LIBRARY LINE: Not too late to join the fun

It is hard to believe, but we already have completed four weeks of summer reading.

The children’s department has been super busy. We have had a successful book fair (thank you to those who purchased books) and our “lunch bunch” that meets on Mondays at noon has six tried and true members. They are reading “Chasing Vermeer,” which deals with art and has a puzzle to solve. It’s a mysterious book, which challenges the brain cells of kids and librarians alike.

We had Kids Quiltin’ June 11, a session sponsored by Chris’ Corner Quilt Shop. We’d like to thank Chris Campbell for her generosity. The 10 people who brought sewing machines and helped the children put their quilts together also deserve thanks. We had boys and girls, and it was a treat to see the joy on their faces when they each displayed their finished quilt. The quilts were nap blanket size. If you want to see an example of what the children created, you can come to the children’s department and see the sample Chris made for us. Who knows how many future quilt guild members we may have created with this project? No matter what, I know all of us, children and machine operators alike, had a good time.  

We’ve decorated flip-flops, had one Wii gaming day and hosted Arthur the Aardvark. We even heard from Arthur author Marc Brown’s sister about her brother and his creation of the Arthur book series. Click the photo icon on our Web site, www.ottawalibrary.org , to view pictures of flip-flop making, the kids with their quilts and our time with Arthur.

Children have been bringing in their creations of cardboard skateboards and pictures of cars. The items are being displayed as they are brought in. We have some very creative children in Ottawa. It is interesting to see how different children take the same pieces of paper and cardboard and make things that are so unique.

Even though we already have done so much, remember, only four weeks of the nine have passed. It is not too late for you to sign up yourself or your children to take part in the fun. There are many cool programs to do in July.

How many librarians does it take to shelve all those books that go in and out?

The answer: a lot.

We have busy elves working every day to get things put away, so they can go be checked out again. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank these elves. They get a lot of exercise in the children’s department.

Be sure and come to the library tonight to help us make “Cards for Heroes.” As the Fourth of July approaches, this is the perfect program. It’s designed for those of us here at home to make cards for soldiers. The cards then will be sent to a central location to be distributed to servicemen and women so they may have a card to send when one is needed. We will be helped with the project by the folks at the Paper Haven.

Those of you who know me, know I seem to collect people as I go along. Quite a few of them have been kids I call my “bad boys.” I’ve always said I’ve never met a bad boy I didn’t like, and you need to know that “bad boys” are boys with an ornery gleam in their eyes. There is a big difference between being ornery and being mean. So I’ve adopted these former students, friends of my children, etc, and call them my own. One of them now is serving in Iraq, and I hear from him every few days by e-mail. I’m proud of him, and thankful for what he and our other soldiers do for us. So the “Cards for Heroes” program is near and dear to me, and I’ll be here to help with it, as well as making some cards to send along. Please come help us make lives a little brighter for someone who just needs a special card to send to the ones they love back at home.  

I hope you have a great and safe Fourth of July. I look forward to seeing more patrons and giving more prizes in next month.

Leanna Heth is a librarian at the Ottawa Library.