Kids’ Update: Inspirational Jonah Larson

How to Crochet a Circle | Crochet circles, Crochet circle pattern ...

If you missed Jonah Larson on The Today Show in April, prepare to be inspired! Eleven year old Jonah Larson was born in Ethiopia and lived in an orphanage until he was adopted by his American parents, Jenn and Chris Larson, in 2008. Now, Jonah has become a crocheting phenom. In addition to crocheting incredibly fast, Jonah donates his creations to charity and raises money to support the orphanage he once called home.

If you’d like to try your hand at crochet, you can learn some basic stitches at Dabbles & Babbles: Basic Crochet Stitches, or you could try asking your favorite needleworker!

Caring For Your Keepsakes

Do you own special photos, letters, family heirlooms, or other items that you’ve always wanted to organize or better care for?

The ALCTS, a division of the American Library Association, has a Preservation Week site chock-full of free information to help you get started. Learn about:

This year’s Preservation Week officially happened from April 26-May 2, 2020, but you can explore and use the Preservation Week website and resources at any time!

Teen Update: Life Hacks and Everyday Crafts for Teens

Looking for something interesting and different to do? With over 7 million subscribers, 5-Minute Crafts TEENS is a treasure trove of ideas for a bored teen.

There are short videos with simple crafts that include easy drawing and painting tricks, sewing ideas, and creative art ideas using everyday items. You will also find entertaining and informative life hack videos. The videos include Photoshop ideas, Instagram help, microwave hacks for food lovers, one-minute breakfast ideas, beach day hacks, surviving wildlife and much more. You don’t want to miss “23 Everyday Hacks You Must Know”, it may just change your life. Check it out and have some fun!

Kids’ Update: Little Free Libraries

CHARTER SIGN CARE CHARTER SIGN CARE

Are you running out of books to read? Hoping to find something new? Why don’t you try visiting a Little Free Library. Little Free Library is a nonprofit organization that inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world. Through Little Free Library book exchanges, millions of books are exchanged each year, profoundly increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds. Bring a book — take a book! It’s that simple!

Chartered LFLs are quite easy to find.  Go to Little Free Library. There you will find a function/map through which you can locate LFLs by ZIP code or other criteria.  There are many in the West Chester area, and the United Way maintains one on each Born Learning Trail. 

Of course, there are also many unchartered LFLs, which you just have to luck upon. It’s like a Treasure Hunt!  Have fun and I hope you find some good books!

Update on Reopening

Per the Governor’s orders, Chester County will be moving to the Yellow Phase on Friday, June 5. For the Chester County Library and the Henrietta Hankin Branch, this means that library staff will be able to enter the buildings for the first time since March 13. We are very excited to begin the process of reopening the libraries. 

We have been working hard behind the scenes to provide you with resources online through our blog, website, and social media.  We will continue to provide information about databases, access to eMaterials, and a selection of virtual programming, as we did while we were unable to access the buildings.  In addition, we have developed a thorough plan for reopening to ensure the safety of staff and patrons.

Although staff will be allowed in the buildings on June 5, the libraries will remain closed to the public for the next several weeks. While in the buildings, the staff will be quarantining and processing returned items, moving furniture and workstations to ensure social distancing, setting up a quarantine area, designating traffic patterns, and developing a process to provide curbside pick-up as soon as possible.  

Effective June 5, we will begin to accept returns of materials in the book drops. However, due to the backlog of materials we are experiencing, it will take a week or two before they are checked in and removed from your records.

Please know that we are doing everything we can to help ensure the safety and well-being of our staff and patrons, and we ask that you continue to be patient while we work toward reopening.  

June is Audiobook month

Image: Pixabay

Did you know that June is Audiobook Month? Audiobooks are a great way to hear a story while you’re driving, walking or doing things around the house. Besides those boring tasks at home, jigsaw puzzles, coloring, knitting and needlework can be terrific companions to an audiobook. And audiobook narrators are talented storytellers, bringing drama and subtle nuances to life.

To celebrate Audiobook Month, we have a collection of Great Narrators ready for you to download on your device.  You can view the collection here.

Need help downloading your audiobooks? Click here for OverDrive help.

Access the Philadelphia Inquirer with your library card

Did you know that you can access the Philadelphia Inquirer with your library card? Stay up-to-date with the most recent news (2018-Current), or explore historical newspapers (1829-1922, and 1981-Current).

To access the Philadelphia Inquirer Collection with Historical, visit chescolibraries.org, select “Tools and Research” from the ribbon of choices at the top of the page, select “All CCLS Databases,” and then “Philadelphia Inquirer Collection with Historical.” Enter your library card number when prompted.

Scanned copies of the complete print issues of the Philadelphia Inquirer are available for 2018-Current and 1829-1922 collections; the 1981-Current collection is available as text articles. Select a “Source Name” to browse issues by date; to access scanned copies of the most current news, be sure to select the Philadelphia Inquirer from 2018-Current under “Source Name.”

For all dates included in this collection, the “Search” or “Advanced Search” features may be used for more specific research.

Have questions about using the Philadelphia Inquirer Collection with Historical? Please feel free to contact us.

Virtual Program: Stitch ‘n Time Needle Arts Group

Join us for Stitch ‘n Time Needle Arts Group, Monday, June 8, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

Sometimes the most difficult part of any project is finding the time to work on it. Wouldn’t it be great to have a time set aside just to work on your project in the company of other like-minded people? Enjoy friendly tips, camaraderie and much needed time. Learn new skills or build on old ones. Whether you knit, crochet, cross stitch, needle point, weave, quilt, sew or any of the other needle crafts, you are welcome to join the group!

Please register for the program: Monday, June 8, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the program starts. Make sure to check the email address you registered with to receive the link. You do not need a Zoom account to attend the virtual program.