Pennsylvania Launches COVID-19 Job Hiring Portal

~ Sam Bardarik ~ Leave a comment

Pennsylvanians looking for work can now find life-sustaining businesses that are hiring through a new online tool known as the COVID-19 Hiring Now Job Portal.

People seeking employment can visit PA CareerLink Website and select the green “PA COVID-19 Jobs – Hiring Immediately” job portal banner to see active job openings.

Selecting the “Apply Now” button for a listed position will redirect individuals to the employer’s website or email where they can apply directly with the employer and speed up the hiring process.

Life-sustaining businesses can feature their job openings on the portal through an easy to use online form. Businesses must meet the criteria of a life-sustaining business and must have more than 10 job openings .

The PA COVID-19 job portal is updated daily so businesses in need are spotlighted and people searching for employment have the latest job information.

Kids’ Update: Teach Yourself Origami

~ clancygirl1 ~ Leave a comment

With lots of time on your hands, this is a great time to learn a new skill! Have you always wanted to learn origami? Here are some great sites to get you started! Red Ted Art: Origami for Kids, Origami for Kids, Top 10 Origami Projects for Beginners, and Joseph Wu Origami.

There’s a famous true story about origami, called Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. If you’ve never read the book, here’s a short version of Sadako Sasaki’s story. It’s a sad story but also a story filled with hope. The Story of Sadako Sasaki.

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.

Virtual Programs: Online Book Discussion

~ Jenna P ~ Leave a comment

Join us to discuss Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. This title is available as a No Holds eBook through our OverDrive collection. You can access the title using the OverDrive website (https://chester.overdrive.com) or through the Libby app. For help using OverDrive, please visit our OverDrive help page.

We will be offering two sessions for this discussion. Please register for one of the sessions using the links below:

Tuesday, April 28, 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 30, 2:00 – 3:00 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.

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.

Seedcopa COVID-19 Toolkit

~ Sam Bardarik ~ Leave a comment

Seedcopa + SeedcoDE help businesses get the money they need to start, grow and expand. They are proud that the loan programs they work with promote economic development. Together with economic development partners throughout Pennsylvania and Delaware, they help local businesses grow, create and retain jobs while stimulating growth within their communities.

The team at Seedcopa + SeedcoDE is serving you remotely. For up-to-the-minute developments, please visit their COVID-19 Small Business Toolkit and follow them on social media.

Find a Good Book to Read (Part 1 of 3): Author Read-alikes

~ ccllauras ~ 1 Comment

Already read all of the books written by your favorite author? Would you like to discover a new author or two to explore?

Here are a few resources to help you find new authors to try, based on authors you already like:

NoveList Plus: Start your search for author read-alikes here! Access NoveList Plus through the Library by visiting chescolibraries.org, selecting “Tools and Research” from the ribbon of choices at the top of the page, selecting “All CCLS Databases,” and then NoveList Plus. Enter your library card number when prompted.

Once you’re in NoveList, use the search box at the top of the screen to search by author (hover over “Keyword” to select “Author”). Enter the name of a favorite author, select “Search,” and you’re on your way! You’ll find a description of your author, and on the right-hand side of the screen, a list of Read-alikes (other authors you might enjoy). Click on “View All” to see the complete list, along with reasons why NoveList thinks you might like those authors.

Find a new author you’d like to explore? Search for this new author in NoveList. The description of an author ends with a “Start with” suggestion about which of their books to try first if you’re new to the author.

In addition to NoveList, here two more fun ways to discover new authors based on old favorites:

Fantastic Fiction: Use this site to find books recommended by your favorite author! Search for an author, then scroll down their page to find the “[Your favorite author] recommends” section. Note: You do NOT need to sign up with the site to use this feature.

Literature-Map: The Tourist Map of Literature: Enter a favorite author to see a visual map of other authors you might like.

Happy exploring! Stay tuned for more on title read-alikes and finding reading ideas by book genre.

Comics Unbound Virtual Book Discussion

~ lshupp13 ~ Leave a comment

We’re taking our Comics Unbound Book Discussion online!!

Do you enjoy reading comics and graphic novels? Want to meet with other like minded people? Join us for our first virtual meeting!

The Comics Unbound Book Discussion has been meeting monthly at the Chester County Library for 2 years to talk about specific comic books as well as television, movies, and other books that the members are reading. We are always looking for new members. We suggest members be ages 16 + for adult content.

In our first meeting virtually, we will be discussing “The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded” by Jim Ottaviani, as well as what everyone has been reading while home! You do not need to have read “The Imitation Game” to join us. At our meeting, we will be discussing future meeting topics.

If this sounds good to you, sign up here! We’d love to have you! 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.

Kids’ Update: Music with The Philadelphia Orchestra

~ clancygirl1 ~ Leave a comment

Participants of all ages will have the opportunity to learn from and engage with musicians of The Philadelphia Orchestra through virtual learning opportunities, including panel discussions, master classes, and more. Join the Orchestra on Tuesdays at 6pm and Wednesdays at 1pm.

Music is such an important part of all our lives. Read about it in To Be a Drum.

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.

Earth Day is coming up – see what we have for you at our online library!

~ Book Club Mom ~ Leave a comment

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Earth Day is coming up on Wednesday, April 22. Here are some ways you can observe the day and learn more about our planet. We have books and resources available now to download, read or discover!

These books about the earth are currently available on OverDrive.

50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth by John Javna and Sophie Javna – eBook

The Future We Choose by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac – eBook

Invisible Nature by Kenneth Worthy – eBook

Ready, Set, Green by Graham Hill and Meaghan O’Neill – eBook

The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells eBook and eAudiobook

You Can Save the Earth by Andrew Flach – eBook

On Flipster – sign in with your library card here to read National Geographic and Eco Parent magazines.

Our GreenFILE (POWER Library) database offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. The database provides indexing and abstracts for more than 384,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 4,700 records. Sign in with your library card here.

Be sure to visit us again at Stay Connected with Chescolibraries for new virtual programs at our libraries, book suggestions, ideas and important community information.