Kent District Library - Information. Ideas. Excitement!

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.

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.

 

 

This is the week!

On Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. John Grogan, author of Marley & Me, will speak at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center (600 Forest Hill Avenue SE) with a book-signing to follow.

Right now tickets are only $10! Buy them online, at any KDL branch or any Schuler Books & Music store in Grand Rapids. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10, as well. Proceeds support KDL’s literacy programs for young children.

Don’t miss your chance to hear Grogan speak about “Life Lessons from Marley & Me” and even have your copy of his book signed!

Have you purchased your tickets yet to see John Grogan, author of Marley & Me, on Thursday, October 29th at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center?

Don’t miss out on John Grogan’s presentation “Life Lessons from Marley & Me.”

Tickets are $10 in advance. Buy your tickets before Wednesday, October 28th online, at any KDL branch location or any Schuler Books & Music location in Grand Rapids.  A limited number of tickets may be available at the door.

Proceeds for A Novel Experience support KDL’s literacy programs for young children.

KDL staff members have been making the rounds of the local news stations, pointing out some of the great services and programs offered by the library!

Walker branch Youth Librarian Morgan Doane talks to WOOD-TV’s eightWest show about all the great storytimes and book clubs that KDL offers for Tots to Teens:

Be sure to check out our Event Calendar for complete details on all our programs for children and teens.

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KDL Program and Outreach Specialist Denise Robinson appears on WZZM’s Take Five show to explain six skills your child needs to be ready to read:

See our PLAY-GROW-READ! resources for more fun ideas and information
to help prepare your child for school and encourage a lifelong love of reading.

 

 

KDL is excited to announce a special partnership in conjunction with John Grogan’s presentation “Life Lessons from Marley and Me” on October 29. 

KDL is partnering with Paws With A Cause to provide items from their “wish list” that will support their efforts to serve people with disabilities through custom trained assistance dogs.

Members from Paws With A Cause will be on hand at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center to accept your donations of new or gently used items for their program.   

• Dog biscuits (all sizes except large)
• Kong^® toys and treat holders
• Nylabone^® snack bones
• Creamy peanut butter 
• Tennis balls
• Gentle Leader^® Headcollars
• Buster^® cubes and Jolly^® balls
• Portable water dishes
• Carbiners^®
• Rubber gloves, grooming scissors, or Dremmel^® nail trimming kits
• 5 gallon buckets with lids
• Nature’s Miracle^® cleaning supplies, paper towels, paper plates, gallon zipper bags, or window cleaner
• AA and AAA batteries
• 8 1/2 x 11 copy paper
• Blank VHS tapes and RW DVDs (standard and mini sizes)

For more information about other items they might need, contact Paws With A Cause at 800-253-7297.

Tickets for A Novel Experience are $10, and proceeds support KDL’s literacy programs for young children. Buy your tickets online, at any KDL branch location or any Schuler Books & Music location in Grand Rapids.

On Thursday, October 29, John Grogan, author of Marley & Me, will speak at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center. Tickets are $10, and proceeds support KDL’s literacy programs for young children. Buy your tickets online, at any KDL branch location or any Schuler Books & Music location in Grand Rapids.

About John Grogan

A native of Detroit and a graduate of Central Michigan University, Grogan wrote for the campus newspaper while slugging away at a double major in journalism and English. His first full-time writing job came immediately upon graduation in 1979 when he was hired as a police reporter for the Herald-Palladium in the Michigan harbor town of St. Joseph. He spent many years in various areas of the field of journalism.In his first book, Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog, Grogan recounts the hilarious and heartfelt moments of his thirteen years with a loopy Labrador retriever. The instant best-seller has captured the hearts of millions and has reached the top of every chart in the U.S., including the #1 spot on The New York Times Best-Seller list for four months. It is being translated into more than two dozen languages around the world. Marley & Me  was recently made into a film, starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.

In spring 2007, Grogan released Bad Dog, Marley! a children’s picture book based on Marley’s comical antics, and a young adult version of Marley & Me titled Marley: A Dog Like No Other. Grogan’s latest New York Times bestseller, The Longest Trip Home, mines his childhood and complicated relationship with his father in a universal story of one man’s journey to break free of his parents, discover a life of his own, and find his way back home before it’s too late. Publishers Weekly called it “a hilarious and touching memoir.”

John Grogan lives on a wooded hillside in Pennsylvania with his wife, Jenny, and their three children.

Check out WGVU’s Shelley Irwin’s interview with Grogan from spring 2009.

Register To Win tickets to A Novel Experience evening with bestselling author John Grogan at the Forest Hills Fine Arts Center on October 29, 2009.  Mr. Grogan will present “Life Lessons from Marley and Me.” 

Enter to win beginning on October 1st at any KDL branch location.  Drawing will be held on  October 21st.  Winners will be notified by email.

If you wish to purchase tickets they are only $10 (in advance) online, at any KDL branch location, or any Grand Rapids area Schuler Books & Music.

Proceeds from A Novel Experience will benefit KDL’s literacy programs for young children. 

Although not yet approved by the State Senate, proposed reductions in state library funding have the potential to negatively affect some of the services utilized by KDL patrons, including the interlibrary loan system and access to certain online resources including ChiltonLibrary (auto repair), various professional journal and magazine databases, ebooks and more. While many of our library users have taken measures to voice their opinions by writing their local legislator or attending an advocacy rally, it’s never too late to let your lawmakers know just how important library service is to our communities.

For more information regarding the proposed cuts and possible outcomes, please follow the links below:

• Grand Rapids Press: Proposed 40 percent budget cut to Michigan libraries may hurt interlibrary loan system

• Michigan Library Association (MLA) Press Release: State lawmakers balancing budget on backs of local libraries, users

• Lansing State Journal: Library services riding on a budget

• Michigan Libraries for the Future

 

If you haven’t already, be sure to buy your tickets to see Marley & Me author, John Grogan, on Thursday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m.

At the first annual A Novel Experience event, Grogan will discuss “Life Lessons from Marley and Me.” Tickets are only $10 and proceeds benefit KDL’s literacy programs for young children.

Purchase tickets online, at any KDL branch location or any Schuler Books & Music store in Grand Rapids.

Thursday, October 29, 7:00 p.m.
Forest Hills Fine Arts Center, 600 Forest Hill Avenue SE
A book-signing will follow.