Senator Tony Fulton to Read Aloud at Lincoln City Libraries

Senator Tony Fulton will visit Lincoln City Libraries’ preschool storytimes in September to promote parent-child reading. Fulton, who worked at C.Y. Thompson Library on UNL East Campus as a college student, recalls the benefits of reading aloud as a youngster in the public school system of his hometown of Auburn.

“I remember a program I participated in during the first grade which allowed me to read books aloud to the kindergartners next door. Reading aloud at an early age helped me by improving my articulation and comprehension abilities. Reading aloud introduces the universe to young minds via both sight and sound. Parents, caregivers, and teachers should know there is compelling evidence that reading aloud to children at the earliest ages gives them a gift which does not pass with time.”

The sessions consist of Senator Fulton reading a selected book to pre-school children; engaging their minds during the story with questions and information. The sessions culminate with the children asking questions they are curious to know about the senator and his family. These short sessions will be part of the regular preschool storytimes scheduled throughout the library system as follows:

Monday, September 13 at 4:00 p.m.
Williams Branch, 5000 Mike Scholl Street

Tuesday, September 14 at 10:30 a.m.
Anderson Branch, 3635 Touzalin Avenue

Wednesday, September 15 at 10:30 a.m.
Walt Branch, 6701 S. 13th Street

Wednesday, September 15 at 2:00 p.m.
South Branch, 2675 South Street

Thursday, September 16 at 10:30 a.m.
Bethany Branch, 1810 N. Cotner

Wednesday, September 22 at 10:30 a.m.
Eiseley Branch, 1530 Superior Street

Thursday, September 23 at 10:15 a.m.
Bennett Martin Public Library, 136 S. 14th Street

Tuesday, September 28 at 10:30 a.m.
Gere Branch, 2400 S. 56th Street

Annual Book Sale

Dates for the library's annual book sale have been announced. The sale is open to the public and will be held at the Lancaster Event Center, 4100 No. 84th Street, on the following dates:

• Thursday, September 30, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m
• Friday, October 1, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, October 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

New to the sale this year is a preview event on Wednesday, September 29, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. There is a $30 admission for the preview event. The book sale is again being hosted by the Foundation for Lincoln City Libraries. For information go to www.foundationforlcl.org or call 402-441-0164.

Lincoln City Libraries Offering a Back to School Library Card Initiative

Children through age 12 will receive a packet of coupons to the Nebraska State Fair by signing up for a new library card or showing their current card to a library staff person at any Lincoln City Library from August 15 to September 6, 2010. The Nebraska State Fair will be held August 27 through September 6 in Grand Island, Nebraska. The library will give these packets away while supplies last. The packet will contain a coupon for free entry into the fair, as well as other free and discounted items at the fair.

Lincoln City Libraries encourages all families to sign their child up for a card as part of their back-to-school preparations this fall.

Read to a Dog at the Library

Local therapy dog organization, Healing Heart Therapy Dogs, provides this wonderful opportunity for children ages 6 to 12 who have experienced reading difficulties or who just need to practice their reading. Therapy teams are partnered with children who polish their skills by reading aloud to a dog. Children read to dogs in 20-minute shifts, once a week for six weeks.

Beginning the weekend of Sunday, September 12. Pre-registration is required. Children may read to a dog at these locations and times:

Walt Branch Library
6701 S. 14th Street
Sundays, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Gere Branch Library
2400 S. 56th Street
Thursdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Eiseley Branch Library
1530 Superior Street
Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Please call Marla at 450-1081 for more information or to sign up to read to a dog.

One Book – One Lincoln Finalists Announced
Library Announces Community to Vote on Title  

On May 31st Lincoln City Libraries announced the five finalists under consideration for the 2010 One Book – One Lincoln Community Reading Program. New to the program this year was the opportunity for the community to vote for one of the five finalists to be THE title for the 2010 One Book – One Lincoln program. The winning title will be announced in September.

The finalists are

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The lives of fifty-four-year-old concierge Rene Michel and extremely bright, suicidal twelve-year-old Paloma Josse are transformed by the arrival of a new tenant, Kukuro Ozu.

Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris
When sixteen-year-old Nouf goes missing and is found drowned in the desert outside Jeddah, Nayir, a desert guide hired by her prominent family to search for her, feels compelled to find out what really happened.

I am a Man: Chief Standing Bear's Journey for Justice by Joe Starita
Chronicles the efforts of the Ponca Native American Chief to reclaim his tribe’s lands and rights after being forcibly removed from their Nebraska home in 1877, an effort that brought into question fundamental issues about citizenship, constitutional protections and democracy.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Fact and fiction blend in a historical novel that chronicles the relationship between seminal architect Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney, from their meeting, when they were each married to another, to the clandestine affair that shocked Chicago society.

The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle
The lives of two different couples – wealthy Los Angeles liberals Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher, and Candido and America Rincon, a pair of Mexican illegals, suddenly collide in a story that unfolds from the shifting viewpoints of the various characters.

A committee made up of 15 community members worked for three months to narrow down the selection from the original 148 titles nominated by the community.  The titles are available at Lincoln City Libraries in print, CD, and downloadable audio formats. Reserves may be placed via the library’s catalog.

Lincoln City Libraries Adds New Formats

Lincoln City Libraries announces the addition of PlayStation 3 and Xbox games to its current collection of video games for check-out. Wii games were introduced last year and have proven to be extremely popular with library customers. Available are family-oriented games as well as educational and recreational games for children and teens. All Lincoln City Libraries and the Bookmobile have a collection of these games available for check out.
Playaways, pre-loaded digital audiobooks, will be available for children and teens at all Lincoln City Libraries in March. Playways are highly portable, easy-to-use players that come with an entire audiobook pre-loaded. Listeners can plug their headphones into the device, which is the size of a small cell phone, or plug it into a car audio system via an auxiliary cord. Over 20,000 public libraries nationwide now offer Playaways. Lincoln City Libraries is excited to offer this most convenient audiobook format.

Libraries Offer Parent-Child Book Groups

Lincoln City Libraries is offering parent-child book groups for children and their adult reading partners starting this fall. These groups will meet once a month and will be led by a trained facilitator. Register by calling the library where you would like to participate.

Information about this year's groups is available here; a new group for first through third graders is now being offered at Gere Branch Library.