Library News: Preschool Puppet Program and more

A special program is planned for preschoolers of all ages on Thursday, Feb. 23 (today) at 10:30 a.m. It will be presented in the Black Box theater at The Phipp’s Theater for the Performing Arts which is on Vine Street across from the library. Seating is limited, so tickets have been issued. Some reserve tickets may be available just prior to the performance.

The program, “A Night on Bear Island,” will be presented by Heron Gardner’s Puppet Tellers. It’s billed as original story-telling by means of puppet-theater. The unusual blend of puppetry, bold graphics and dramatic sound effects creates a fast-paced and family-friendly tale of suspense and surprises about friendship and overcoming fears of monsters and the dark. For more information, visit www.thepuppettellers.com.

New preteen book club

If you like fairy tales and you are 10-12 years old we have a new preteen book club just for you. Be prepared to read, write, and have fun! The club meets monthly from 5-6 p.m. on the fourth Thursday. At the Feb.23 session (today) “Before Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella,” by Cameron Dokey will be discussed. The next book, “Belle: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast,” by Cameron Dokey will be lent to club members for the March 22 meeting.

This book/writing club was created by and is led by teen volunteer Katelyn Asmus. Free refreshments will be served. Interested preteens are requested to sign up at the information desk near the children’s area because space and the number of reading copies are limited. Members of the club need to have a valid library card.

Friends to meet at Stillwater Library

The March 8 meeting of the Friends of the Library will be held at the Stillwater Library. Anyone wishing to carpool there should meet at the Lakefront Park beach parking lot at 5:30 p.m. There will be a guided tour of the library at 6 p.m. and the meeting will follow at 7 p.m.

New meeting room use policy

In an effort to make the use of the three smaller meeting rooms more equitable for our patrons, a new policy has gone into effect. Rooms 216, 206, and 205 are available on a walk-in basis, first-come-first-serve for two hours, unless reserved in advance at least a day before.

Patrons wishing to use these rooms on a walk-in basis will first have to sign-up for them at the information desk near the children’s area. Library staff will then unlock the door of the assigned room. The rooms may be used after the allotted two hours as long as no one else wants to use them or they have not been previously reserved.

The large meeting room, 219, is a designated quiet study room and is open and available for patrons on a walk-in basis, unless the room has been reserved in advance at least a day before.

To reserve a meeting room in advance, patrons need to fill out the meeting room reservation form, available at the circulation desk, and submit the form at least 24 hours prior to the reservation date. For complete information about reserving a room in advance, please go to the library’s web site: http://www.hudsonpubliclibrary.org and click on “meeting room information” in the Quick Links.

Book club titles on Kindles

The library’s four Kindles for loan now have the library’s book club selections loaded onto them. The Kindles are for local checkout only and may be requested at the circulation desk. They are available on a first-come, first-served basis. They cannot be reserved or put on hold.

Kindles can be borrowed for 14 days with no renewals. The overdue fees are $5.00 per day. Kindles may be checked out by patrons with a valid library card. They should be returned at the circulation desk, not returned via the book drops.

Patrons have access only to content that is already installed by the library onto the Kindle. Patrons are not allowed to download additional content or delete content. The library reserves the right to charge fees for damage or loss of the Kindle, up to and including the current replacement cost.

2011 tax forms

To assist our patrons, Reference Librarian Matthew Winkler has put together a brochure on where to find tax forms. It gives clear instructions on four ways to get the correct forms: from the library, from the Internet, by phone, and in person. The brochures will be available on the tax form display stand in the downstairs lobby and at the circulation desk.

These brochures should be helpful, especially now that the Wisconsin Department of Revenue will no longer proactively mail tax forms and instructions to those who filed on paper from the previous year. The department will continue to send tax forms to people who request them and Homestead credit tax forms will be mailed to individuals age 60 and older who filed on paper last year.

Patrons may file their tax forms electronically at the library but they should be aware that the library staff cannot help with tax information nor can they recommend tax filing software or websites. Also, the library is not responsible for any information that is lost during the process.

Anyone needing extra time to file taxes on the public computer should ask for an extension at least 10 minutes before the computer session is set to expire.

On-going monthly programs and meetings

--Friends of the Library Meeting, Thursday, March 8, 5:30 p.m. carpool from beach parking, tour of Stillwater Library 6, meeting 7 p.m.

--Library Board Meeting, Monday, March 12, 6:30 p.m.

--Page Turners Book Club, Tuesday, March 20, 6:30 p.m. “The Night Circus,” by Erin Morgenstern.

--Bookmarks Book Club, (formerly known as the Library Book Club) Wednesday, March 21, 10:30 a.m., “Destiny of a Republic,” by Candice Millard.

--Mystery Book Club, Wednesday, March 21, 1 & 6:30 p.m., “Live to Tell,” by Lisa Gardner.

--Teen Book Club Meeting: Thursday, Feb. 23, (today) 4-5 p.m. “Double Helix,” by Nancy Werlin.

--Preteen Book Club Meeting: Thursday, Feb. 23, (today) 5-6 p.m. “Before Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella,” by Cameron Dokey.

@sub:Preschool story Times:

Rhyme Time Baby Story Time

is for ages newborn to talking. Babies and their caregivers are invited to join us for 20 minutes of stories, puppets, poems, finger plays, and action activities. Programs are held every Wednesday at 10:15 a.m.

Walkey-Talkey Story Time is for children talking to age 3. Children and their caregivers are invited to join us for 25 minutes of stories, songs, poems, puppets, and activities. Programs are held every Monday and Wednesday at 11:15 a.m.

Wiggles and Giggles Story Time is for children ages 3-5. Books, puppets, songs, poems, flannel board stories, crafts, and action activities help to ready your child for a future of reading.

Programs are held on Tuesday nights from 7:00-7:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 10:15-10:45 a.m. (special 10:30 program on 2/23, see above) and 1-1:30 p.m.

More detailed information about programs, events and meetings can be found on the library website: http://www.hudsonpubliclibrary.org.

Tags: hudson, books, family