Wondering what the 2009 One Book, One County title is? On Saturday, January 10 you can find out! Join us at the John Ball Zoo‘s aquarium facility at 11:00 a.m. for the official announcement of the book everyone in Kent County will be reading and discussing.

Along with the announcement, enjoy presentations and tours of the aquarium by zoo staff and explore the entire zoo for free until 2:00 p.m.

One Book, One County is presented by the Kent District Library, the Grand Rapids Public Library, the Sparta Township Library, the Cedar Springs Library, the Humanities Council of Grand Rapids, Schuler Books & Music, the John Ball Zoo and several generous sponsors.

Look for more information soon.

You don’t want to miss this announcement!

As today is the last day of 2008, I thought it would be the perfect time to find out what you think the best teen book of the year was.  Use the comments to discuss all of your favorite teen books from 2008, and if we get enough responses I will create an official booklist of the choices to put on the teen portion of the website.  To get this started here are a few of my favorites from the year, follow the links to read about each one. 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Paper Towns by John Green

My Most Excellent Year, A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluegar

So, what are your favorites?

All branches of the Kent District Library will close at 5:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve (Wednesday, December 31), and will remain closed on New Year’s Day (Thursday, January 1). We will resume normal operating hours on Friday, January 2. For additional 2009 holiday closing information, please view our holiday closings page (PDF).

We appreciate your patronage and wish you a Happy New Year!

A very special thank you goes out to our friends at Celebration! Cinema for partnering with KDL to present a special event for the movie The Tale of Despereaux on December 20, 2008. This special event raised over $390 for KDL’s early literacy initiatives.

Over 180 guests at Celebration! South and Celebration! Rivertown theaters were treated to a special ticket package that included admission to The Tale of Despereaux, pop, popcorn, games and a drawing for special prizes.  Katie L. and Flick the Movie Kid were on hand to visit with the kids (of all ages).

Thank you to all who attended and supported this wonderful event!

To find out how you too can support KDL’s early literacy initiatives, please visit the KDL Fund section on our website. 

The Kent District Library will be closed for the Christmas holidays on Wednesday and Thursday, December 24-25, 2008. We will resume normal operating hours on Friday, December 26. For additional 2008 holiday closing information, please view our holiday closings page.

We appreciate your patronage and wish you Happy Holidays!

Due to severe weather conditions, the Kent District Library will be closing at 3:00 p.m. today, December 23. We will be closed tomorrow and Thursday (December 24-25) for the Christmas holidays, and will resume normal business hours on Friday, December 26, weather permitting.

 Thank you for your patronage and we hope to see you soon.

Nanette Jasperse, a Collection Services employee at the KDL Service Center, is using her crafting skills to help the Kent District Library celebrate a green holiday season. Instead of throwing away the packing materials from the many shipments of books that KDL receives, Nanette recycled them into two impressive snowman that now hang out in the our lobby.

Nanette used papier-mâché to cover balls of recycled packing material, then used items around her home to bring the snowmen to life.

For more ideas on how to live “green,” check out KDL’s Living Green in West Michigan wiki.

The holidays are only beginning, but for those of you who like to plan ahead (or intend to improve that skill in 2009!), here are some sites that might help you be a better you in 2009!

Resolution: Lose weight and/or improve physical fitness

Body by Glamour is Glamour Magazine’s self-improvement plan.

The President’s Challenge is sponsored by the Presidential Fitness Council and has tips for getting the whole family involved in fitness-related activities.

Find recipes for healthy dishes at allrecipes.com, Cooking Light, or the Mayo Clinic.

Resolution: Quit smoking

Check out the resources the federal government has put together at smokefree.gov.

Resolution: Volunteer more.

Try services like Volunteer Match and Idealist.org to look for organizations seeking volunteers. If you would like to volunteer at your local KDL branch, please contact your local branch for information on volunteering.

Resolution: Go Green!

There are lots of great suggestions for local and global resources at KDL’s Living Green in West Michigan wiki.

Resolution: Get Organized!

Whether you just need the help of an online calendar, such as Google Calendar, or if this is the year you finally set up RSS feeds for all your favorite blogs, there are plenty of sites available to help you stay on top and organized.

What is your New Year’s Resolution and what sites have have helped you reach your goal?

It’s here! Starting today, when you search the catalog from KDL’s home page (www.kdl.org), you’ll be taken to Encore, KDL’s new search interface.

This new system is loaded with useful features, such as:

• Starting with one simple search box, you can find all the library has to offer.

• Simple, easy-to-use design makes finding information a snap.

• Cool features, including tag clouds, help you focus your search by format, library location, subject, and more.

• Google-like relevance ranking ensures the best answer rises to the top of your search. You’ll also see highlights of suggested titles.

• “Did You Mean?” feature eliminates confusion and corrects common spelling mistakes.

• And much more! (See the screenshot below)

We’re very excited about the new catalog enhancements and hope you will be too.

Try it out and let us know what you think!

Due to severe weather conditions, the Kent District Library will be closed today, December 21. We will resume normal business hours as the weather permits. Fines on items due today will be waived.

 Thank you for your patronage and we hope to see you soon.