Register your child for STEM programs! Starting October 7th, Thursday afternoons at 3:30, library staff will present stories, songs and activities related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math! 6 sessions will be offered on Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:00pm starting on October 7th. Don’t wait! Reserve your child’s spot now. Please use this link to find out more or to register your child. Parents MUST attend and participate with their children, as they will need help with the virtual activities. Once registered, a list of materials needed for the activities will be emailed to all participants. When registering, please include your name, your child’s name, and a phone number and email address. A link will be emailed to you on the day of the program.
STEM. Science, technology, engineering, mathematics. Stack of books with science education doodles and hand written word “STEM”
Please join Henrietta Hankin Branch Library on Monday, October 4th, at 7:00 pm for a virtual screening of the documentary, “Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote”, followed by a discussion with the writer and director of the film, Amanda Owen, Executive Director of the Justice Bell Foundation.
Part present-day detective story and part a historical account of the movement for voting rights, “Finding Justice: The Untold Story of Women’s Fight for the Vote” tells the story of a band of intrepid women and their one-ton bronze bell that became a celebrated icon of the women’s suffrage movement. The Justice Bell—modeled after the Liberty Bell—attracted nationwide attention, which helped rally support in the last crucial years leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.
As current struggles for gender equality and voting rights continue to make front-page news, this account of the suffragists’ courage and dogged persistence will inspire new generations in the fight for justice and equality.
“Finding Justice” premiered at the National Women’s History Museum on August 26, 2020 with a screening and panel discussion with Amanda Owen and Rosie Rios, President Obama’s Treasurer. Since then, “Finding Justice” has aired on PBS (WQLN and WHYY) and for a number of institutions, organizations and film festivals.
Ms. Owen is an author and an independent scholar of women’s history, specializing in the American women’s suffrage Join the movement. She is a co-founder and the Executive Director of the Justice Bell Foundation. With a background in social work and a twenty-five-year practice as a consultant, writer and speaker, Amanda has been presenting lectures and workshops since the mid-nineties. She is currently writing a book about the Justice Bell’s role in the American women’s suffrage movement.
To register for this special event, please visit www.ccls.org and click on “Find an Event”.
The Chester County Library is accepting vendor applications for our 10th Annual Holiday Craft Show being held on Saturday, December 11, 2021 from 9:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
The show provides artists and craftspeople with the unique opportunity of exposing their work to hundreds of people while taking part in an exciting, community-driven atmosphere. Our shows highlights the creative spirit of the fine artist and craftsperson, with an exceptional selection of maker-designed goods. Every participant comes away with a new base of loyal customers. Eager patrons are waiting to embrace your work.
Library Card Sign-Up Month reminds students, families a library card is one of the most cost-effective back-to-school supplies available! IT’S FREE!
This September, Chester County Library and Henrietta Hankin Branch are joining the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide for Library Card Sign-Up Month. Whether you use a library card online or in person, it gives students the free tools to succeed in school and provides people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunities to pursue their dreams and be their best selves. From family Story Times and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs to makerspaces and virtual homework help, libraries play an essential role in supporting the value of lifelong learning through education. Libraries offer free and fun educational resources and activities that bring families and communities together. Libraries have moved far beyond just being book repositories. They’re agile institutions serving real-life needs.
Did you know you can borrow family museum passes from the library for free? Visit an area zoo, museum, or garden – you just need a Chester County Library System card!
Taking a vacation, doing virtual school at home, or doing business on the road? The Chester County Library and Henrietta Hankin Branch Library also rent mobile hotspots which allow library cardholders to access unlimited, high-speed Internet service anywhere a T-Mobile signal can be received. Connect up to ten devices at a time, including desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.
With a library card, the possibilities are endless. Borrow free books, CDS, DVDs, and download eBooks, and e-Audiobooks right from the comfort of your own home! We even have a large selection of videogames available to rent.
Throughout the school year, public librarians and library staff will assist parents and caregivers with saving hundreds of dollars on educational resources and services for students of all ages. A library card is one of the most cost-effective back-to-school supplies available!
For younger children, we offer early literacy resources to help them learn to read and encourage school readiness, and for teens and older students, we provide access to technology and digital tools (such as 3D printers, button makers, scanners, and audio-visual recording and editing equipment) as well as GED resources.
This year, Marley Dias, author, executive producer, and founder of #1000BlackGirlBooks is taking on a new role as honorary chair of Library Card Sign-Up Month. As honorary chair, Dias will remind the public that signing up for a library card provides access to technology, multimedia content, and educational programming that transforms lives and strengthens communities. “A library card is the ticket you need to travel across the globe. It allows you to experience stories that can connect you to diverse and empowering experiences,” said Dias.
Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the ALA and libraries unite in a national effort to ensure every child signs up for a library card. For more information about how to sign up for a library card, please visit Chester County Library or Henrietta Hankin Branch Library in person or online at chescolibraries.org.
The Chester County OIC Adult Tutoring Program has a need for volunteers who are willing to work with adult students seeking to learn English as a second language, improve math skills, study for the GED exam, work on basic literacy, or study for the citizenship exam. A 4-year college degree is required to tutor, but a teaching background is not needed. Tutor training is offered online by the PA Department of Education. Tutors are asked to meet with their student 3 hours per week, usually done in two, 90 minute sessions. Tutor pairs are working virtually right now via Zoom, Facetime, WhatsApp or other platforms. Our program is based in the Chester County Library, in Exton, with whom we have a long partnership.
The Adult Tutoring office encourages anyone who is interested in volunteering to contact our office at 610-344-4013 or 610-344-4014 or send an email to drikess@cc-oic.org. The Chester County OIC website is ccoic.org.
‘Back to School’ time can be a very exciting time for young children with school supply shopping, new clothes and the anticipation of making new friends and moving up a grade level. But it can also leave kids overwhelmed, anxious and uncertain. Our Youth Services Librarians are here to help with easing into the transition for kids and their families by curating a book list of “First Day at School” titles. This list includes books that can be found in our collection that staff have determined to be particularly appropriate for a specific age level, grade, or topic.
Beginning in the month of August, the Chester County Library and Henrietta Hankin Branch will no longer be charging rental fees for certain items in our Multimedia collection.
All of the DVDs in our collection can be checked out for free starting Sunday, August 1st, which means you can watch as many of your favorite movies and shows as you want without spending a cent! As before, movies are available for one-week loans, TV series for two-week loans. And even our most popular new releases, a three-day loan, are totally free! But it’s not just movies — this change applies to many other items in the collection as well.
Our Binge Boxes are mini movie collections, usually between 4 to 6 DVDs, set around a theme (see our list of Binge Boxes here!). These are great for vacations, parties, or cozy nights in, and will be available for free one-week loans.
Audiobooks will also be free to check out! These include all of our books on CD as well as our collection of Playaways — small, portable players that you can listen to with headphones or an AUX cord in your car. These are great for long car trips or workouts and, like all of our audiobooks, are available for three-week loans.
Our collection of Great Courses — full-length, in-depth courses taught by award-winning professors; will be free as well to checkout with your library card! They come in both audio and video formats, and can be taken out for a three-week loan. Browse our Great Courses here!
This huge selection of exciting materials will be available at no cost to you — so if there is any part of the collection you’d like to explore, August is the time to start! For any questions concerning this change, please call the Multimedia department at Chester County Library at 610-344-5667 or the Henrietta Hankin Branch at 610-334-4191.
The Chester County Library has long supported small business owners and entrepreneurs by providing access to top-notch, authoritative information needed to help them succeed. Most of the Chester County Library’s business resources can be accessed from home with a free Library card through the online Business and Career Center.
Sam Bardarik, Business and Career Librarian and SCORE Volunteer, helps her clients find targeted resources for their specific needs. She meets with clients one-on-one to explain the databases, review catalogs and other resources that are important to the clients’ research objectives. “Owners and entrepreneurs are often surprised by the breadth and usefulness of the resources we offer,” says Bardarik.
The Library offers business and technical skill-building opportunities, often in conjunction with community partners like SCORE, to support business planning, social media, marketing, financial stability and more.
The Role of Market Research Business owners want to deeply understand the competitive environment and target customers prior to making costly, significant product or service decisions. Data-based choices are key to the development of business, marketing and operational strategies before the official launch.
Reference Solutions (formerly ReferenceUSA) is the No. 1 resource used to identify demographics and spending habits of key customers, build competitive profiles, inform marketing strategies, and determine ideal neighborhoods and locations to open a new business. “It’s a massive database that can focus down to the street level,” Bardarik explains. Reference Solutions compiles all that information into easy-to-interpret charts, tables, and graphs which can be incorporated into an entrepreneur’s business plan.
Other databases, like Statista and Gale Business Insights: Essentials, provide powerful search capabilities and are easy to use. Users can spend less time hunting for answers to their questions and more time on their market analysis and action plans.
References and Training Other courses cover cybersecurity skills and related programming languages such as Python and Linux.
For nonprofit leaders, the Chester County Library provides visitors with free public access to grant maker directories and grant funders with the Funding Information Network, an international network of libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit agencies.
The Library orders books, e-books, and audiobooks on all critical small business topics. Print books and audiobooks can be placed on hold for pickup at any Chester County Library location.Print and digital magazines can be borrowed or accessed with The Flipster app. All the best titles are available: Bloomberg Businessweek, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Inc., and Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Forbes, Kiplinger’s and Money.
Most of the Chester County Library’s business resources can be accessed from home with a free Library card through the online Business and Career Center. Stay in touch with Business Center updates on LinkedIn or by signing up for the Business Bulletin newsletter.
SCORE Chester and Delaware Counties is proud to partner with the Chester County Library system, where many local SCORE business workshops were held in-person prior to COVID and are now hosted virtually. Popular topics such as How to Start and Operate a Small Business, Customers and Competitors: Getting the Inside Data and business planning have been featured year after year.
About SCORE SCORE, the nation’s largest network of volunteer business experts, is dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals. Since 1954, SCORE has provided education and mentorship to more than 11 million entrepreneurs nationwide. SCORE Chester and Delaware Counties has been operating since 1985, with 100 dedicated volunteers today who provide confidential mentoring at no charge and offer business seminars, workshops and webinars to benefit the community. SCORE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Games are officially here, starting tonight with the Opening Ceremonies and Parade of Nations – taking place just one day shy of the originally scheduled date in 2020. A few sports such as soccer, rowing, archery, and softball have already started competing, and we wish Team USA all of the best!
Children’s books about the Olympics are really helpful when teaching your kids what the games are all about and how important they are when promoting unity and sportsmanship. Here are a few suggestions: G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet by Brad Herzog How to Train with a T.Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals by Michael Phelps What Are The Summer Olympics? by Gail Herman Flying High: The Story Of Gymnastics Champion Simone Biles by Michelle Meadows A Picture Book of Jesse Owens by David A. Adler Long-Armed Ludy and the First Women’s Olympics by Jean L. S. Patrick
Have you ever been on vacation and run out of reading material? Sitting on the beach not wanting to go to the bookstore? Cozy in a cabin in the woods?
Well, if you have access to WIFI and the Libby app, you are in luck. There are thousands of eBooks and Audiobooks to choose from on Libby. The best part is they are free with your library card and the titles are automatically returned after two weeks. No fines! New titles are added regularly and recent additions include early readers, juvenile bridge books, young adult and CCIU Reading Olympic titles. For more information about the Libby app, visit the downloads tab on the Chescolibraries website.
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