Category: Uncategorized

Kids’ Update: Happy Memorial Day

~ clancygirl1 ~ Leave a comment

Though summer doesn’t start till June 21st, many people celebrate Memorial Day as the unofficial first day of summer. But Memorial Day is about a lot more than hot dogs and hamburgers.

Union General, John A. Logan, declared May 30, 1868 an occasion to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. He called it Decoration Day (later changed to Memorial Day). In 1950, President Harry S. Truman issued a proclamation calling on Americans to observe the holiday as a day of prayer for peace. President Richard M. Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971. Now, we observe Memorial Day on the last Monday of May and honor the men and women of the U.S. military who died in American wars. 

This video from PBS Learning Media will teach you more about Memorial Day.

CCLS/CCL Board Meeting

~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

Due to the COVID-19 threat, the Board of Trustees of the Chester County Library System/Chester County Library will be holding their monthly board meeting virtually. If you have always wanted to attend a meeting but haven’t had the time, this is your opportunity. Please click this link at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 19 to join the Chester County Library System Board Meeting. The Chester County Library Board Meeting will immediately follow.

World Book access during COVID-19

~ cmviola ~ Leave a comment

World Book is currently offering free access to ALL our Digital resources to support patrons, educators and parents during COVID-19 distance learning through the end of May.  

Click here  or use the username and password below to access your free World Book Online resources:

https://www.worldbookonline.com
Username:  wbsupport
Password:  distancelearn

Visit the World Book Online  Training & Support Guide  to learn more about these resources and other  Distance Learning Support for Parents and Schools.

Have fun exploring and learning!

eBooks on EBSCOhost (Power Library)

~ cmviola ~ 2 Comments

Did you know that with your library card you have instant access to over 16,000 eBooks from the world’s leading publishers across all major subject areas? It’s true! Just go to our the Tools and Research tab on our website at chescolibraries and select “All CCLS databases.”

eBooks on EBSCOhost (POWER Library) includes both fiction and nonfiction books for children, young adults and adults. It’s a great way to find a book to read for a book club or reading group, since it is always available to any number of readers. Give it a look! Just click on this link and scroll down to eBooks on EBSCO. https://www.ccls.org/196/Databases-by-Name

Here are just a few of the many tantalizing reads available through this database:

New Kitchen Basics : 10 Essential Ingredients, 120 Recipes – Revolutionize the Way You Cook, Every Day / by Claire Thomson

This is just one of over 1,000 cookbooks available.

Book Jacket

Nancy : A Comic Collection / by Olivia Jaimes

Over 680 comic books and graphic novels

Book Jacket

The National Team (Updated and Expanded Edition) : The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer

Over 8,000 biographies and memoirs

If I Were a Park Ranger

Book Jacket

If I were a Park Ranger / by Catherine Stier & Patrick Corrigan

Thousands of colorfully illustrated nonfiction books for kids on all kinds of topics.

Kids’ Update: Free World Book Online Extended

~ clancygirl1 ~ Leave a comment

Do you have homework or a report to do? Or are you just curious about anything and everything? We’ve got something for you!  World Book Encyclopedia has given us free access to World Book Online for YOU now May 31st.  Simply click here World Book Online and enter your library card number. There’s a different version of World Book Online for every level. So, whether you’ve got an assignment or just want to learn something new, THIS is a great place to start.  You’ll also find eBooks and activities to keep you busy when you’ve finished your homework! 

Now here’s a great big THANK YOU to our friends at World Book!

CCLS/CCL Board Meeting

~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

Due to the COVID-19 threat, the Board of Trustees of the Chester County Library System/Chester County Library will be holding their monthly board meeting virtually. If you have always wanted to attend a meeting but haven’t had the time, this is your opportunity. Please click this link at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, April 21 to join the Chester County Library System Board Meeting. The Chester County Library Board Meeting will immediately follow.

Chester County WIC Program

~ Tom ~ Leave a comment

The Chester County WIC Program has an important update about their operations during the COVID-19 crisis:

To help slow the spread of Coronavirus the Chester County WIC Program will be operating on a limited basis until further notice. At this time our Coatesville, Toughkenamon and West Chester WIC clinics will be open on a limited basis as eWIC loading stations ONLY via curbside service. The Oxford, Phoenixville and Spring City satellite clinics have been canceled until further notice. WIC staff are reaching out via telephone to ALL WIC participants with appointments scheduled during this time to discuss their options for receiving benefits. Participants MUST have an appointment to have benefits loaded via curbside service and should not attempt to walk-in to receive benefits. Please note, no participants are allowed inside WIC clinics at this time. eWIC cards and photo ID are required to receive benefits. When contacting a WIC clinic, PLEASE leave a message. Staff are monitoring messages and your call will be returned ASAP.

Thank you for your patience and flexibility. Please know that our top priority is the health and wellbeing of our participants and employees, their families and the larger community.

Please call your WIC clinic if you need to talk to a nutritionist about any breastfeeding or nutrition questions you may have.

Coatesville: (610) 383-3824
Toughkenamon: (610) 268-5153
West Chester: (610) 344-6240

If you need to apply to the WIC program for the first time or need to be re-instated onto the program after a lapse in participation, please contact your closest WIC clinic and leave a voicemail with your contact information. You may also submit a pre-application online. Staff will follow up with all applicants in the order that their information was received to set up phone appointments with a nutritionist. If you are having any problems with using your eWIC card at the stores please consult the Pennsylvania Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) website before contacting your clinic to troubleshoot common problems. The site includes resources such as  a WIC store locator, Shopping with eWIC video, and WIC FAQ’s.

WIC operational updates are also shared via the Chester County Health Department Facebook page.

Mask-Up Chester County Challenge

~ cmviola ~ Leave a comment

The Center for Disease Control and Pennsylvania Department of Health have advised residents to wear masks when performing essential tasks in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19. In the interest of saving surgical masks and N95 respirators for health care workers and first responders, members of the public are encouraged to wear homemade cloth or fabric masks. In support of this health promoting effort, State Senator Andy Dinniman has launched a homemade mask challenge.

This online challenge invites all PA residents to submit photos of their homemade masks. At the end of the week, Senator Dinniman’s office will pick out the most creative masks, and the masks which best fit the theme of “My Mask Protects You, Your Mask Protects Me.” Then, they will open it up to a community vote. Winners from both categories will receive a senatorial citation!

Voting will begin today, so submit your photos between now and Friday to become part of the fun. For more information on the challenge and to submit photos, visit www.facebook.com/SenatorAndyDinniman.

For guidance on how you can make your masks at home, you can find instruction for both no-sew and sewn masks at the Center for Disease Control website at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html. Additional guidance and resources are available from the PA Department of Health website at https://www.health.pa.gov/topics/disease/coronavirus/Pages/Stop-the-Spread.aspx. You also might want to check out this New York Times article for a step-by-step tutorial: https://www.nytimes.com/article/how-to-make-face-mask-coronavirus.html.

Good luck with your mask-making, and remember, the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to stay at home. Be safe and well!

Kids’ Update: Good Night with Dolly

~ clancygirl1 ~ Leave a comment

You might be surprised to learn that award-winning singer/songwriter, Dolly Parton, is also a committed advocate for children’s literacy. Her Imagination Library is a book-giving program that mails free, high-quality books to children from birth until they begin school. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library began in the Tennessee county where she grew up, but it has now expanded across the United States. The Imagination Library has also spread to Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Now you can listen as Miss Dolly reads bedtime stories on Thursdays at 7:00 pm. Good Night with Dolly.

The Youth Services Staff at the Chester County Library and Hankin Branch are presenting Virtual Storytimes beginning April 27th. They will be for three different ages groups — 0 to 2 Year Olds, 3 & 4 Year Olds, and 5 & 6 Year Olds. Registration is required via the Events Calendar at https://chescolibraries.org/. Virtual Storytimes are not registered as multi-week sessions; you will need to register for each storytime individually.