Haltom City Public Library Hosts Reading Program With Hillshire Foods Company

The Haltom City Public Library has recently awarded 700 book bags along with 700 assorted books to the employees of Hillshire Foods Company. A big "Thank you!" goes out to the Friends of the Library for providing the books and purchasing the book bags. The employee reading program is a collaborated effort between the library and Hillshire Foods to encourage the employees to read for pleasure and to share the experience with younger members of their families.
 Haltom City Public Library has a small on-site library at Hillshire Foods for use by the empoyees. We also urge employees to acquire a library card at their local libraries. This allows them a wider assortment of available literature and valueable information.

Allison Long, librarian
Outreach Services

Book Sales 101

 

 

 

 

Whether you are a frequent book sale shopper or have never been to one, here are some ideas on how to get the maximum pleasure from the experience.

We are sharing these ideas with you with the hope that they will be helpful and encourage you to attend the Annual Friends of the Library Book Sale at the Haltom City Public Library, April 24-27, 2014.

Plan your visit to the sale:

1.       Put the dates of the sale on your calendar.

2.       Plan to make multiple trips to the sale. Be here at 10:00 am on opening day to anticipate the “joy of the hunt.” Come on Sunday, when all remainders are sold for $5.00 per box full (we provide the boxes).

3.       Invite a friend to come with you. Tell your school, church, neighbors, organization about the sale.

Once at the sale:

1.       Take your time. Finding good bargains take time and effort, but Friends volunteers will be available to assist you.

2.       Take a break from the sale to visit the library and Java Joe’s Coffee Bar. 

3.       Find books for yourself and others; they make great, inexpensive gifts for children and adults.

4.       Replace a book you’ve lost or loaned to a now-unknown borrower.

5.       Buy and re-read a treasured book from your childhood.

6.       Recreate the experience of book sales you’ve enjoyed in the past….in a church basement, in a tent in a parking lot or park, in a National Guard Armory or a Cattle Barn.

7.       See old friends and meet new ones.

8.       Furnish a new house or redecorate a current one with older books with leather and gilt covers and spines.

9.       Be curious: look in a new category. You will probably find a book you didn’t know you wanted.

10.   Who are your heroes? Find a biography and learn more about them.

11.   Learn something new (Excel computer program; how to pronounce French words; to knit or crochet).

12.   Experience the joy of being in the company of other book lovers.

13.   Leave the sale with many special books and with the knowledge that your purchase helps the Friends of the Haltom City Public Library support our Library.

Ann Bastable, Library Advisory Board

African American Literature

In honor of Black History Month, the library has constructed a special book display of both well known African American authors and black historical figures. We now also have an African American Fiction section. These books are located in the fiction area between Westerns and General Fiction. We are classifying African American and Urban Fiction as one and the same,and as such, the labels will state African American. We are happy to be able to house this collection in its own area as the popularity for these titles as grown exponentially. Patrons should expect an additional 150 volumes to be added within the next few weeks.

'Bots and Books

 Haltom City Public Library has joined CTLS (formerly Central Texas Library System; new name, Connecting Texas Libraries Statewide).  Currently we are partnering with this organization in an attempt to receive a grant titled 'Bots and Books. The program is scheduled to occur in 2015. If we do , in fact, receive the grant, we will be hosting robot building sessions for children enrolled in upper elementary school through middle school. Mr. Houston, the engineering mathematic teacher at Haltom High School has graciously agreed to come on board with this project.
If you are an engineer, teacher, or would like to support the library in any manner, please feel free to contact the library director, Lesly Smith or librarian Allison Long.
Community robotic groups, rocket builders or other science minded people are encouraged to share their talents.

  Participating libraries will receive grant funded robot kits .Legos kits will be the basis for the library robotics program.  Collaboration with local robotics clubs in schools, activity centers, or youth groups such as Girl Scouts will be a central feature of this program.  ‘Bots & Books will integrate well known juvenile and YA books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Hunger Games, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory into fun week-long activities that promote both reading and robotics.  

Custom Rod Building Guild

You are invited to attend the First Annual Texas Regional Rod Building Event to be held at the Haltom City Public Library, on April 4th and 5th. 2014.
Jim Trelikes, a nationally known instructor is coming from California. Additional instructors for this event will be: Ron Walter, from Wisconsin and Jerry Poindexter, from our home state from Texas will present classes on the various aspects of custom fishing rod building. The cost for this session is $30.00 which includes Friday lunch and dinner and Saturday lunch. You do not have to be a member to attend.
 A beginners class will be available for participants aged 12 years old to adult who have never built a fishing rod. Students will select a blank, build a handle, wrap the guide and apply finish. This class is limited to the first 15 people registered and there is a cost of $40.00 per person. This cost covers the price of supplies.

Participants are encouraged to bring a rod building related item to be donated for a raffle to be held during the event.

Registration forms and fliers about the event can be found at the library.
Contact information is:

Harold Durham
200 Private Road 8140
Bronson, Texas 75930
936-635-4230
Harold_durham@yahoo.com

Valentine's Day Party

Children of all ages are invited to attend the Valentine's day party at the library on Friday, February 14 at 5:30pm. Yes, that is correct. We are actually having our annual celebration on Valentine's Day this year. The event begins promptly at 5:30 and should conclude by 6:30 at the latest. The party will be held in the meeting room located just inside the lobby. The library will close at 6:00pm that night, as usual. Doors to the main library area will be locked, but the automatic doors to the building will remain open until the conclusion of the event.
The afternoon's festivities will include: stories, crafts, cookie decorating and a puppet show.

"State of Grace" by Elizabeth Davies: an e-book Review

E-books are increasingly becoming popular. Never fear, it is the diehard belief that printed books are hear to stay. However, e-books are a nice compliment to printed volumes. The Haltom City Public Library offers e-books through a source we subscribe to: Overdrive. Anyone interested in using this service may get more information by asking a librarian on your next visit or by phone. Other sources of e-books, along with many others, include: Kobo, Barnes and Nobles, Amazon.com, and GoodReads. The following is a book review by a devoted library patron of the Haltom City Public Library . Elizabeth Davies, author of the book, "State of Grace", offered Carrie Mabry Donohue a free copy of her e-book in exchange for an honest review of her work. I believe this is a common practice amongst up and coming authors. A chance to share their talents with avid readers of the world.  Upon reading the review, if anyone is interested in acquiring a copy of the book, it is available through Kindle or GoodReads.



State of Grace" by Elizabeth Davies: an e-book Review
by Carrie Mabry Donohue

I wish I could give partial stars... If I could I would give this book a 4.8 or maybe a 5.5, the difference being if I felt "challenged" or CHALLENGED!

I enjoyed getting to know Grace and Roman here. The plot line was a bit different from any I had read our hard about before. A woman with an "expiration date" dangling over her head goes back in time.... This book has some eroticism, romance, history, current events, science.... (Ok so the science is mostly Grace trying to explain stuff) The book captured my attention so well I actually finished it a few hours ago... I spent an hour telling my husband about it and then started reading the next installment before I decided I better write my review before I slipped and told you Elvis is a vampire.. Oops! Just kidding, that does not happen until book. 5.... Kidding.... I recommend this as a good read, has some sex scenes and violence so not really meant for the faint of heart... (My 20 year old daughter no, my 17 year old cousin would be a big YES)