Monday, Dec. 22 @ 6 PM: Dan Gutman visits SPL!

The author of several popular series for kids, Mr. Gutman will give a talk, sign books and bring some books to sell (just in time for Christmas!). Please register.

Santa came to SPL!

We had a great time with Santa at the library on Friday, December 5.  Thanks to the many kids and parents and Brownies and firefighters that helped us give Santa a warm welcome!

 

Mark your Calendar for these December Events!

Friday, Dec. 5, 6 pm - 7 pm:  Santa visits the library!  Come hear live music and share some holiday treats and fellowship.

Monday, Dec. 8, at 6:30 pm:  Storytime for preschoolers.  Please register.

Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 1 pm:  Book Cafe.  Come join our lively group of patrons discussing the books they have enjoyed.  There is no required book--feel free to talk about anything you think was great or interesting or noteworthy and that you think others might appreciate.  Light refreshments are served. Please register.

Monday, December 22, 6 pm:  Dan Gutman visits the library!  The author of several popular series for kids, Mr. Gutman will give a talk, sign books and bring some books to sell (just in time for Christmas!).  Please register.

Contact the library for more information about any of these events.  See you at the library!

Friday, Dec. 5: Join Santa at Stratford Library!

Someone special is coming to Stratford Public Library! Please join us for a celebration to start off the holiday season on Friday Dec. 5, from 6 to 7 PM. There will be music, treats, and children can visit with Santa, and have their pictures taken. Afterward, we can all escort Santa to the Stratford tree-lighting at 7:35 pm.

Big events this week! Cookies and Memories.

COOKIE SWAP!  On Friday, November 21, from 1-4 pm, we will be hosting a COOKIE SWAP!  Make 6 or more dozen of your favorite kind of cookie or other treat (candy, cupcake, muffin, etc!) and bring them to the library.  For every dozen you bring, you can take a dozen of someone else's creations.  Call the library to get more information and to sign up.

Dedication of the Rose Milano Building of the Stratford Public Library:  Please join us Saturday, November 22, from 1-3 pm, as we remember and celebrate Rose Milano, whose efforts were instrumental in the creation of the library as we know it today.  The mayor will be here to formally dedicate the building in Rose's name and memory.  All are welcome!

The Halloween Party was a HIT!

We had a great time at our Halloween Party on Monday night!  We enjoyed stories, treats, and a great magic show by Jim Combs & the Combs Family Magic Show.  We awarded prizes for costumes--including the Most Graceful, the Furriest, the Scariest, and the Most Heroic.  Thank you to everyone who helped make the party such a great success, especially Marie Brennan (who baked all the wonderful cupcakes), Catherine Adams (who helped hand out treats in her amazing witch costume) and Catherine Trotter (who was our guest story reader for the evening). 

Who's ready for Halloween?

We are so excited for our upcoming Halloween Party!  On Monday, Oct. 27th, from 6 - 7:30 pm, join us for a party for children and caretakers.  There will be Halloween stories, prizes for the best costumes, and a performance by the Combs Family Magic Show.  Please contact the library to register.

September events at SPL!

Mark your calendars for these events this month.  All events are free -- please contact the library to register.

--Book Cafe returns! Come on in for this roundtable discussion and tell us about some favorite books that you have read recently and want to recommend to other library patrons.  Tuesday, September 9, at 1 PM

--Medicare & You: An educational seminar in which Anthony Williams, a licensed insurance agent, answers your general questions about rights and benefits under Medicare and supplement plans.  Saturday, September 13 @ 10:30 am.

--Blood pressure screening: A visiting nurse from Kennedy Hospital will be on hand offering free blood pressure screenings.  Thursday, September 18, from 1-3 PM.

--Declutter Your Life & Reduce Stress: Professor and author Diane Lang will lead a workshop discussing the changes we can make to reduce clutter and stress to create real change in our lives. Saturday, September 20 @ 2 PM.

--Pre-schooler Storytime Returns, but on a NEW NIGHT: September story-times will be held Monday, September 15 & Monday, September 29 @ 6:30 PM.   

Monday, Sept.1: Labor day!

The Library will be closed Monday, September 1, in observance of Labor Day.  We hope to see you when we re-open Tuesday, September 2.  Enjoy a safe holiday weekend, everyone!

August 6 @ 3PM: Summer Reading Program pizza party with PRIZES!

It's the last week of the 2014 Summer Reading program at Stratford Library.  We hope everyone is getting lots of reading done.

 

For our final science activity, this Wednesday, August 6th at 3 p.m, we are going to branch out a bit and do a math activity.  Who's ready for a tangram contest?  And what do you know about Fibonacci numbers and nature?  (Check out this video, it's gorgeous and brilliant.)

 

We are going to be having a pizza party to celebrate the end of Summer Reading (pizza ... pi ... math, get it?)  We are also going to be drawing prizes for summer readers, so make sure you log the books you have read.  For every book you have read over the past 6 weeks, you get 1 chance to win a prize. 

 

We hope to see you this week! (But if you can't be here, you can still win a prize.)

Sat. July 19: Artisans Guild of South Jersey Reception

Join us this Saturday, July 19, at 2:00 pm for a reception celebrating our exhibit of art pieces from the Artisans Guild of South Jersey.  The authors and artists will be there, happy to discuss their creations.  We are very excited to bring this event to our library!

Friday, July 11: Senior Movie Matinee

Come on in for our first Senior Movie Matinee on Friday at 10:30 a.m:

Grand Hotel (1932), starring Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford. 112 minutes.

Upcoming Events

Welcome to July!  It's going to be a fun and busy month at Stratford Library this month. This is what we have going on. (From library home page, click on this text to be taken to the library blog for a full list of events.)

For more information about these events, or to register, please contact us. See you soon at SPL!

• Wednesday, July 2:   Summer Reading Program starts.
  3:00 - 4:00 Summer Science Experiment (grade-school aged kids)
• Wednesday, July 9:   10:30 a.m.  Introduction to Computers (class for adults),
  3:00 - 4:00 Summer Science Experiment (grade-school aged kids)
• Friday, July 11:  Movie Matinee for Seniors
• Tuesday, July 15:  High Tea and Book discussion (for adults/seniors)
• Wednesday, July 16: 10:30 a.m. Introduction to e-mail (class for seniors;
  10:30 a.m Toddler Storytime (for ages around 18 months to 3 years)
  3:00 - 4:00 Summer Science Experiment (grade-school age kids)
• Friday, July 18:  Movie Matinee for Seniors
• Wednesday, July 23: 10:30 a.m. Introduction to e-mail (class for seniors;
  3:00 - 4:00 Summer Science Experiment (grade-school age kids)
• Friday, July 25:  Movie Matinee for Seniors
• Wednesday, July 30: 10:30 a.m. Introduction to e-mail (class for seniors;
  10:30 a.m Toddler Storytime (for ages around 18 months to 3 years)
  3:00 - 4:00 Summer Science Experiment (grade-school age kids)

Summer Reading 2014 at SPL!

Join us for the 2014 Summer Reading Program, which will run from July 2nd through August 6th, 2014. 

Get in on the SPL Reading Log:  For every book you read and log with us at the library, you get a chance to win prizes, like books (of course!), tickets for minigolf, movies, and more!  Kids from grades 1 through 8 are invited to sign up for the reading log.

Science Fun at SPL:  Kids in Grades 1 to 5 are invited to join us at the library for some fun (and maybe messy) experiments on Wednesdays at 3:00 pm.

Pizza Party!  We will finish up strong with a pizza party on Wednesday, August 6th at 4:00 pm, to celebrate another great summer of reading and fun!  All participants in summer reading, both in the reading log and in the science activities, are welcome to join us.

Registration is required!  Please contact us at (856) 783-0602 or libraryasstdirector@stratfordnj.org to sign up. 

Teens and upper middle-school aged kids: Are you interested in volunteering to help with the summer reading program, or is helping the library with other projects?  We would love to hear from you!  Contact uss--we have lots for you to do, and we would be happy to provide confirmation or service hours provided, if that is needed for your school or church.

Summer Reading Programs coming soon!

Are your kids ready for summer?  It's the perfect time to catch up on some great books!  We are currently planning our arrangements to celebrate this year's themes for summer reading, which are "Fizz, Boom, READ!" for grade-school aged children and "Spark a Reaction" for teens.  We are excited to see what everyone is going to be reading this summer!

As we are finalizing our plans, there are several other summer reading programs in which kids can participate and even enter to win prizes, free books, or money for a savings account.  Check these out:

Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge (May 5 through September 5)

TD Bank Summer Reading Program:  Kids who read 10 books during the summer can earn $10 to be deposited in a TD bank Young Saver account.

Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program:  Kids who read 8 books can earn a free book from a selection available at participating stores.

Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge: Kids who read all the books on one of PBK's lists can qualify to win prizes.

Summer Reading Lists for Yellin School:  Yellin School has finalized the summer reading lists for grades 4 through 8.  Find the lists here.  We will have these books available at our library too!

Library CLOSED on Memorial Day

The library will be closed Monday, May 26, 2014, in observance of Memorial Day.  We hope that you all have a wonderful holiday and we will see you on Tuesday!

Storytime: Tuesday, May 27 at 6:30 PM

Join us for storytime this Tuesday evening!  We will be reading stories about building things, playing with blocks, and perhaps making paper airplanes.

Stop by and pick up a recommendation from the SPL staff!

Looking for a new read for your Memorial Day weekend?  Come check out our new "Staff Picks" area!  All the staff and volunteers have selected some of our favorites from the collection here at the library.  Some are brand new, and some are oldies but goodies that we would love to share with you.  Come see if there is something here that intrigues you!

The Library's page in the Stratford Times

The Spring issue of The Stratford Times is posted on the Stratford, NJ home page.  There's lots of good information there ... including our listing of new happenings at the library and upcoming events.  Check it out!

Register for upcoming Computer Classes

Library staff will be offering introductory computer classes for adults on Wednesday mornings in May, at 10:30 a.m.  The classes will be offered on the computers in our library.  Accordingly, the number of students we can accommodate will be limited.  However, this will have the added benefit of allowing us to offer plenty of attention to each student.

•  May 7th: Introduction to Using Computers ("easy pace"), for those who wish to start at the very beginning.
• May 14th: Let's email.  We will help you get started with email, including tips on creating an account with free online web-based email providers.
• May 21st: Introduction to Microsoft Word, Part I.  Learn how to use one of the most popular word processing programs, using Word 2010 as installed on our computers.  This class assumes no prior experience with Word.
• May 28th: Introduction to Microsoft Word, Part II.  This class continues where Part I left off.  You can sign up for this class and skip Part I if you feel comfortable with the basics of Word and just want to learn more.

Please contact the library if you would like to register for all or any of these classes. 
(Please note that each class will go forward only if we have a minimum of 2 students registered.)

New Library card numbers are here!

Make sure you stop by the library soon to obtain your new library card number.  New numbers will allow you to access the electronic resources at Jersey Clicks.  The new numbers will also be needed when we add downloadable eBooks and audiobooks to our collection.

If your current library card has been lost or in poor condition, we will replace it free of charge at this time.

National Library Week: April 14 - 19

National Library Week is coming up!  From Monday, April 14 through Saturday, April 19, we invite you to stop by the library to help us celebrate.  

• Coffee and light refreshments will be available everyday at 12:30pm.
• Every day, everyone who comes in to the library or "likes" us on Facebook or follows us on Twitter can enter into a drawing to win a $25 Barnes & Noble giftcard.  The drawing will be at the end of the week, and you can enter once each day, plus you can get extra entries for following us on social media.  Just fill out a ticket at the circulation desk or send us a private message on social media with your name and library card number.
• Everyone who checks out materials at the library gets a button to help them show off their love of the Stratford Public Library (while supplies last).
• There will be a daily trivia contest, where we will test your knowledge of the history of our library.  Questions will be available at the circulation desk, and also posted on Facebook and Twitter. We will have small prizes available each day, and winners also will receive extra entries in the drawing for the grand prize for the week.

It's an exciting time at the library!  We have seen big changes in the past year, and have many more coming.  Take advantage of National Library Week to stop by and see what's new and hear about what we have planned.  We can't wait to see everyone here next week!

Storytime: Tuesday, April 8 @ 6:30pm

For Storytime this week, we will be getting ready for Easter by reading Easter Stories.  We also will need the children's help finding some eggs that were hidden around the library.  Come ready to do some egg hunting!

New library card numbers are coming!

Very soon, we will be changing the library card numbers for all our patrons.  We know that some people like their old numbers, and have had them for a long time.  But we are convinced that you won't mind changing to a new number when you hear what it will let you do!

The new bar code numbers will allow you to access JERSEY CLICKS, a state program that includes a variety of research databases.  These databases include scholarly articles, useful for students doing research papers.  The databases also include reliable consumer resources, news, medical and health information, legal forms, job hunting resources, and Spanish language resources.  Patrons will be able to use their new library card numbers to access these databases over the internet from any computer and at any time of day.

The new bar code numbers are also necessary to help us bring downloadable eBooks and audiobooks to the library. 

Watch for details on when you can bring in your library card and get one of the new bar code numbers!

Storytime: Tuesday, March 25 at 6:30pm

Join us for Storytime on Tuesday March 25th at 6:30 pm.  We are going to remind Spring that it is supposed to be here by reading springtime stories, talking about gardens, and planting seeds.  If you are not yet registered for Storytime, please do so by calling the library at 856-783-0602, or emailing Sydney at LibraryAsstDirector@stratfordnj.org. 

If we need to postpone Storytime because of the weather, we will call all registered families and post our decision on Facebook.

New YA Books

We have several recently published books available for readers of YA fiction.  Stop by and check out what's new!