Join author David H. Moskowitz to discuss the newest title in his The Creative Positivist Series, The Judge and the Incorrect Decision. 

Each book in this series of four is designed to introduce and then expand upon Moskowitz’s legal theory of creative positivism.

Moskowitz explains, “Creative positivism is a legal philosophy that is an extension of the legal positivist theory presented by H.L.A. Hart in his classic work The Concept of Law…I present the foundation for creative positivism and the principles of creative positivism in The Judge and the Incorrect Decision. Accepting that judges make incorrect decisions, as I have defined them, and that these incorrect decisions make new legal rules is the central theme of creative positivism.”

Registration is required at https://ccls.libcal.com/event/12464217. This program supports PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy. 

CHESTER SPRINGS—Museums are extremely important to our society for the way they bring out the extraordinary (and ordinary) stories of our past, stories that define our culture.  This can be especially significant for African American history and culture which has been largely overlooked in the past.  On Thursday, June 20th, from 6:00-7:30 p.m., in the Annex, Henrietta Hankin Branch Library is pleased to share fascinating clips from “Discovering 18^th & Vine in Kansas City, stories of American history and culture,” in which host Crosby Kemper (Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services) travels to two museums in Kansas City, Missouri, that chronicle that community’s contributions to a pair of uniquely American pastimes: the Negro League Baseball Museum and the American Jazz Museum.

After the screener, enjoy some light refreshments and join in a discussion with a panel of guests from some of our own local museums: Christopher Miller, Executive Vice President of the African American Museum in Philadelphia; Kathryn Lynch, Collections Manager for the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia; and Ellen Endslow, Director of Collections/Curator at the Chester County History Center, West Chester, PA. Panelists will share their impressions of the screener as well as stories from their own experiences in chronicling local African American history and culture.  All of the museums that our panel represents are part of the Museum Pass Program of Chester County Library and Henrietta Hankin Branch, so participants may be inspired to go and visit some of the special exhibits discussed.

“Discovering 18th & Vine in Kansas City: stories of African American History and Culture,” is part of the PBS series, Visions of America: All People, All Stories, All Places. Henrietta Hankin Branch will be hosting screeners and discussions on other episodes from this series in the fall in partnership with PBS Books.

Fans of baseball, jazz, and museums alike are sure to enjoy and gain valuable wisdom from attending this special event. To register and learn more about our amazing guest panelists, visit https://ccls.libcal.com/event/12200561  or call the library at 610-344-4196.  Henrietta Hankin Library supports PA Forward Civic and Social Literacy.

Join us at the Henrietta Hankin Branch Library on Thursday, June 6, 2024, from 5:30-7:30 PM for a “Books for all Readers” community workshop. This workshop is designed to inform educators, parents, and caregivers about the science of reading and ways to help early and struggling readers become skilled readers with the help of decodable books.

Decodable books are simple books written for beginning readers and contain specific grapheme-phoneme correspondences that students have learned. This provides learners with the opportunity to use their developing segmenting and blending skills to read words and develop automaticity, which is the ability to recognize words quickly and effortlessly, leading to independent reading success.

In November 2022, State Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks) announced a $125,000 grant to establish a collection of decodable books in every public library across Senate District 44 and to offer training and professional development on these collections for librarians and our community members. The funding for this initiative comes from Pennsylvania’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. The 10 libraries in Senate District 44 eligible to receive decodable text collections include Atglen Public Library, Chester Springs Library, Henrietta Hankin Branch, Honey Brook Community Library, Parkesburg Free Library, Spring City Library, and the Phoenixville Public Library in Chester County; Lower Providence Community Library and Royersford Free Public Library in Montgomery County; and the Boone Area Library in Berks County.

“Learning to read is a fundamental human right. The process of learning to read and achieving adequate literacy skills is a unique process for each individual learner. Ensuring availability of phonics-based resources in both our classrooms and community libraries for young learners to practice decoding – a necessary skill for reading comprehension – will enhance structured literacy efforts implemented during explicit instruction,” Senator Katie Muth said. “Through this program, librarians across SD44 have already participated in several training sessions on decodable book collections that improve and promote fluency and accuracy, and help kids practice their phonics skills they have learned and build on those skills to master essential reading competencies. The next step in the program is the June 6th community event and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone at the library!”

The workshop being offered at Henrietta Hankin Branch Library (located at 215 Windgate Dr, Chester Springs, PA 19425) will focus on using decodable books in libraries as resources to support skilled reading for all children. Teach My Kid to Read (teachmykidtoread.org/), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, will present this information. Cigdem Knebel from Simple Words Books will also share her story and present a system she created to assess the quality of decodable books.

After the workshop, attendees are invited to view a display of examples of decodable books, sign up for giveaways, and interact with the presenters.

“Every school community is working to ensure that all children are reading on grade level by third grade, and the library sees lending decodable books as another tool to support these new readers and their teachers and caregivers,” said Joseph L. Sherwood, Executive Director of the Chester County Library System. To register for the workshop, please visit https://ccls.libcal.com/calendar/HankinBranchLibrary/communitydecodables.

Join the Chester County Library for its inaugural Read Local! event, which will feature authors and illustrators from Chester County and neighboring regions in Pennsylvania. The event will showcase a variety of genres for both children and adults.

According to April Nickel, the Youth Services Director at Chester County Library, the intention behind this event is to spotlight selected authors and illustrators who have recently self-published or published a book through an independent publisher and have submitted applications to Chester County Library to be able to present their work to the local community. While not all of these books meet the Library’s collection development policy, they strive to provide a platform for these writers and artists to share their work with the public. The Read Local! event is expected to become an annual gathering for creatives in Chester County and nearby areas.

The event will include thirty authors and illustrators of adult and children’s books across various genres. Each participant will have a designated table inside the library where they can sell their books. Attendees can interact with the writers and illustrators and learn about their work and creative process. This open house-style event will take place at the Chester County Library on Sunday, May 19, from 1 pm to 4 pm. No registration is required to attend.