Kent District Library - Information. Ideas. Excitement!

Have you used MeLCat to request library materials not owned by KDL? Or taken advantage of some of the great research databases that the Michigan eLibrary provides to KDL patrons?

If you have (or even if you haven’t!), please respond to this short survey to share your feedback about these resources, as the MeL staff would like to hear from as many library users as possible in order to continue to improve these services and offer the greatest benefit to Michigan residents. 

Thank you for your participation!

Warm up to a good book with the Kent District Library’s Let it Snow Reading Club for Adults, sponsored by the KDL Alliance of Friends.

This year’s program will run from December 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

The more you read, the more great prizes you can win!

Sign up at your local KDL branch starting December 1 and get your Let It Snow bingo card. Play while you read and enter to win exciting prizes like a gift card to Schuler Books & Music or Meijer.

If you get two bingos, you’ll receive a Let it Snow ice scraper to get you through the long winter! All completed bingo cards will be entered in the final drawing on Wednesday, March 31 for a $50 gift card to the Gilmore Group restaurants.

Earlier this week, Kristin Meyer, of the Wyoming branch, visited the set of WZZM’s Take Five to share some simple crafts you can do with little ones to develop early literacy skills.

Check out the video of Kristin’s appearance:

You can also read the accompanying article and check out our Play-Grow-Read resources.

The Gaines Township branch of KDL is hosting a Book Club Mixer on Saturday, November 14 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Private book clubs are welcome to join us and learn about some great titles for book groups from KDL librarians and other groups.

Bring your own suggestions and learn from each other!

KDL held another online patron survey contest in October. As promised, we have selected a winner to receive a Playaway audiobook.

Of 66 respondents, random.org selected number 17 as the winner.

Congratulations to Johanna Martin who frequents the Cascade Twp. branch

Look for more ways to win great prizes from KDL soon!

As part of the A Novel Experience event last week, Paws with a Cause brought several Assistance Dogs to greet guests in the lobby. They also accepted dog-friendly donations from the Marley & Me fans. Earlier this week we received a letter from Paws with a Cause thanking everyone for the generous donations:

“The amount of donations received from attendees was truly impressive! The kindness of these donors allows us to further our vision: To encourage independence for people with disabilities by sustaining and strengthening our position as the nation’s leading provider of quality Assistance Dogs.”

Thank you to everyone who came to A Novel Experience, and a special thanks to those who were able to support Paws with a Cause.

Earlier this week, Trish Reid, of the East Grand Rapids branch, visited the set of WZZM’s Take Five to share tips on how to get babies and toddlers excited about reading.

Check out the video of Trish’s appearance:

You can also read the accompanying article and check out our Play-Grow-Read resources.

Last week, Michelle Minerd of the the East Grand Rapids branch, visited the set of WZZM’s Take Five to talk about reading activities for young children, from babies to preschoolers.

Check out Michelle’s tips:

For more great ideas, read the WZZM article and check out KDL’s helpful Play-Grow-Read information.

On Thursday evening (October 29), John Grogan, author of Marley & Me, visited the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center for the first annual A Novel Experience event hosted by KDL.

Grogan spoke to an audience of approximately 900 fans, telling tales of his famous dog Marley.

After his talk, Grogan stayed for two hours signing books. The auditorium lobby was full of people waiting to meet the author.

A Novel Experience was a fundraising event through the KDL Fund to support the library’s literacy programs for young children. Thank you to everyone who came out to hear John Grogan and support the library! And a big thank you to our sponsors.

Do you download eBooks, eAudiobooks or video from KDL’s eLibrary? Are you on Facebook and Twitter?

Well now you can use these social networking sites to share your download activity with your friends!

When you use OverDrive on KDL’s eLibrary, you can let all your friends know what you’re reading, listening to or watching on Facebook and Twitter.

After selecting your item for download, simply look for the new “Share” section below the item listing, select the social networking site you’d like to use, and follow the directions.

When you’re done, your update should look something like this on Facebook:

Or like this on Twitter: