Events
Friends of the Library Host Local Authors Festival at Chickasha Public Library October 26
The Friends of the Chickasha Public Library will host a Local Authors Festival on Saturday, October 26 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Chickasha Public Library. The community is invited to meet local authors and purchase copies of their books.
Authors who are participating include Winona Cross Bennett, Kendall Brashears, M.E. Craig, Maxine Douglas, Debbie Fogle, Tamrie Foxtail, Terry Godfrey, June Gray, Kenny Harmon, Pete Hammert, Eileen Hobbs, Linda Fellers Hundley, Anna Kittrell, Brian McNatt, Kathy Shaull, Michelle Skinner, Cheryl L-G Trent, and Liz Tyner.
All of the authors will be set up at tables in the meeting room with copies of their books, which are written in a variety of genres. There will be memoirs, young adult books, historical and contemporary romance, fantasy, suspense, local history, horror, and mysteries. This is a chance for everyone to visit with local authors, ask them about their books, and also purchase some new books to read.
All Library programs are free to attend. For more information, call the Chickasha Public Library at 405-222-6075.
Genealogy Workshop – February 21
The Library is hosting a free genealogy workshop on Wednesday, February 21 at 2 p.m. This hour-long program will cover topics such as genealogy books and resources in the Library, free online databases that are available from the Library, other free online resources, and ideas for organizing family history information.
Some of the books in the Library’s genealogy section include Chickasha city directories, yearbooks from Grady County schools, several books about the history of Chickasha and other Grady County communities, histories of local organizations, and individual family histories. Additionally, there is a section about the history and cultures of Oklahoma that has individual county histories, information about the Dawes Roll, and pre-statehood census records.
The Library’s online databases include access to Ancestry Library Edition on Library computers, and Heritage Quest, which is accessible on any internet-capable device with your library card number. The Chickasha Newspaper Collection on the Gateway to Oklahoma History contains freely accessible digitized copies of Chickasha newspapers on the Gateway to Oklahoma History. If you have ever wondered how to search for relevant information online, there will be a discussion of search tips and what kind of information and documents can be found on each of these databases, as well as some other free websites that could be helpful in finding information about a specific person.
Finally, there will be some ideas about how to organize an ever-growing collection of family history research in order to keep track of everything while also making sure none of the information is lost.
“Whether you are just beginning your genealogy research, or are already a dedicated researcher with a pile of documents and sources, this workshop can provide information that can help you to take advantage of free resources that can help you search more efficiently and to find some unexpected treasures,” says Michelle Skinner, Reference Librarian.
There will also be time for questions and answers during the program, and people are welcome to browse the Library’s collection of physical and online genealogy resources afterwards. In case of inclement weather, this workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 28. For more information, call the Library at 405-222-6075, or email michelle.skinner@chickasha.org.
Kiddos’ Korner: Meet and Greet Special Story Hour on February 8
There will be a Kiddos’ Korner: Meet and Greet Special Story Hour at the Chickasha Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 4:30 p.m. Come join us for a special story hour and meet some of the coolest people ever, children’s book authors and illustrators.
The authors and illustrators who will be attending this event are Eileen Hobbs, Aaron Allison, Charles Martin, and Buck Berlin. Children’s author Eileen Hobbs wrote Under the Golden Rain Tree and the Heath Cousins series. There are copies of her books available to check out at the Library, and they can be found in Children Fiction under Hobbs.
Aaron Allison is a teen author whose works include I Love You Mosterous: Poems & Essays Of Love and Acceptance. Charles Martin is a manga and comic book author and illustrator. Buck Berlin is a manga and comic book illustrator and storyteller who owns New World Comics in Oklahoma City.
“Come celebrate Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week with a fantastic event all about those special people who we all love so much because they create the books that entertain and inspire us,” says Youth Services Librarian Drew Cooper.
For more information about the Meet and Greet Special Story Hour, call the Library at 405-222-6075 or email Drew Cooper at ondreea.cooper@chickasha.org.
Riders of the Orphan Train – Oct. 26, 2023
Riders of the Orphan Train is Thursday, October 26, at 6:30 p.m. in the Library’s meeting room. The experiences of the 250,000 children who were sent west between 1854 and 1929 to find new homes will come to life with music, video, and storytelling. This program is free and open to the public.
Oklahoma Broadband Office launches 16-stop “Let’s Get Digital” listening tour
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Broadband Office’s (OBO) statewide broadband listening tour will be making a stop near you in the coming weeks, and state officials are asking you to take part.
The “Let’s Get Digital: Oklahoma Broadband Tour” will pass through 16 cities and towns to gather public input for a five-year plan to connect the entire state to high-speed internet. The tour kicks off on May 8 and will continue through June 23 with meetings in all four corners and points in-between of Oklahoma.
Data show more than 800,000 Oklahomans currently lack access to dependable high-speed internet service in Oklahoma. That’s more than one-in-five Oklahoma residents.
“Access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet service has become a necessity. Our mission is to ensure every family, student, business, farmer and tribal community in Oklahoma has that access,” Oklahoma Broadband Office Executive Director Mike Sanders said.
“A key priority to ensure our mission is successful is to hear from and talk with Oklahomans who lack adequate service today. We welcome anyone with questions or concerns, or who wants to learn more about our efforts to attend one of the 16 meetings scheduled across the state in May and June.”
The public is encouraged to register at oklahoma.gov/broadband/outreach for any of the stops on the tour, which will take place at libraries in the following cities and towns:
- May 8 at 4:30 – Weatherford
- May 11 at 4:30 p.m. – Enid
- May 12 at 1:00 p.m. – Stillwater
- May 15 at 4:30 p.m. – Vinita
- May 16 at 9:00 a.m. – Poteau
- May 18 at 4:30 p.m. – Broken Bow
- May 22 at 9:30 a.m. – Oklahoma City
- May 23 at 4:30 p.m. – Durant
- May 26 at 4:30 p.m. – Chickasha Public Library
- June 2 at 4:30 p.m. – Altus
- June 6 at 4:30 p.m. – Sallisaw
- June 8 at 4:30 p.m. – Sulphur
- June 9 at 4:30 p.m. – Lawton
- June 13 at 4:30 p.m. – Ada
- June 20 at 4:30 p.m. – Okmulgee
- June 23 at 4:30 p.m. – Woodward
Residents, business owners, farmers and ranchers, leaders, members of tribal communities, and representatives for schools, hospitals, nonprofits, and other community organizations are encouraged to attend.
For questions regarding the broadband listening tour, the public is encouraged to email or call MJ Barton, Tribal & Programs Outreach Manager, OBO at mj.barton@broadband.ok.gov or (405) 517-2393.
About the Oklahoma Broadband Office
Oklahoma has launched an aggressive effort to ensure fast and affordable broadband internet service is available throughout the state and the Oklahoma Broadband Office is a key component.
Created by the Legislature in May 2022, the office is on a five-year mission to develop and administer grant programs to make affordable, high-speed internet available to all Oklahomans. It also coordinates efforts throughout the state to ensure broadband expansion is conducted effectively and efficiently.
Summer Reading Program at the Chickasha Public Library
Join Chickasha Public Library’s annual Summer Reading Program from May 22 to July 31. Summer Reading is a program to encourage children to read over the summer, bridge the gap between school years, and develop a love of reading. Children and teens can participate by logging reading minutes, earning prizes, and enjoying summer friendship, love, and togetherness programs and activities, complementing this year’s theme, “All Together Now.” All programs will be at the Chickasha Public Library, located at 527 Iowa, Chickasha. For more information, call the Library at 405-222-6075.
Wee Ones (ages 5 and under) will complete 480 reading minutes and have weekly programs on Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. for ages 0-3 and 2:00 p.m. for ages 4-5. Kiddos’ Korner (ages 6-11, although all ages are welcome) will complete 960 reading minutes and have programs on Thursdays at 2 p.m. Teen Time (ages 12-17) will complete 1080 reading minutes and have programs on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Adults will also be able to participate in online Summer Reading challenges through Beanstack.
All participants can pre-register for the program at https://chickashapl.beanstack.com/reader365. Everyone who joins the Summer Reading Program is encouraged to participate digitally through Beanstack, either on the web or via the app. Participants can track the books they have read, log reading minutes, earn badges and prizes, and discover great books. Parents or caregivers can sign up and quickly log both their own and their children’s reading under one primary account. Participants also have the option to track their minutes using a reading log provided by the library. Reading logs can be picked up any time after May 22 at the Chickasha Public Library, located at 527 W. Iowa Ave., Chickasha.
Younger children aged 0-5 will be encouraged to participate in the Wee Ones Wednesday Storytime programs at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m. This program engages young learners in fun pre-literacy activities, stories, and group play. Children aged 6-11 can participate in the Kiddos’ Korner program on Thursdays at 2 p.m. All ages are welcome to the Thursday programs, but it is recommended for ages 6-11. Kiddos’ Korner will include enhanced learning activities and hands on programming that will focus on reading. Teens aged 12-17 can participate in programs during Teen Time Tuesdays, which will be at 2 p.m. Teen Time will focus on reading as a way to encourage teens to interact with people outside of their peer group while providing informational programs that support lifelong learning needs, provide knowledge about, or inspire interest in a variety of subjects.
All youth who complete the Summer Reading challenge by reading the age-appropriate minutes will have a book of their choosing painted on the outside of the library, plus an entry into a final drawing for additional prizes. Further prizes will be awarded throughout the summer at different levels for designated minutes reached, such as a Level 1 prize for Wee Ones earned for 60 minutes completed reading. Prizes will also be awarded for community service, kindness, and program participation. Our youth community service project this summer is the Chickasha Animal Shelter. We will be taking up donations to help our local furry friends from June 1-July 31. All youth who donate supplies at the library will receive a community service badge and an additional entry into the final grand prize drawings.
“All Together Now” is a perfect slogan to bring us all together! No matter our age, socio-economic status, political affiliation, or location, we can all find a book to fit our interests and maybe make some friends in the process. Centered around kindness, friendship, unity, and community togetherness, this year’s theme comes with endless opportunities to share the library. In-person indoor and outdoor activities will be offered all summer long and monthly take-and-make crafts will be available for all ages. Program content changes weekly and take and makes will be available while supplies last.
Research from the American Library Association indicates that summer reading helps children and teens retain and enhance their reading skills over the summer, provides a haven for community readers, and develops reading enthusiasm. Additionally, adult participation encourages caregivers to play a strong role in their child’s literacy development by reading aloud with their child and modeling good reading behavior. Kids read more and enjoy reading more when they can choose what they read. Benefits to readers include encouragement for reading to become a lifelong habit, reluctant readers can be drawn in by the activities, reading over the summer helps children keep their skills up, and the program can generate interest in the library and books. For more information about the benefits of Summer Reading, visit the American Library Association’s information about Summer Reading benefits: https://libguides.ala.org/summer-reading/benefits.
As poet and author Maya Angelou noted, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.” Chickasha Public Library joins libraries across the nation to encourage adults, youth, and families to read over the summer.
The Summer Reading Program is free and sponsored by the Chickasha Public Library, the Friends of the Chickasha Public Library, the City of Chickasha, and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. For more information about Summer Reading, call the Chickasha Public Library at 405-222-6075 or check our website under the Youth Services tab at CPL Summer Reading Program. To sign up for Summer Reading, visit the Chickasha Public Library or sign up online on Beanstack. You can also connect with the Chickasha Public Library on Facebook and Instagram.
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.
Building Resilience
Spring is a great time to pause and consider our goals for the year. Join Virginia Savage, LCSW, Art Therapist, at the Chickasha Public Library on Thursday, March 17 at 6 pm to 8 pm to continue our community conversation about mental health and how we can improve our resilience to whatever life brings.
The Building Resilience program is free of charge, however, space is limited and registration is required. To register, call 405-222-6075 or visit the library at 527 W Iowa.
In this program, you will learn a smart method to create achievable goals and then use two-dimensional materials to create unique vision boards for 2022. Participants will have the opportunity to share their thoughts on the process.
All necessary materials will be provided, however, participants may want to bring images of their own for the vision board.
Bring your imagination, and join us!
This program is funded through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries with a federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
National Library Week!
National Library Week is April 4-10, 2021, and this year’s theme is “Welcome to Your Library!” According to the American Library Association, this theme “promotes the idea that libraries extend far beyond the four walls of a building – and that everyone is welcome to use their services.” The Chickasha Public Library provides access to a variety of information, services, resources, and programs, both physical and virtual, to everyone in the community. During National Library Week, the Chickasha Public Library will be celebrating its resources, users, staff, volunteers, support groups, and the many ways in which it reflects and serves this community.
There are many ways to celebrate and promote libraries. You can show your library love by participating in the #MyLibraryIs social media campaign during National Library Week for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. Monday, April 5th The State of America’s Libraries 2021 Special Report: COVID-19 will be released. Tuesday, April 6th is National Library Workers Day, Wednesday, April 7th is National Library Outreach Day, think bookmobile among other programs not held within a library building, and Thursday, April 8th is Take Action for Libraries Day. The American Library Association encourages people to support the Build America’s Libraries Act, which will “fund upgrades to the nation’s library infrastructure to address challenges such as natural disasters, COVID-19, broadband capacity, environmental hazards, and accessibility barriers.”
The American Library Association lists several different activities in which people can support libraries during National Library Week. These include showing appreciation to library staff in person and on social media on National Library Workers Day, highlighting the library’s community contributions and involvement, communicating how libraries provide essential resources, services, and information to their communities, and advocating for library funding and support within local, state, and federal governments. You can highlight libraries on social media using the #NationalLibraryWeek, and #LibrariesTransform hashtags, and by following the American Library Association and I Love Libraries.
American Library Association has also created a word search and coloring pages for National Library Week. Click on each link below to view and print each one.
National Library Week Word Search Activity Page (PDF)
National Library Week Coloring Page (PDF)
National Library Week Coloring Page in Spanish (PDF)
Finally, a great way to celebrate National Library Week is to visit the Chickasha Public Library, where you can also find several books about public libraries and their continuing impact on individuals and communities. If you are looking for a history of public libraries, Part of Our Lives: A People’s History of the American Public Library by Wayne Wiegand (027.473 Wiegand) discusses the value and relevance of public libraries as a whole throughout the history of this country. Closer to home, A History of the Chickasha Public Library, 1905-2020: The First 115 Years by library staff member Michelle Skinner (027.476 Skinner) is about the history of this specific library (and a copy can also be purchased for $10 at the library).
More perspectives of libraries written by staff from other libraries include Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron (636.80092 Myron) and Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert (BIOGRAPHY Borchert), a humorous memoir about some of the more unusual and entertaining aspects of working in a public library.
Come to the Chickasha Public Library and discover the many resources it has to offer during National Library Week! We hope to see you there!
Library History Search
2020 will mark the 115th year of the Chickasha Public Library. A lot has happened in that time and we want to celebrate! We are preparing a written history of the Library complete with a scrapbook of photos and news articles. If you have any pictures or news articles about the Library that you would like to share, please bring them in and talk to Michelle or Lillie. Also, if you have a memory you would like to share about the Library write it down and get it to us or if you prefer, we’ll write it for you please make an appointment with Michelle or Lillie. If you were on the Library Board or were employed at the Library, please contact us by calling 405-222-6075. We would like to make sure that our information is correct, we would like to know names and dates and photos to go with them would be great! Let’s enjoy the process. For additional information, please call the Library at 405-222-6075.