Have you tried our Book Club in a Bag service yet? This program allows book groups to check out a canvas bag containing 12 copies of a book and a printed list of discussion questions and author information.

The bags have been very popular and we’re pleased to announce the addition of a number of new titles:

• The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
• Things We Couldn’t Say by Diet Eman
• The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
• The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez
• Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart
• A Free Life by Ha Jin
• The Girls by Lori Lansens
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
• Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund
• Stealing Buddha’s Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen
• Astrid and Veronika by Linda Olsson
• Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
• Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez
• The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

See our Book Club in a Bag booklist to read descriptions of these and all other titles in the program, and contact Sheri Glon at 616-784-2016 x2179 or sglon@kdl.org to reserve a bag.

You’re Not Looking Up, and Other Golf Myths Revealed!

Scott Seifferlein, PGA Teaching Professional featured in Donald Trump’s book The Best Golf Advice I Ever Received, will reveal seven golf myths that are destroying your game.  For adults.  Check out our calendar to find out when Scott will be visiting a library near you!

This time we are featuring Anne (or “Annie” as she is alternately known) from the Kent City/Tyrone Township branch.

Tell us about your background.
I am originally from the Traverse City area and I moved to West Michigan to attend GVSU. I have been working for KDL on and off for about 3 years. I started at the Walker branch, shelving books when I was in college, and then switched to Kent City, where I worked at the checkout desk before becoming the youth person there.

What do you like most about being a teen librarian?
The teens I work with. Oh, and that I get to eat junk food at all of the programs that we put on, but mostly the teens I work with, because they’re funny, smart, and they definitely keep me on my toes.

Now the fun stuff.  What’s in your CD player right now?
Oh goodness. KT Tunstall, Relient K, and Weezer are all in my CD player.

What is your favorite book of all time?
Blankets by Craig Thompson. Other favorites are Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas, Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, and Looking for Alaska by John Green.

What celebrity would you like to have lunch with?
 John Krasinski from NBC’s “The Office.”

Do you have any “guilty pleasures”?
The Gossip Girl books, Sour Jacks candy (especially the green ones!), and bowling

Tell us some interesting stuff that we don’t know about you.
 Hrrmmmm… I’m ambidextrous. My goal in life is to learn how to surf. I love to travel — I’ve been to England, Ireland, Wales, France, Northern Ireland, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Panama, and some other places. My favorite dessert is crème brûlée. I am a huge Detroit Tigers fan. In high school, I was voted “Biggest Brownnoser” of my senior class (a whopping 27 students big). One time I had to get stitches after a particularly intense game of croquet (seriously!).

Anything you want to say to the teens of KDL?
I would really like to encourage the teens out there to get to know the staff at their branches. We’re friendly and we want to get to know you too.

 That’s all for today! Hope you enjoyed this installment of “Get to Know KDL!”

The Michigan Heart Gallery is a photographic display of children in the foster care system that are available for adoption.  The kids featured in the gallery are among more than 4,000 in Michigan who do not have families of their own.  Many of them are older children who have lived with abuse or neglect, have medical issues or are in need of special help.

The main exhibit will be housed at the Wyoming Branch and smaller exhibits will also be available at the Krause Memorial Branch and the Sand Lake/Nelson Township Branch from Wednesday, February 20 to Wednesday, March 12.

For more information on this amazing exhibit and the organizations sponsoring it, please visit the Michigan Heart Gallery Website.

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How about a good old-fashioned board game for the family who enjoys books and trips to the library?

The object of the game is to collect six books and be the first one to get home. You can obtain books by answering questions, visiting the library or picking up books along the path home. But all is not so easy as there are also possibilities of losing a book or two before getting to your destination.

Bookshelves, little books and library cards are all part of the game.  Seems like this could be a lot of fun! For more information check out this site.

As many of you know, KDL has a collection of ps2 games at our branches for you to check out. We have been carrying these games for over a year now and they are really popular (and free!)

If you’d like to see some of the games we offer, check our catalog here.

Since these games are so popular we decided to survey our patrons to see if there are other types of games you would like us to carry in our branches.

Stop in at your local branch to fill out a survey or tell us your answers here in the comments section.

• What video game system(s) do you own?
• Should KDL offer other types of games in addition to ps2?
• If so, what kinds?
• What specific titles are your favorites?
• Any other comments/suggestions?

The Teen Services Committee of KDL is already gearing up for Summer Reading Club this year. We need your input before we go out and purchase our big prizes.

SO…the question is, what would you read for? We typically purchase gift certificates for the branches to raffle off for SRC. All you have to do to get a raffle ticket is read 4 items (books, audiobooks, magazines). Every raffle ticket you enter into the drawings gives you a better chance of being a big winner!

Give us suggestions for what type of items you would like to see us raffle off. If you like gift certificates, tell us which stores. If you like event tickets, tell us which kind. If you want movie passes, tell us where you watch movies.

If you have any other great suggestions, feel free to list them here!

All Kent District Library branches will be closing at 2pm today (2/6/08) due to the weather.

From bow to stern, this informative and visual program will provide an overview of the hobby and resources available to those interested in wooden boat building and restoration.  Presented by amateur boat restorer, Brian Mortimore.  For adults.

Tuesday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cascade Township Branch (2870 Jacksmith Ave, Grand Rapids).  Visit our website or call 647-3850 to find out more!

Due to a large-scale system update, Internet access will be unavailable from all of Kent District Library’s public computers on Tuesday, February 5th. During this time, our online catalog will be temporarily unavailable as well. We plan to have Internet and online catalog access restored by Wednesday, February 6th.

We appreciate your support!