Posts by Michelle
Books Come Alive and Local Author Festival will be held Saturday, March 25!
Submitted by the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library
The Friends of the Library and Chickasha Public Library invite the community to stop by the Library on Sat., March 25, 2023 between 2pm and 4pm for two very special attractions! The Library is located at 527 Iowa Ave., Chickasha, OK.
Visitors will enjoy being entertained by Books Come Alive presenters as they each create their own setting, costume as a character, and present a 3-5 minute scene from a book they have selected to share. Participating as presenters are Mischelle Blunt who has chosen “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett; Dr. Christy Clift will portray a scene from “Harry Potter” by JK Rowling; and the Library’s children’s director Drew Cooper has selected “Beauty and the Beast” as her book. Also presenting are Rebecca Cravens portraying a scene from “Jane Austen”; Sydny Dockery has chosen the book “Percy Jackson” by Rick Riordan; Dr. Jeanne Mather selected Mike Artell’s “Petite Rouge”; and Rick Phillips will be having fun with “Star Wars”. Well-known radio host George Plummer will be presenting a special book, as well!
While at the Library, stop by the meeting room and visit with the authors who are participating in the “Local Author Festival”. All the authors will set up at tables and have books for sale. This year the authors include Karen Knauss Bailey Alicia Dean, Tamrie Foxtail, Dr. Todd Fuller, Kenny “Sad Pawpaw” Harmon (NOTE: enter a drawing at his table to win a copy of his book!), Dr. Crag Hill, Callie Hutton, Anna Kittrell, Brian McNatt, Gloria Koehn Morse, Kathy Shaull and Liz Tyner.
NOTE: The Library will close at noon on Sat., March 25, to set up for these two exciting events! For additional information about these activities and others at the Library, call 405.222.6075.
Summer Youth Internship at the Library
Chickasha Public Library is seeking applicants for our paid summer internship. Applicants can be high school seniors or recent high school graduates/college students interested in working in a library setting with local youth. Our internship is for 100 hours over a 10 week period starting May 22.
This internship is sponsored by the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library.
Projects Include:
- Assisting with Youth Services, specifically programs and projects
- Pulling reading lists and creating displays
- Shelving/organizing books in the children’s and teen areas
Interested applicants should fill out an application and submit it to Lillie or Drew at the Chickasha Public Library. For additional questions please contact Lillie Huckaby, Library Director or Drew Cooper, Youth Services Librarian. (405) 222-6075.
ARPA and LSTA grant funds expands ebook collection
Good news for ebook readers! The Stillwater Public Library has been expending ARPA and LSTA grant funds since last May in order to maintain our collection on the OK Virtual Library. $40,000 in ARPA funds were used to purchase a total of 532 audio units, and 251 eBook units were added.
By December 30, $145,000 will have been spent with LSTA funds. Due to the unprecedented number of holds on titles (some with a waitlist of over 300), the majority of these funds went toward titles with high holds, re-purchasing expired titles that had multiple people waiting, and the most requested titles by patrons across all libraries. At this time 3077 eBook units and 599 audio units have been added.
If you are interested in checking out ebooks or e-audiobooks, go to the Oklahoma Virtual Library and sign in with your Chickasha Public Library card number. The PIN is the last four digits of that number. You can also access the Oklahoma Virtual Library on your phone with the Libby app. If you have any questions about the checkout process, call the Library at 405-222-6075 and staff will be able to help.
Seeking Presenters for Books Come Alive!
Books Come Alive in our imaginations, so why not before our very eyes? Remember the scenes from Books Come Alive years past? Let’s do it again! Books Come Alive 2023!
You are invited to present a passage from a book for all the people to see and hear. In case you don’t remember or don’t know what I’m talking about, Books Come Alive is when the library is closed, scenes are set up, and people can tour the library, stopping to listen and view each scene. There will be between 6 and 12 presentations.
Anyone who chooses to can create a setting and costume for a character and scene from a book and prepare a passage to present. You can choose a science fiction scene from a Star Trek book, a classic such as Shakespeare, Mark Twain, or Sherlock Holmes, or something new like Lucy Foley’s “The Guest List” or “The Martian” by Andy Weir. You can choose fiction or nonfiction, an adult book or children’s book such as Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, or Junie B. Jones.
The scene can be presented by one person or by a small group; by a child, an adult, or a mix.
The presentation should be about 3-5 minutes in length. Sharpen your acting skills and have some fun!
Further details:
- The presentation must present a passage from a book which must be on display; or it could be an author presenting a group of books with passages from the books quoted.
- Space is limited; therefore the scene should be no more than 8 feet x 6 feet. All scenes will be in the library (portions of which are carpeted, so please no food or drinks).
- Applications will be reviewed from February 1st through the 10th. Presenters will be contacted during that time for clarification. Auditions will be February 13th – 18th.
- Acceptance/declination decisions will be made and presenters notified by February 25th.
- Don’t hesitate to reach out whenever you have any questions. Email Lillie Huckaby at Lillie.huckaby@chickasha.org or call 405-222-6075.
Click here to apply for consideration. Applications are due by the end of February. The big date is Saturday, March 25th.
Reference Solutions business database now available
The Chickasha Public Library now provides access to Reference Solutions, self-described as “the leading source for business and residential data in the United States.” Reference Solutions can be utilized for job searching, researching businesses in the US and Canada, and collecting data about residential areas.
To access Reference Solutions from the Library’s website, go to the E-Resources page and click on “Reference Solutions” near the top of the page. After you enter your library card number and accept the terms and conditions, you will be able to browse and search for information about over 70 million businesses.
Financial Literacy Mini-Clinic
Are you looking for ways to save money? Do you have questions about credit, savings, or retirement? The Chickasha Public Library will host a FREE Financial Literacy Mini-Clinic every Thursday in January from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Financial Literacy Mini-Clinic is a four-part series led by Leslie A. Sledge, a certified credit counselor and financial coach. This program will explore the principles of building a strong financial house, with an emphasis on mindful credit worthiness, debt elimination, saving, and saving for retirement.
There will also be an opportunity for individual questions and answers. Space is limited, so registration is encouraged. If you have any questions or would like to register for the Financial Literacy Mini-Clinic, you can call the Library at 405-222-6075, email library@chickasha.org, or speak to staff in person.
New Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance beginning session begins January 9th.
Have you fallen? Are you worried about falling? Try Tai Chi.
“With regular practice, tai chi improves balance by strengthening muscles and co-ordination; at the same time, it strengthens the mind, thereby improving calmness and confidence in not falling. Thus, both physically and mentally, tai chi is an extremely effective exercise for fall prevention.” (taichiforhealthinstitute.org)
“Slow, deliberate movements improve your stability and protect against falls. The slow, flowing motions of tai chi train you to shift your weight while maintaining your balance. Tai chi is an ancient Chinese exercise that can help older adults improve their balance and lower their fall risk.” (health.harvard.edu)
Learn Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance in our beginner’s class which starts January 9th, and meets on Mondays & Thursdays 3:30-4:30, call the library to register due to limited space. The class meets for 8 weeks.
Meet our new Youth Services Librarian December 8 from 4-7!
Meet our new Youth Services Librarian, Ms. Drew Cooper! There will be a come-and-go meet and greet on Thursday, December 8, from 4-7 p.m. Come and welcome her to the community, share your thoughts and ideas about youth services here at the library, and hear her ideas and plans. Drew is eager to meet all the kids, and she has programs for all ages planned for December.
Drew Cooper is a mom to amazing identical twin sons and two awesome daughters in law, and Mimi to the most adorable grandson. She loves reading, DIY home repairs, hiking, climbing, and overlanding. Her favorite books are historical nonfiction, mysteries, and thrillers.
Drew has a master’s in marine biology and oceanography and she loves sharks. She moved to Oklahoma less than a year ago and is a former exceptional education teacher. She was also previously a Youth Services Librarian for a library system in South Carolina.
Drew loves everything about being a Youth Services Librarian, especially developing relationships with children and their families.
December Events for Children and Teens
Check out all of the free events for all ages this month at the Library!
Food for Fines Month at Chickasha Public Library
December is Food for Fines month at the Chickasha Public Library! A donation of non-perishable food items will clear any amount of overdue Library fines. No minimum donation is required.
Food for Fines donations do not cover lost or damaged book fees, however, any accounts that are currently unable to check out due to having more than $6.00 in fines can be cleared for future checkouts. Any overdue books that are returned will also have their fines waived.
“Food for Fines brings the community together in several ways: foremost by providing food, but also by allowing Library users to clear fines and check out items, and by returning overdue books to the Library so that others can read them,” said Library Director Lillie Huckaby.
All of the donated food items will benefit the Chickasha Emergency Food Pantry. Most needed food items include peanut butter, canned tuna and chicken, canned fruits and vegetables, cereal and oatmeal, soup and stew, pasta and canned sauce, and canned or dry beans. Pop-top canned food is encouraged. A food pantry volunteer recently shared that juice bottles, cake mix, Little Smokies, and other snack items are especially appreciated by many people.
Even if you do not have fines, you are still welcome to donate food to the Food for Fines food drive by bringing it to the Library during the month of December.
This is the twenty-second year for the Library to host Food for Fines, and it is a great way to help the community. Last December, more than $1,600 in fines were cleared.
For more information, call the Chickasha Public Library at 405-222-6075.