The Share Thy Shakespeare Challenge is not so much a challenge to think of a line from Shakespeare or a book or a sonnet, but a challenge to stop and think about Shakespeare. Try and remember the first time you heard a piece of Shakespeare or the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Shakespeare. So think about William Shakespeare and we want to know what comes to your mind.
We found some good resources to help you if Shakespeare is new to you or you find him hard to read or to understand:
Need Help reading Shakespeare? How about some help that is fun to readclick here for Joseph Smigelski's "How to Enjoy Reading Shakespeare."
”Be a little careful about your library. Do you foresee what you will do with it? Very little to be sure. But the real question is, 'What will it do with you?' You will come here and get books that will open your eyes, and your ears, and your curiosity, and turn you inside out or outside in.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, find works by him at your library!
April 8-14, 2012 is National Library Week which, according to the American Library Association, "is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support."
But we hope that National Library Week
will be every day, all year; that everyone
will get out there and use their library!
Our little local act in support Interlochen Public Library: we donated 50 snazzy pocket "How to Keep a Book Journal" books and recycled bamboo pencils. IPL liked the idea so much they insisted on buying more --thanks for the support IPL, especially Amanda, nice work on all the festivities!! Thanks for the support from Blackbird Arts in Traverse City --who just happen to be the featured art in the McGuire Community Room this month at the Woodmere Branch of Traverse Area District Library. And to Crystal Crate and Cargo in Beulah for donating the wonderful pencils. And thanks to our secret donors, you know who you are; The Dad for helping The Mom assemble the final 10 journals; to The Sister's Gramma who wrote with her lovely handwriting on so many of the pencils; and to The Sisters and the BFWP Family of Readers, we are grateful for your endless support.
Want one of these lovely journals for yourself or how about a bunch for your reading group? With every journal you purchase we donate one to a local library's Summer Reading Program!
We're pretty giddy about our new pocket sized journals --thanks to ecojot for giving us a great deal. With a bit of layout fun, editing, cutting, a table of activity, and don't forget glue sticks --we have 200 lovely journals to share. Stay tuned for our own "Buy 1, Give 1 Campaign" --details coming soon!
Watch this short film about ecojot's trip to Haiti, we've set our sights on helping them with their outreach --who knows, when The Sisters are 18 maybe we can volunteer with them?! Learn more about theecojot"Give" program, click here, and get inspired to help spread literacy around the globe!
Now Back to LIBRARIES! There are so many ways that a library can help, all you have to do is ask! Here are some tips and fun ways to learn about and support our wonderful libraries:
Did you know that many libraries are hubs for GREAT ART? Check out your library and ask about their programming and/or installations --you may be surprised! And check out Library as Incubator Project, wow, so much inspiration, watch out, you WILL be inspired!
At the Books for Walls Project we never have ads trying to sell books; rather than buying a book we suggest you first try to find it at the library. Need a little help? Try starting with www.worldcat.org which helps you find a book at a library nearest you, wherever you are!
Do you love the library? Check out I Love Libraries (www.ilovelibraries.org) brought to you by the American Library Association (www.ala.org.)
Interested in the State of America's Libraries? Read the 2012 report, hot off the presses --read on, click here.
"Even as budget-cutters take aim at libraries and their services, more than two-thirds of the 1,000-plus adults contacted in a survey in January said that the library’s assistance in starting a business or finding a job was important to them, according to the poll, conducted for the American Library Association (ALA) by Harris Interactive.
Sixty-five percent of those polled said they had visited the library in the past year; women are significantly more likely than men (72 percent vs. 58 percent) to fall into this category, especially working women, working mothers and women aged 18-54. Overall, 58 percent of those surveyed said they had a library card, and the largest group was, again, women, especially working women and working mothers. College graduates and those with a household income of more than $100,000 were also well represented among card holders, according to the survey."
Follow the Books for Walls Project, we promise to keep up to date on library news (Get the Scoop at Your Library) and have a bunch of bookish fun. Click here for ways to keep in touch.
Do you love YOUR Library? Add it to our Favorite Libraries List -click here to check out the list, click here to add your favorite library.
Tell us a Library Love Story, we LOVE stories or tell us why you love your library (we shared out top ten) click here and read more!
Visit our Facebook page for some of the latest on local library National Library Week activities, little goodies and bookish info.
Now go out and enjoy your library, Celebrate Libraries Everyday!
As Library National Library Week continues we're thinking what is the first thing you have to do begin a relationship with the library? We realized there are steps and here is what we came up with:
Step One:
The Big Sister says, "First you have to want to go. And it's good to go because there are books and you never know what you'll learn there -sometimes it's really fun to read and sometimes you figure out what you want to do when you get older!"
Go to the library and Get your Library Card: Arrive at the library you found (or call first) and ask how you can get your card (for more, click here)
The Little Sister says, "to get your card you have to sign your name, so learn to write your name --when I was little, it took me a little while to remember how to write a J instead of a C, but I did and so I got my card!"
Step Four:
Take out books, movies, music or use their computers --enjoy the world that is open to you!
Step Five:
Read, Renew or Return, and Repeat.
All four of us agree that if your library offers an online option, use it! Our library system (Traverse Area District Library) offers such perks as an email notice 3 days before books are due, up to 6 renewals, online browsing and reserving --so you can look at books at midnight and pick them up from the front desk in the morning.
Step Six:
Then visit the Books for Walls Project and tell us about what you're reading! Share the inspiration.
Have a Library Love Story (click here)? A love story can be any memory about life connected with your library. When you got your first card, a librarian that was particularly wonderful, a book you found (or that found you.) We'll keep Library Love Stories available, so whenever you think of one, come back and tell us!
Help us celebrate the beginning of our 3rd year (our 2nd anniversary) by telling us what you are reading!
We've been reading "books to the sky", learning loads, visiting our favorite library often, and working with our local libraries on a couple of great projects,
we'll share all of the goodies soon.
For now grab the book you are reading
and tell us about it, click down below to post a comment!
