Dig Into Reading:

A Children's Summer Reading Program

June 3-July 19, 2013

   

Sign up!  Early-bird sign-ups will be done at the Storytelling/Summer Reading Program Sign-up Kick-off event (Thursday, May 23, 5:00-7:00 pm at the Mesabi East Commons).  Regular sign-up at the library will start June 3; children can sign up at any point through the summer.

Read!  

Earn points! New this summer:  Choose to record either titles read, or time spent reading.  One point will be earned for every picture book read (or read to a pre-reader) OR every 15 minutes spent reading OR every 25 pages of a chapter book read.  Books do not need to be checked out from the library to earn points.  You may choose to either bring your reading record home with you or to leave it at the library.  You will earn additional points for coming to special programs, story times or story clubs, and doing Discovery Table activities.

Pick prizes!  Every time you earn 10 points, you may choose a prize from either the book or the small incentives treasure chest.  Your reading record must be present in order for you to claim a prize.

Enjoy programs!  All events will be held at the Aurora Public Library unless otherwise noted.

• Minnesota Zoomobile:  Tuesday, June 4, 1:00 pm at the Aurora Community/Senior Center
• Preschool Story Time: "Over in the Garden": Friday, June 7, 11:00 am
• School-aged Story Club: "Dig Into History: Ancient Greece and Egypt": Thursday, June 13, 1:30 pm
• School-aged Story Club: "Going Underground": Tuesday, June 18, 1:30 pm
• Preschool Story Time: "Diggers and Dumpers": Friday, June 21, 11:00 am
• Animals Underground: Presented by the Soudan Underground Mine State Park: Thursday, June 27, 1:30 pm
• "Make and Take Crafts": Wednesday, July 3, anytime between 1:00 and 4:00 pm
• Kids for Kids Northern Lights Music Festival Concert at the Library: Thursday, July 11, 1:00 pm
• School-aged Story Club:"Dig Into History: The Underground Railroad": Tuesday, July 16, 1:30 pm
• Preschool Story Time: "Dinosaurs": Friday, July 19, 11:00 am
• DINOSAURS: Presented by the Minnesota Science Museum: Wednesday, July 24, 3:00 pm at the Aurora Community/Senior Center

There will also be a different "Discovery Table" at the library each week, with themed books, activities, and crafts.

Now available at the Aurora Public Library....

10 free tickets to "Leaving Iowa"

Performed by the County Seat Theater Company, "Leaving Iowa" is a hilarious sentimental comedy about family and family vacations.  It is guaranteed to have you laughing and remembering the childhood vacations you tried to forget!

Show times are at 7:30 pm (except at 2:00 on Sundays) on May 9-12 and May 15-19 at the  Encore Performing Arts Center and Gallery in Cloquet.  Pick up a ticket and contact the theater to make a reservation for your preferred performance time.

26 Museum Passes

The museum passes may be used through Labor Day at any one of the following participating museums and sites:   Bois Forte Heritage Center, Carlton County History Society, Dorothy Molter Museum, Duluth Children's Museum, Duluth Depot, Ely-Winton Historical Society, Forest History Center, Glensheen (new!), Greyhound Bus Museum, Judy Garland Children's Museum, Lake County Historical Society, Minnesota Discovery Center, Minnesota Museum of Mining, North Shore Commercial Fishing Museum, Split Rock Lighthouse, Soudan Underground Mine State Park (new!).

Event tickets and museum passes are funded with money from the Legacy Fund: a part of the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment approved by the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008, which dedicated funding to preserve Minnesota's arts and cultural heritage.
 

Check It Out! Selected new titles at the Aurora Public Library

Come on in and check out the latest new (and/or newly-donated) materials to arrive at the Aurora Public Library!

We recently added to the collection a new assortment of documentary DVD's, purchased with funds donated by the Aurora Friends of the Library.  The following titles were added:

The Real National Treasure: An Inside Look at the Library of Congress
Salem Witch Trials (The History Channel)
Hauntings (The History Channel)
The Haunted History of Halloween (The History Channel)
Poltergeist (A&E)
Vampire Secrets (The History Channel)
The Bible: The Epic Miniseries
The Amish (PBS)
The Buddha (PBS)
The Civilian Conservation Corps (PBS)
Food, Inc.
No Kidding! Me 2!!
Sign Language 101
Popular Mechanics for Kids: Season 3
Imax: Under the Sea
Traveler's Guide to the Planets (National Geographic)
A Mother's Courage: Talking Back to Autism
Easy Yoga for Arthritis (PBS)
Shape Up and Shed Pounds (Denise Austin)
Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns (PBS)
Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan: Season 4, Volume 1
Finland: A Musical Journey
Celtic Thunder: Mythology
Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs A to Z (PBS Kids)
America By Rail
1000 Places to See Before You Die: Collection 1
Irena Sendler: In the Name of Their Mothers (PBS)
Mankind: The Story of All of Us (The History Channel)
The Civil War: A Film by Ken Burns (PBS)
Monumental: In Search of America's National Treasure
The Dust Bowl: A Film by Ken Burns (PBS)

Upcoming Events at Aurora Public Library

THE POETRY OF RYAN VINE

Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 6:00 pm

Regional award-winning poet Ryan Vine, Rose Warner Assistant Professor of English at the College of St. Scholastica, will share several selections of his work, followed by a discussion focused on the use of metaphor.


 

EARLY CHILDHOOD FAMILY STORY NIGHT

& SUMMER READING KICK-OFF

Thursday, May 23, 5:00-7:00 pm

in the Mesabi East Large Commons

  

• Listen to stories told by regional story-teller Elizabeth Nordell
• Participate in related activities
• Enjoy crafts and snacks
• Sign up for the summer reading program 

Library News

What's new and news at the Aurora Public Library?


THREE "STORY TIME IN A BAG" KITS AVAILABLE TO CHECK OUT

The Aurora Public Library now has four circulating “Story Time in a Bag” kits.  Each bag has several books, along with puppets or other story telling aids, a music CD, a brochure about early literacy, and a tip sheet on how the contents of the bags can be used by parents and caregivers to read, write, sing, play, and talk with young children.  The bags may be checked out for 3 weeks, and are intended to be used by parents and caregivers to enjoy story times with their children.  Thanks are due to the Aurora Friends of the Library, who funded and/or made the bags and their contents.

 
AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD MAKES CHANGE TO MOVIE BORROWING POLICY

Aurora Public Library patrons may now check out 4 (raised from 2) entertainment movies per card.  Late fees on entertainment movies have been reduced to $1/day/movie.


FOUR KINDLES NOW IN CIRCULATION AT THE AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY


The Aurora Public Library now has 4 Kindles in circulation, each loaded with 40 books.  One Kindle contains nonfiction titles; another mystery/suspense/thriller/horror novels; a third has general/historical/romance/Christian fiction titles; and the fourth contains an assortment of science fiction/fantasy/western/teen novels.  Currently all four Kindles are on hold or checked them out--but you may search their contents and place a hold in the Aurora Public Library catalog.  They may be checked for three weeks by any Aurora Public Library card holder age 18 and older.  Please note that fines are $5/day, and the Kindles MUST be returned to the Aurora Public Library during open hours; they may not be returned in the book drop.  Three Kindles and their titles were donated through the generosity of individual donors to the Aurora Public Library; the fourth Kindle and its titles were donated by Harp Construction.

STRATEGIC PLAN PROGRESS REPORT

The Aurora Public Library has completed the strategic planning process, and has approved a strategic plan which will guide library priorities through 2015. The library's misison statement, revised to reflect the current library goals is as follows:

The Aurora Public Library contributes to an informed, connected community by providing books, technology, and special programs that support early literacy and academic achievement, and encourage people of all ages to become lifelong learners.

The current library goals are as follows:

Residents, newcomers, and visitors are informed of available resources and inspired to participate in local events and groups.

• Library staff put together a "GetInvolvedAurora" brochure featuring local service and special interest organizations that wished to be listed. The brochures is accompanied by a web site, linked from the library's web page, which includes the organizations' listings and a community calendar of meetings and events held by those organizations which wished to be listed. The community calendar is now also printed on the back of the library newsletter, which is mailed to all City residents each month and is also available at the library and the Loon Lake Community Center, and is posted at various other locations. Displays in the library display case in the past year have included a display of Amish dolls, a display by the Range Women's Advocates, a display by the "Angel of Hope" committee for the children's memorial park in Virginia, a historical display relating to the Boy Scouts, a display by the Care Partners, and a display by the Mesabi East Early Childhood Coalition.

People of all ages will nurture their curiosity and obtain knowledge to enrich their lives.

• Utilizing funding available through the Legacy Fund, funds raised by the Aurora Friends of the Library, and in partnership with other organizations, the library has been able to offer a variety of lively, educational programs, including a folk-dancing program with Terrence Smith, a harp and flute concert, an art event for children by the Creativity Tank, a concert by the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet, a class on playing the American dulcimer, a presentation on and demonstration of weaving, a presentation by the Minnesota Crime Wave, and free passes to various regional museums and events available to check out at the library. Several more events are scheduled for the summer months.

Children will develop enthusiasm for reading and learning, and caregivers will develop social connections and gain tools for increasing literacy in their homes.

• The library continues to offer weekly preschool story times featuring music, action rhymes, and songs. Story times are planned around the six pre-reading building-block skills, and early literacy information is available for parents and caregivers. The library will again partner with 2 local day cares this summer to offer on-site story times and story time kits in conjunction with the summer reading program.

Students will have the out-of-school support needed to increase their academic achievement and successfully complete their education.

• The library hosted a series of "Minnesota History Mornings at the Library" for grade-school homeschooled children, a pilot project using kits developed by the Minnesota Historical Society. We will again encourage reading and learning throughout the summer with the children's "One World, Many Stories" and teen "You Are Here" reading programs.

A full copy of the strategic plan and its supporting documents can be found at the Arrowhead Library System web site or by clicking here.
DOWNLOADABLE E-BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE

Downloadable ePub ebooks are now available to anyone with a library card from the Arrowhead Library System. To access the list of available titles, click on the "Downloadable audiobooks and ebooks" link under the links section on the right side of this web page. To learn more, you may click here for a list of frequently asked questions.

WE NOW HAVE WI-FI!

The Aurora Public Library now offers wireless internet access, funded by monies raised during the Spring Library Technology Fundraiser Meatball Dinner. Many thanks to everyone who helped out with the meal and purchased tickets! If you have a laptop with wireless access, you may now access the internet at the library on your own computer. (Library patrons accessing the internet via the library’s wireless network are responsible for abiding by the library’s internet use agreement; please stop by the front desk to view and sign the form if you have not already done so.) The wireless network is available 24-7; its range extends several feet in front of the library and about 1/3 of the way back in the parking lot behind the library.

NEW! AURORA PUBLIC LIBRARY PAGE NOW ON FACEBOOK®

Do you use Facebook®? So do we! Become a fan of the Aurora Public Library to receive updates about library news, events, and new releases! Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc.
Friends of the Library NewsThe Aurora Friends of the Library support the Aurora Public Library through fund-raising efforts and through volunteering at the library.

The Friends of the Library do not meet over the summer, although many volunteer with the summer reading program. Regular, non-summer meeting dates are the first Tuesday of each month at 1:30. New members and volunteers are always welcome!

Would you like to search the library catalog?

Click here to search the Arrowhead Library System catalog.
To search the Aurora Public Library catalog only, click here.

Teens Talk Books: A Teen Forum

Share reviews and comments on what you have been reading with other teens through the "Teens Talk Books" forum! To share a review or to comment on a previously mentioned title, click on the "Comments" button. Detailed instructions appear below. To read additional posts and comments, click on the number of comments at the bottom of the post.

Some recently ordered titles of possible interest include:

Naomi's Song--Selma Kritzer Silverberg

A novel based on the biblical story of Naomi and Ruth.

Emily--by Emily Smucker

A biographical account of a teen's diagnosis of
and learning to live with chronic illness.

To post a comment:

If you would like to post a comment:

1. Click on the blue link below that says "(number) comments."
2. Type your comments into the box to the right of the screen labeled "Leave your comment." You are welcome to sign your name or to leave an anonymous comment.
3. The box below your comment will have some wavy colored letters. Type the letters you see into the box below them labelled "Word verification box."
4. If you do not have an account with Google or Blogger, or if you wish to leave an anonymous comment, click on the button next to the word "Anonymous" and click on the "Publish Your Comment" box. Your name will not be included unless you signed your comment. If you have an account with Google or Blogger and wish to use it, type in your user name and password, and then click on the "Publish Your Comment" box. Your Blogger or Google display name will then appear as a header to your comment.

Your comments should appear by the end of the next library business day after you post them.