicked on the “Add to List” icon to the right of the book image. A box popped up asking for my card number and PIN. This information then opened up my personal library account within the catalog. I selected the “Create New List” option and named my new list, “Family Reads.” “Dem Bones” was automatically added to my list and I began to select my other books. It was as simple as placing the word “bones” in the search window and clicking on the icon to add books to my saved list, “Family Reads.” Once completed, I printed a hard copy of my list to use while searching the shelves.
My saved list was a fun way to look for connections on a reading level for all ages and also a different way to emphasize a lifetime of reading with children beyond the bedtime story. Books saved to my list were: “Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones” by Byron Barton; “Ask the Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World” by Arielle Olson; “Bone by Bone: Comparing Animal Skeletons” by Sara Levine; “You Can’t See Your Bones with Binoculars: A Guide to your 206 Bones” by Harriet Ziefert; “Your Body Battles a Broken Bone” by Vicki Cobb; “Do Buildings Have Bones” by Time-Life for Children; “Talking Bones; Secrets of Indian Burial Mounds” by William O. Steele; “Human Bones: A Scientific and Pictorial Investigation” by R. McNeill Alexander; “Strong Women, Strong Bones: Everything You Need to Know to Prevent, Treat and Beat Osteoporosis” by Miriam E. Nelson; “It’s Not Just Growing Pains: A Guide to Childhood Muscle, Bone, and Joint Pain” by Thomas Lehman; “Blood, Bones, and Butter; the Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef” by Gabrielle Hamilton; “Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within” by Natalie Goldberg; “Bones of the Lost” by Kathy Reichs and “Land of the Buffalo Bones” by Marion Dane Bauer.
Explore our new catalog. Make a family list for vacation. Teach your kids to make lists of their favorite reads and keep your own list of all the books you’ve checked out to read. Create a list of all the resources that worked best with your last lesson plan. Keep track of the DVDs you don’t want to miss or want to recommend to friends. Whatever your fancy, there’s a saved list waiting for you by simply using your library card and your personal PIN. And if none of my selections brought a smile, check out “Animal Jokes to Tickle Your Funny Bone” by Michele C. Hollow.
Children’s Storytime: Weekly Story Time through May 2. For more information call 704-216-8234.
Toddler Time (18- to 35-month olds) — 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays, headquarters; 11 a.m. Mondays, East.
Baby Time (6- to 23-month olds) — 10 a.m. Wednesdays, headquarters; 10 a.m. Mondays, East.
Preschool Time (3- to 5-year-olds) — 10:30 a.m. Thursdays, headquarters; 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays, South; 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., Thursdays, East.
Noodlehead (4- to 8-year-olds) — 4 p.m. Thursdays, headquarters; 4 p.m. Mondays, South.
Tiny Tumblers (6- to 35-month-olds) — Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m., South.
Children’s art programs: Learn different art techniques and start a new art project; runs weekly during storytime. Art in the Afternoon, headquarters, Thursdays, 4:30 p.m.; Art Party, South, Wednesdays, 4 p.m.; Art with Char, East, Thursdays, 4 p.m.
Teen poetry slam: Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m., headquarters. Each teen may perform three original poems in three rounds, and each round will be judged by a panel of judges and the audience. All middle and high school students are eligible. Winners will receive cash prizes up to $75. Registration is required. For more information please visit the website or call 704-216-8234.
Rowan Reading Rendezvous: Headquarters, April 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., an opportunity to connect with Carolina authors. Each author will give a 30-minute presentation and then be available to sign books and have one-on-one or small group discussions. Books will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the Friends of Rowan Public Library. All are welcome, and there is no cost for admission. Find more information here or on the library website, www.rowanpubliclibrary.org or call 704-216-8240.
Outdoor exploration workshop: South, April 28, 5:45-7:15 p.m. Learn about planning day trips, local and regional parks and trails, travel and safety tips and more. All ages welcome, but anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. There will be door prizes. Participants who attend four out of five workshops will be entered to win grand prize. No charge to participate, but registration is required. Visit the website or call 704-216-7734 to register or for more information.
Book Bites Club: South (only), April 29, 6:30 p.m., “Gone Girl,” by Gillian Flynn. Book discussion groups for adults and children meet the last Tuesday of each month. The group is open to the public and anyone is free to join at any time. There is a discussion of the book, as well as light refreshments at each meeting. For more information, please call 704-216-8229.
Displays for April: headquarters, 411 Community Read; South, student art by Carson High School; East, Rockwell Civitans.
Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.