Resource Spotlight: NoveList Plus

I am going to let you in on a little secret: librarians do not know everything. I know that may come as a shock to you. Librarians don't know everything, but we should know how to find just about anything. To be able to do that, we need great tools. Now available in the eSources, you now have access one of our best kept secrets: NoveList. NoveList Plus is the "premiere database for reading recommendations" for adults, teens, and children for both fiction and nonfiction.

NoveList Plus features include:

Read-alike recommendations - did you love The Goldfinch? Want to read more books like that? NoveList can find read-alikes for you based on what you liked about (time period, mood, author, subject, and more).

Series information - NoveList contains full Series information for over 25,000 series! It also includes series read-alikes, so when you are done with Game of Thrones you can find another series you love just as much.

Reviews - NoveList contains reviews from professional journals (Booklist, Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal), as well as from readers (via Goodreads) all in one place!

Award winners - Every book award that exists (that we know of) -- Caldecott Medal, Pulitzer, Man Booker, etc -- all in one place! 

Lists - Top ten, best of, favorites, recommended reading, etc. You will never be at a loss for book to read.

Book Club Guides - Hosting a book club?  Many titles include a book club guide with plot, character list, questions (and answers!).

To access NoveList:

1. Go to the Library Catalog.
2. Click on Search, the eSources from the drop down menu.
3. Click on NoveList Plus.
4. Enter your library card number.

Now you are ready to dive deeper into books than ever before! For more information about NoveList Plus, read here or contact us.

Holiday Bedtime Story Time

This year's Holiday Bedtime Story Time was another success! Children came to the library in their pajamas and enjoyed a puppet show and story time reading of the Night Before Christmas followed by singing classic Christmas songs. Afterwards, the kids could make a holiday craft and snack or go have their photo taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Even Ms. Becky got to tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas!

Holiday Happenings at the Library

Get into the spirit this year with our fun programs at the library! 

Holiday Bedtime Story Hour 

Thursday, December 10, 2015

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Wear your pajamas (mom & dad too) to the Haltom City Public Library's Holiday Bedtime Story Hour. Mr. & Mrs. Claus will also be making an appearance. There will be stories, a puppet show and a holiday craft. Don’t forget your camera!

Holiday Read for Children

Saturday, December 12, 2015 

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 

North Central Texas Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. will conduct a special story time for the Haltom City community. There will be variety of holiday stories, a play and a craft  for elementary school-aged children. 

Holiday Movie Night 

Monday, December 14, 2015

6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Join us at the Haltom City Public Library for our Holiday Movie Night on Monday, December 14th at 6:30 p.m. The featured movie is 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol", which is a re-telling of the Charles Dickens Christmas classic...Muppet style.

Monthly Movie Night at the HCPL is sponsored by the Friends of the Haltom City Public Library.

Sassy Craft Saturdays 

Saturday, December 19, 2015

10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Adults 18 years and older are invited to join us for the popular Craft Saturday series in December.

December's class, "Hedgehog." The supply list required for the December class is:

• Book: paperback book of about 100
• Buttons or pom-poms: 3 black buttons or 3 black pom-poms

 For more information contact instructor Brenda at 682-703-1707 or bkgroschup@charter.net. There is a $5.00 instructor’s fee. Craft Saturday is sponsored by the Friends of the Haltom City Public Library.

Supplies can be purchased at any craft store, such as Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann, Michaels, etc.

All programs are at the Haltom City Public Library. Call 817.222.7786 for more information.

Thanks to the Friends of the Haltom City Library for the Book Tree!

Pumpkin Decorating Contest Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the Pumpkin Decorating Contest! Judging took place on October 29th by library staff and patrons. Winners were awarded at Hoooowling Halloween.

Children Ages 4-8: Christopher Gaines

Christopher created an amazing likeness to Squidward from SpongeBob Squarepants.
















Children Ages 9-12: Samuel Coley

Samuel's Batman Minon was anything but Despicable!








Teens Ages 13-17: Seth Cruz

Seth's intricately detailed Death Star was a powerful force in the competition.








Adults 18 and up: Adriana Cruz

Adriana's magical Cinderella pumpkin carriage was the belle of the ball.








Each winner won a $10 gift card to Sonic, and all other participants received coupons for 5 free Frosty's from Wendy's.  Thank you to all participants and judges for helping make the contest a success.

All You Can Eat Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

The Friends of the Haltom City Public Library are hosting an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast on Saturday, October 24th from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Applebee's located at 6645 NE Loop 820 in North Richland Hills. Tickets are $10 each and must be purchased in advance at the library or from a member of the Friends of the HCPL. The menu includes pancakes, eggs, sausage, potatoes, orange juice, coffee and soft drinks.

All proceeds support the Haltom City Public Library services and programs. The Friends of the HCPL is a volunteer organization, committed to a quality, community-oriented public library. They host events and programs such as the Summer Reading Club, writing contest, Ladies' Night Out, book sale and much more. Fundraisers help to supply the library with items not included in the annual library budget.

Contact the library at 817-222-7786 or Bonnie Richards at 817-838-9789 for more information.

Halloween Happenings at the Haltom City Public Library

The Haltom City Public Library is getting into the spooky mood with lots of Halloween events.

Halloween Themed Crafty Saturday

Saturday, September 26 at 10:00 a.m.

For Adults 18 & over, this Halloween-themed class will feature spooky crafts of a ghost, Frankenstein and/or spider. Cost is only $5, plus supplies (Click on link for supply list). For questions contact Brenda at 682-708-1707, bkgroschup @ charter.net.

Family Movie Night

Monday, October 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Join us for Family Movie Night where we will be showing The Haunted Mansion with Eddie Murphy. Free popcorn and great spooky fun for the whole family!

Haunted Granbury

Monday, October 19 at 6:30 p.m.

 Join us for a spooky night with tales of ghost haunts and hunts presented by Brandy Herr, author of "Haunted Granbury". Book signing and refreshments will follow the presentation, which starts at 6:30 p.m.

Brandy Herr is the co-founder of the Granbury Ghosts and Legends Tour and the annual Granbury Paranormal Expo. In February 2014, her book, "Haunted Granbury", was released by The History Press as part of their Haunted America series. She is a member of Research and Investigation of the Paranormal and has participated in several ghost hunt investigations in the Granbury area.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

Decorate a pumpkin or gourd, real or artificial, any way you would like. Use glue, paint, carved or all of the above. Bring your decorated pumpkin to the library by October 22nd. Judging will take place during the HCPL's Hooowling Halloween, which starts at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 29th.

There are four age categories: Ages 5-8, Ages 9-12, Ages 13-17, Adults 18 & older.  Winning pumpkins will receive a Sonic gift card. Click on link for more information.

Hooowling Halloween

Thursday, October 29th at 6:30 - 8:00 p.m

Get a jump on trick or treating this Halloween! There will be trick or treating through the library, not-so-scary stories, and a puppet show. Come in your costume (mom and dad join the fun and come in costume too!).

Bros. Gromm Visits Haltom City Public Library

 The article below has been written and submitted by our teen journalist, Aidan Mize.

 

The puppet show put on today, Friday, June 26, by the Bros. Gromm, despite having an unusually small audience, may have been the most interactive out of all of the shows. Throughout the performance, the puppeteer had the puppets ask the viewers to participate in almost everything. They were encouraged to help whenever possible, and to read books.

Regardless of the fact that the show was aimed at younger viewers, I noticed that many of the adults and volunteers alike were entertained, myself included. The show was somewhat of a cross between comedy and education, mixing the two seamlessly.

Somewhere near the middle of the show, the puppeteer came out and asked some questions, and had people draw shapes on the board he had. They also used a computer screen to play small games and the such. One such game was where a picture would appear onscreen and the audience would have to make the noise the the animal would. The puppet would be the one to guess what the animal was.

The pictures on the board returned about 20 minutes before the end of the show. That time, the goal was to try to make something of the random squiggles on the board. It was decided that the picture would be one of a dolphin and a boat, that shot pies from a cannon. In short, the show was a success, even with the small crowd.

Que Pastas Rock the Library!

Guest teen journalist, Aidan Mize , has graciously agreed to write an article for this blog reporting on the June 5,  kick-off event of the Summer Reading Program. Please enjoy reading his thoughts and impressions:

       The 2:00pm visit to the library by the Que Pastas was incredible. While it may have been aimed at a younger audience, it was clear that all ages were entertained today. The music itself was fast paced and entertaining, not to mention the segments in-between. Every song was punctuated by a joke or a dance or something akin to that.
    The musicians themselves were incredibly animated and seemed to really be enjoying getting the audience involved. They did everything from asking the audience what to sing, to getting everyone up to dance.
   Truly, the entire Summer Reading Program kick-off was a success. The Que Pastas were astronomic at all levels of entertaining, at least for me! Their entire performance was awesome, from  the "Book Song" to the utterly fun insanity of the " Birthday song".

Aidan Mize

Summer Reading Program 2015 Has Begun!

We had a fantastic program Friday, June 5 to kick of our annual Summer Reading Program. The Que Pastas entertained an audience of almost 90 adults and children. Check out the pictures on the library's online photo gallery.
This Summer our program will run from June 5 through July 31.
Each Monday night at 6:30pm, we will host Family Movie Night. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm-4pm "Reading Buddies" will be present to read with the children. What a wonderful opportunity for the kids to practice their reading skills. As an added treat, Reagan the Golden Retriever will be in attendance each Thursday to listen to the stories and of course enjoy a nice pat or two.
Fridays are our special guests day. Come join just each week at 2pm for a fun and educational afternoon. Don't forget to record the amount of time you read. We are awarding custom designed book bags to those accomplishing preset reading goals.
For more information call 817-227786

St. Patrick's Day Party For Kids

Join us at the library this Saturday, March 17, for our annual St. Patrick's Day party. The festivities begin at 2pm. We will have stories, a craft, decorate cookies and hunt for the elusive leprechaun. Don't forget to wear your green!

 Speaking of St. Patrick, let's revisit the history of this legendary person. He was born in Britain. during the 5th century.When he was approximately 16 years old, he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and sold into slavery. He escaped and returned to his homeland at the age of 22. He became an ordained cleric and returned to Ireland, the place of his captivity, to spread the belief in Christianity.
One of his many claims to fame involves the belief that he miraculously chased all snakes from Ireland, into the sea. He was said to have accomplished this feat by ringing bells while in pursuit of the reptiles.
  March 17 was recorded as the date of his death. Each year on this day, his life and accomplishments are celebrated throughout Ireland and the United States with parties, parades and other festivities.

A Night of Romance at the Library

Why wait for Valentine’s Day for love? Join us on Friday, February 13 from 6:30pm to 9:00pm at the Haltom City Public Library for “A Night of Romance”. This free event will showcase local romance authors promoting their latest works. Books will be available to be purchased from and autographed by our featured guests.

Some of the writers will entertain attendees by reading selections from their own books in our presentation area. What a wonderful way to have stories come to life, hearing the voices of the characters delivered by the ones who created them.

This will be a great opportunity to become acquainted with new authors and fall in love with books you never knew existed.

To add to the party atmosphere, light refreshments will be served. Yes, you heard that right…food and drink in the library! Let’s keep that a secret, just between us. Don’t worry; the library will be closed, so no one needs to know.

 

For more information call:

817-222-7786