The Kent County Board of Commissioners has appointed Scott Ellison to the Kent District Library Board of Trustees. Scott represents the City of Grandville and Byron Township. His term runs through December 31, 2016.

“I have always appreciated our community’s excellent library system, and have been curious to see how it will adapt to the new eReader generation, which I am part of,” said Scott.  “I believe I will be able to help guide KDL with my financial background, past Board experience and my interest as an avid eBook reader.”

Scott has 27 years of commercial banking experience and is currently a Commercial Loan Officer for Chemical Bank. He has held volunteer roles at several organizations including the Byron Chamber of Commerce and the Byron Township Downtown Development Authority. Scott earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Central Michigan University.

Please join us in welcoming Scott Ellison to the KDL Board of Trustees!

Have you heard about our Happiness Project? You don’t want to miss out on all the fun!

Watch this short segment from WZZM 13 to learn more:

Improve Your Outlook on Life at the Library

Parents and caregivers are invited to participate in Early Childhood Essentials classes at KDL this winter. If you have young children or if you work in childcare and need professional development hours, this series is for you. Note: classes are for adults and childcare is not provided.

Classes are filling up fast, so sign up today! Register online by clicking on the class you would like to attend in the list below, or call our Patron Services department at 616-784-2007.

RELAX – Calming Down and De-Stressing
Saturday, January 19, 1:00 PM – East Grand Rapids branch

Understanding Feelings and Communicating with Respect
Wednesday, January 23, 6:00 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

Building Self Worth and Praising Children
Thursday, January 24, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch

Set Up Your Day to Play
Thursday, February 21, 6:30 PM – Byron Township branch

Adding “What If” to Your Day
Wednesday, February 27, 6:00 PM – Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch

The presents have been opened, the carols have been sung and the egg nog and goodies have been consumed. Now it’s time to put 2012 to rest and look forward to a bright future in 2013. As you make your New Year’s Resolutions, we want you to know that KDL is here to help you achieve your goals.

Hoping to learn something new this year? Attend one of our computer classes to brush up your technology skills or learn a new language with Mango, our online language-learning resource.

Are you looking for an easy way to save money? Avoid paying high prices for kid-friendly activities, and visit your local KDL branch for some free fun. Each of our branches offers an area especially for kids. Your little ones will enjoy a huge collection of books, a wide-variety of free programs and special play areas designed to get their imaginations working!

Did you challenge your family to spend less time in front of the television? Reading can be a great substitute! If you need help finding the perfect books, check out our reading lists or our Personalized Picks service. KDL librarians are always happy to assist as well.

No matter what you are hoping to accomplish, KDL most likely has a book, DVD or other resource that can help. We have a huge collection of items about losing weight, eating healthy, quitting smoking, saving money, getting organized and more!

Cheers to you being happy and healthy in 2013!

Staying in town for Christmas break? We can help keep your kids happy, busy and entertained… and we may even sneak in a little education (but they’ll never know!) Between Family Building Bricks Parties, Teen Zones, a Let-It Snow Holiday Show with Joel Tacey and much more, there won’t be any time for boredom. Click here for a complete list of our programs taking place December 22 – January 2.

With your bank account a bit depleted after all that holiday shopping, don’t worry about spending money keeping your kids busy… all KDL programs are free!

And if you are heading to the sunny south for break, make sure to stop in your local branch and stock up on some great reads. Pick up some audiobooks to make a long car or plane ride more bearable.

Thank you to everyone who took a stab at our Match the Branch contest! Mary from Grandville won the eReader… she got 16 out of 18 correct. Congratulations Mary!

Here are the correct answers:

1.) This branch boasts a three-foot tall, three-dimensional Katie L. (our beloved mascot) – Gaines Township

2.) This branch building used to be a fire station – Comstock Park

3.) This branch has a beautiful view of the river from its living room area – Englehardt

4.) This branch building was built in 1904 as a grocery store and has a secret roller rink on the second floor – Alto

5.) One of the unique features of this branch is a wind turbine with solar panels – Cascade Township

6.) This branch has a Children’s Garden, which features a giant checkerboard, raised bed garden, PVC Pipe musical instrument and maze – Caledonia Township

7.) This branch boasts a lovely outdoor amphitheatre and a demonstration garden – Grandville

8.) This is the smallest branch both in terms of size (2,000 sq ft) and population served – Spencer Township

9.) This branch houses the ArtPrize sculpture “Flights of Learning” in its lobby – Kentwood

10.) Patrons at this branch enjoy seeing what is featured in the display case located right on the corner of the customer service desk – Plainfield Township

11.) This branch has all of its nonfiction materials — those for kids, teens and adults — interfiled in one area – Alpine Township

12.) This branch offers a stunning view of Reeds Lake (Don’t say I didn’t give you any easy ones!) – East Grand Rapids

13.) This branch houses a a subregional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, as well as a cafe – Wyoming

14.) This branch building is a reddish brown barn with a prairie garden – Sand Lake / Nelson Township

15.) Once staff at this branch found a live lobster in the book drop box! (Now don’t go getting any crazy ideas!) – Byron Township

16.) This branch has a  Congressional Medal of Honor from WWII on display – Krause Memorial

17.) This branch offers a year-round craft/drawing area for kids, as well as an outdoor patio with seating – Tyrone Township

18.) This branch not only has a train painted on the wall of its program room, but also has a working train layout that circles the room – Walker

I’ve got a fun quiz for you. Are you game?

Match each unique feature to the branch it represents. Email your name and answers to webmaster@kdl.org by Thursday, December 6. The person with the most correct answers will win a Sony eReader. If there is a tie, we will randomly draw a winner from the top scorers.

A list of all of our branches can be found here. Each branch will be used once.

1.) This branch boasts a three-foot tall, three-dimensional Katie L. (our beloved mascot)

2.) This branch building used to be a fire station

3.) This branch has a beautiful view of the river from its living room area

4.) This branch building was built in 1904 as a grocery store and has a secret roller rink on the second floor

5.) One of the unique features of this branch is a wind turbine with solar panels

6.) This branch has a Children’s Garden, which features a giant checkerboard, raised bed garden, PVC Pipe musical instrument and maze

7.) This branch boasts a lovely outdoor amphitheatre and a demonstration garden

8.) This is the smallest branch both in terms of size (2,000 sq ft) and population served

9.) This branch houses the ArtPrize sculpture “Flights of Learning” in its lobby

10.) Patrons at this branch enjoy seeing what is featured in the display case located right on the corner of the customer service desk

11.) This branch has all of its nonfiction materials — those for kids, teens and adults — interfiled in one area

12.) This branch offers a stunning view of Reeds Lake (Don’t say I didn’t give you any easy ones!)

13.) This branch houses a a subregional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, as well as a cafe

14.) This branch building is a reddish brown barn with a prairie garden

15.) Once staff at this branch found a live lobster in the book drop box! (Now don’t go getting any crazy ideas!)

16.) This branch has a  Congressional Medal of Honor from WWII on display

17.) This branch offers a year-round craft/drawing area for kids, as well as an outdoor patio with seating

18.) This branch not only has a train painted on the wall of its program room, but also has a working train layout that circles the room

Go ahead; take a stab at it! You really have nothing to lose!

Note: We have turned off the comments on this blog post so no one can “give away” their answers. Please email webmaster@kdl.org with your responses. Thank you.

If you want it, we’ve got it! At KDL, we are committed to providing the popular materials you want to read, listen to or view. Look what’s new this month:

Shadow Woman by Linda Howard
The Bone Tree by Greg Iles
Shiver by Karen Robards
The Dark Knight Rises (DVD)
Ice Age: Continental Drift (DVD)
Hope Springs (DVD)

Make sure to check out our lists of future releases. All of these items have been ordered and are available for holds — just click on the title you want, then place your hold in the online catalog. Lists are updated monthly.

Place a hold on one (or several) today. Enjoy!

Welcome to the world of mushing! Tun-Dra Kennels owners will talk about sled dogs, mushing equipment and the Iditarod. Families will even have the opportunity to meet the dogs and watch a mushing demonstration outside (weather permitting)! Don’t forget to bundle up!

Schedule:
Saturday, December 8, 10:30 AM – Plainfield Township branch
Saturday, December 22, 10:30 AM – Alpine Township branch
Saturday, February 2, 10:30 AM – Byron Township branch

Don’t become extinct! Attend our Dinosaur Romp party taking place at several KDL branches this winter. Kids of all ages will have loads of dino-mite fun during this prehistoric program. They can go on a dinosaur themed scavenger hunt, play a dino memory card game and make some dinosaur crafts!

Schedule:
Tuesday, December 4, 10:30 AM – Wyoming branch
Wednesday, December 5, 10:30 AM – Wyoming branch
Wednesday, January 9, 10:00 AM – Gaines Township branch
Saturday, January 12, 10:30 AM – Alto branch
Tuesday, January 15, 10:00 AM – Cascade Township branch
Wednesday, January 16, 10:00 AM – Cascade Township branch
Tuesday, January 22, 10:30 AM – Sand Lake / Nelson Township branch
Saturday, February 2, 10:00 AM – Krause Memorial branch
Sunday, February 3, 2:00 PM – East Grand Rapids branch
Tuesday, February 26, 6:30 PM – Comstock Park branch