Library Calendar

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Early Literacy Stations Have Arrived!

This year the Mary H. Weir Public Library was awarded an Library Services and Technology Act Grant from the West Virginia Library Commission for the purchase of two Early Literacy Computer Workstations.

These computers come preloaded with over 30 different entertaining and educational programs designed to support the development of children ages 2 to 8. There are programs based on children's book characters like The Cat in the Hat and Stellaluna and programs based on popular television shows like Sesame Street, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Between the Lions. Many of the programs loaded on these computers come from companies like Reader Rabbit and JumpStart that have been creating educational programs for children since these programs first came on the market. Designed to keep the interest of children, these programs are filled with color, movement and music.

One of the computer stations is bilingual. There are flags on the corner of the screen of this station. When the flags are clicked, the programs change to either English or Spanish. Children whose first language is Spanish can become more fluent in English by using these programs and children who speak English can learn some Spanish words from them.

The Early Literacy Stations have an index in the corner so that parents can see which programs are appropriate for their child. The programs are divided by age group and the skill that is being developed. In addition to the Reading and Writing skills that have traditionally been seen as literacy skills, these stations also include programs for developing skills in Math, Music, Art, Social Studies, Geography, and Computer Use.

In addition to the Early Literacy Stations, the library still maintains three workstations for older children that give them access to Microsoft Office products for Word Processing and Internet Access so that they can access the library catalog, our subscription to Encyclopedia Britannica, and the databases available at WV InfoDepot.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Fine Free Week

The Mary H. Weir Public Library designates two weeks a year as fine free weeks. One of those weeks is National Library Week, which is April 12th to 18th this year. That means that any materials returned to the library during this time period will have any fines on the material forgiven automatically.

If you have fines on material that was returned to this library previously, you can come into the library during National Library Week and request to have your fines forgiven. This will only be done by request; it does not occcur automatically. This offer only applies to fines on returned materials returned to us. Replacement costs for lost or damaged materials will still apply, and fines cannot be forgiven on materials that have not yet been returned. Since many of the libraries in our section of the state have joined in a consortium and use the same card, a fine at one library may prevent you from checking out material at another library.

The library is more interested in getting our materials back than we are in collecting fines. Many materials cannot be replaced because they have gone out of print. This is particularly true for earlier titles in fiction series. Often by the time an author is writing the 10th or 11th book of a series, you can no longer purchase the first few books in that series.

If you have fines, don't miss this great opportunity to return your library card to good standing!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Upcoming Events for April 2009

April 6, 2009 - City Department Training Activity Room
April 6, 2009 - 4H Meeting 6:00-7:30
April 9, 2009 - 4H Meeting 1:00-3:00
April 10, 2009 - Library Closed
April 12 to April 18, 2009 - National Library Week
April 16, 2009 - Weirton Jaycees 5:30
April 13 to April 17, 2009 - Census Training 10:00-6:30
April 20 to April 24, 2009 - Census Training 10:00-6:30
April 29, 2009 - Movie Night 6:00
May 1, 2009 - Leadership Weirton History and Culture Session 9:30-1:00

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