2025 Reading Challenge! January

~ rmanuel191 ~ Leave a comment
An image of a post-it on a blue background with the text "January: A cozy read" written on it along with an image of a cute, steaming coffee cup.

Welcome to the first month of the Chester County and Henrietta Hankin Branch Libraries’ 2025 Reading Challenge! The challenge is open to all readers reading at a Young Adult or Adult level in any format.

Each month, there will be a new reading prompt to follow. The reading challenge prompt for January is “A cozy read.”

Need inspiration for what to read? Check out a few suggested reads below! See the full list on our catalog here. Make sure to also visit the library to explore our interactive book display.

If you need even more inspiration for books to read or listen to, feel free to request Personalized Reading Suggestions or check out the NoveList Plus database.

No registration is necessary to participate in the challenge. To get started, simply pick up a physical tracking log at the Reference Desk or print one out at home using the link provided in the Resources section of the Reading Challenge page at https://bit.ly/CCLReadingChallenge2025.

Happy reading!

The book cover for "Reconnected: How 7 Screen-Free Weeks with Monks and Amish Farmers Helped Me Recover the Lost Art of Being Human" by Carlos Whittaker.
The book cover for "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop" by Hwang Bo-Reum.
The book cover for "All Creatures Great and Small" by James Herriot.
The book cover for "The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches" by Sangu Mandanna.
The book cover for "Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers" by Jesse Q. Sutanto.
The book cover for "A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers.

Databases Series: Morningstar Investing Center

~ rmanuel191 ~ Leave a comment

Hello! My name is Rebecca, and I am the Information Literacy Librarian here at the Chester County Library. (You might recognize me as the librarian with the purple hair!) Welcome to a new series here on our blog where every week (or thereabouts) I’ll be introducing you to one of the library’s databases. A library database, for those who are unsure, is essentially just an online resource that the library pays for so that you can access it for free with your library card!

This post is number three in the series! If you missed last week’s post, you can find it here. This week, I’m going to introduce you to Morningstar Investing Center. For those of you who are investors, you might already know of or have heard of Morningstar. Morningstar is a resource that provides trusted, unbiased research, expertise, analysis, and portfolio-building tools aimed at helping all levels of individual investor. You can find authoritative information on companies, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and stocks alongside its other features aimed at helping you grow as a hands-on investor and active trader. For those just starting out, check out Morningstar’s Investing Classroom, which offers courses either in text or in video on various investing-related topics, from stocks, funds, and bonds to retirement and lifestyle planning and more.

Find Morningstar Investing Center on our website by going to chescolibraries.org –> Tools and Research –> All CCLS Databases –> M –> Morningstar Investing Center

*Please note that the library’s subscription only allows for a limited number of concurrent users. Please sign out when you’re not actively using it to allow others to access the resource.

December Releases

~ asandovalcclsorg ~ Leave a comment

Movies

TV Shows

Music

Audiobooks

Briefly Perfectly Human – Alua Arthur

Databases Series: Comics Plus

~ rmanuel191 ~ Leave a comment

Hello! My name is Rebecca, and I am the Information Literacy Librarian here at the Chester County Library. (You might recognize me as the librarian with the purple hair!) Welcome to a new series here on our blog where every week (or thereabouts) I’ll be introducing you to one of the library’s databases. A library database, for those who are unsure, is essentially just an online resource that the library pays for so that you can access it for free with your library card!

Last week I went over NoveList Plus. If you missed that post, you can check it out here! This week, I’m going to tell you a bit about one of our newer databases: Comics Plus. Comics Plus is a resource that offers unlimited access to thousands of digital comics, graphic novels, and manga from a wide range of publishers, including BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse, Europe Comics, Fantagraphics, Image Comics, Kodansha, Papercutz, Yen Press, and dozens more. For those of you who are used to reading eBooks on Libby, Comics Plus will be a nice change as there are no holds, no wait lists, and no borrowing limits. Download the mobile app to your device or go to the website on your browser. Just log in with your library card, and you’ll have access to the whole collection!

Looking to get your kids set up with Comics Plus? The full collection includes some graphic content, so be sure to check out our curated collections for children or teens as well as Comics Plus’s Age-Appropriate Guidelines.

Find Comics Plus on our website by going to chescolibraries.org –> Tools and Research –> All CCLS Databases –> C –> Comics Plus

Databases Series: NoveList Plus

~ rmanuel191 ~ Leave a comment

Hello! My name is Rebecca, and I am the Information Literacy Librarian here at the Chester County Library. (You might recognize me as the librarian with the purple hair!) Welcome to a new series here on our blog where every week (or thereabouts) I’ll be introducing you to one of the library’s databases. A library database, for those who are unsure, is essentially just an online resource that the library pays for so that you can access it for free with your library card!

First up, we have NoveList Plus. NoveList Plus is what us librarians call a Readers’ Advisory resource. Readers’ Advisory is a service offered by libraries and other organizations that involves suggesting books to readers. We use NoveList to help us out, for example, when someone asks us for suggestions for books in a genre outside of what we normally read, or when we’re looking for a book or author that’s similar to another book or author.

But it’s not only a resource for us; you can easily use it, too! NoveList excels at connecting readers with books that match their reading preferences and moods. Check out its appeal mixer, which allows you to browse by various appeal category combinations, or look through some pre-mixed combinations of appeals. View lists of award winners, popular genres, audiobooks, books that have been made into movies or TV shows, and more. Find resources for your book club, genre guides, articles, read-alikes, and featured content for kids of varying age groups. Looking to find the next book in a series, a list of all the books written by your favorite author, or the publication date for a yet unpublished book? You can find those on NoveList as well!

Play around with it, and maybe you’ll find your next favorite read!

Find it on our website by going to chescolibraries.org –> Tools and Research –> All CCLS Databases –> N –> NoveList Plus

CCLS/CCL Board Meeting

~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

The Board of Trustees of the Chester County Library System/Chester County Library are hosting their monthly board meeting as a hybrid offering. If you have always wanted to attend a meeting but haven’t had the time, this is your opportunity. Please click on this link at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, December 17 to join the Chester County Library System Board Meeting virtually; or attend in person at the Chester County Library, 450 Exton Square Parkway, Exton. The Chester County Library Board Meeting will immediately follow. Find the Chester County Library Board Packet here.

If you are a person with a disability and wish to attend this meeting and require an auxiliary aid, service, or other accommodation to observe or participate in the proceedings, please call Chester County Library’s Administration Office at 610-344-5600 or email ddadoly@ccls.org to discuss how we may best accommodate your needs.

Chester County Library’s 13th Annual Holiday Craft Fair on December 14th

~ mkolb76 ~ Leave a comment

Make it a homemade holiday! The holiday season can be a busy time of year, filled with family gatherings and the search for the perfect gifts for loved ones, which often leads to frustration and stress. Since time is a precious commodity, remember that the library is your best destination for family entertainment, holiday de-stressors, party-planning ideas, and unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for everyone on your list!

The Chester County Library will be hosting its 13th annual Craft Show on Saturday, December 14th, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Fifty vendors will be set up throughout Chester County Library in Exton, showcasing a variety of crafts just in time for the holidays. You’ll find makers of personalized ornaments, jewelry, pottery, woodworking, knitted and fabric crafts, bath and body products, home décor, baked goods, and more. We look forward to assisting you in your holiday gift search!

December Adult Book Groups

~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

Our Adult Book Groups are a mix of in person, hybrid, and virtual programs. Please see our December titles and dates below. The online/hybrid groups are being held via Zoom. We are requiring registration for the online/hybrid book groups in order to send out the Zoom meeting information. Click on the date below to register. Information on our adult book groups can also be found on our website: https://bit.ly/chescolibs-bookgroups.  

Evening Book Group
December 2, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
This session will be held in person in the Burke Room at the Chester County Library.

Page Turners Book Group 
Thursday, December 12, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
This session will be a hybrid session, in person at the Henrietta Hankin Branch or via Zoom.

Whodunits Book Group
Wednesday, December 18, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The Likeness by Tana French
This session will be a hybrid session, in person at the Henrietta Hankin Branch or via Zoom. 

Afternoon Book Group
Wednesday, December 18, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
This session will be held in person in the Burke Room at the Chester County Library.

Strange New Worlds Book Club
December 5, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
This session will be held in person in Small Conference Room A at the Henrietta Hankin Branch.

Registration is required for all online book groups. Registration will close at least 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the book group. A Zoom link will be emailed to registrants 2 hours before the book group 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 book group.

These programs support the PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy Initiative.

November Releases

~ asandovalcclsorg ~ Leave a comment

Movies

TV Shows

Music

Pictured: Todos Nacen Gritando – St.Vincent

Audiobooks