##  Summer Reading in June and July

Summer Reading is serious business at TCPL! This is my favorite time of year, and we've got some extra special events and learning opportunities in store for our community this year. As you make your summer plans, we hope you'll check out what the library has to offer - there is truly something for everyone!  ​​​​​​Blog author: Amanda Neace serves as the Youth Services Director for Trimble County Public Library. ​

##  Storytime Graduation

We have had a wonderful spring season in storytime this year. From Easter Egg Hunts to sink or float water experiments, every Wednesday morning at the library has been filled with fun and learning. As we hunker down and prepare for Summer Reading, we'll be taking a break and having informal "playtimes" instead of proper storytimes during May. This is still a wonderful opportunity for toddlers and preschoolers and their families to socialize and practice their learning through play skills! To cap off the spring storytime season, we hosted a graduation for our kids who will be attending school next year. This is always such a fun event! Each child got to ring our very special literacy bell to mark their graduation from storytime, and received a certificate and book - all while wearing their graduation caps!   
  
​Be sure to check out the awesome learning opportunities we have scheduled for this age group during Summer Reading when you pick up your calendar:   
  
Book Babies: 30-minute storytimes especially for babies up to 18 months old   
Learn Spanish Storytime: 30-minute storytimes exploring the Spanish language through songs and stories   
Learn Sign Language Storytime: 30-minute storytimes exploring American Sign Language   
Wednesdays at 10:30AM: extra special events with special guests, especially for toddlers, preschoolers, and families ​​​​​Blog author: Amanda Neace serves as the Youth Services Director for Trimble County Public Library. ​

##  OverDrive for Families 

Many of our library patrons know about OverDrive - an easy to use app that allows anyone with a library card to get eBooks and audio books delivered to their phone or tablet. But have you ever thought about using OverDrive with your family? There is an entire children's section with books, audio, and video to check out together. These titles come in a variety of reading levels. Looking for something right away? Check out the "no wait" section to make sure you pick a title that is available immediately. A brand new feature available through OverDrive is read-along titles. These stories are especially for new and emerging readers. While the child reads along, the audio of the book is played as well. Ready to get started? Our OverDrive access is powered by Kentucky Libraries Unbound \- visit their website to learn more. All you need is a library card to get started!  ​​​​Blog author: Amanda Neace serves as the Youth Services Director for Trimble County Public Library. ​

##  Make TCPL your Spring Break destination! 

​​​Blog author: Amanda Neace serves as the Youth Services Director for Trimble County Public Library. ​  


##  March Children's Programs 

​​​Blog author: Amanda Neace serves as the Youth Services Director for Trimble County Public Library. ​

##  ﻿Have you checked out our new children's magazines? 

Next time you visit the library to check out a magazine for yourself, consider stopping by our new children's magazine rack to pick up some for the kiddos that you know! According to Scholastic, magazines are important outlets for children who are reluctant readers because they have pictures and the short articles aren't as scary looking as attempting to read an entire book. Magazines are also a great way to get your kids to read about non-fiction topics that might not seem as fun as reading a fictional book. At TCPL, we offer great non-fiction options like National Geographic Kids, ASK, and Kids, Code, and Computer Science. ​​Blog author: Amanda Neace serves as the Youth Services Director for Trimble County Public Library. ​

##  ﻿STEAM at the Library! 

Last month I was so excited to announce our new project to categorize the children's picture books. We are slowly but surely making our way through the collection, and I appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime! I promised that I would continue to update about these exciting changes taking place in our children's area, which is why I'm very happy to announce that our Children's Activity Room is going to be transformed into a STEAM Learning Center! You may have noticed that the Activity Room is currently out of use, and this is why. We have big plans for this space and I'm hoping that everything will be complete by the time our 2017 Summer Reading Program rolls around. If you aren't sure, STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math - these areas are hot topics in the education system right now, and we are so excited to offer hands-on opportunities for your kiddos to learn, create, and experiment!   
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Now I have a favor to ask you: in order to make our STEAM Learning Center a valuable asset to this community, we need to hear what your children and families would enjoy in this new space. If you have five minutes, please complete this survey so your voice will be heard! You can click here to access the short questionnaire.   
  
I truly appreciate your time and I'm really looking forward to these exciting changes!  ​​​Blog author: Amanda Neace serves as the Youth Services Director for Trimble County Public Library. ​

##  The C.R.A.P. Test

As a Media Library Specialist for a k-12 school for several years, I had the privilege of teaching Information Literacy to students. However, this topic applies to everyone! With so much information flooding our social media feeds, news channels, talk radio, etc. it is difficult to discern facts from "alternative facts" and "fake news."   
  
One of the most effective methods I found to evaluate information is the C.R.A.A.P. test. Yes, I'm a librarian/teacher and I said the word C.R.A.A.P. Yes - when I said this in a classroom of 4th graders, it took several minutes for the laughter to die down and throughout lessons there were always wisecracks and puns shared....But I bet that my students still remember this acronym and can use it to determine the quality of information to this day. Hopefully, this little nugget of information will help someone else who is having trouble discerning fact from fiction.   
  
**So the information literacy lesson for today is this....  
​C.R.A.A.P. is an acronym to help remember some important words when determining if information is accurate and reliable.**

  * CURRENT - Is the information that is being shared current? How old is it? Sometimes the timing of information is very important.
  * RELIABLE - Is the source that is sharing the information a reliable source? 
  * AUTHORITATIVE - Is the source qualified to provide information? 
  * ACCURATE - Is the information accurate? 
  * PURPOSE - What is the author's purpose? Could the source be biased in anyway? 

  
Finding out the questions to these answers can really be instrumental in determining if information is worthy of sharing with others in any context. If the information didn't pass the test... then it just might be.... **CRAP!**  


##  Too Busy To Learn A Foreign Language? 

So... I'm a busy lady and I have a lot of things I want to accomplish. One of those things is to brush up on my Spanish, since I spent tons of money in college to learn it and about the only thing I can do is order Mexican food in a restaurant without sounding completely foolish. However, I don't have time to sit down and log into a computer and I don't want to spend more money on instruction. I am always on the go!   
  
The Trimble County Public Library has made Mango Languages available to customers. The other day, I downloaded the FREE Mango Language App to my phone and logged in using my Trimble Library card. I started learning Spanish right away. I learn Spanish when I'm on the exercise bike at the gym and I need to forget that I'm breathing heavy, my heart rate is through the roof, and I'm ready to die. It's a great distraction! I learn Spanish when I am cooking dinner and waiting for things to finish baking. We learn Spanish in the car with my kids on the way to school because we have a 20 minute drive. It actually cuts down on the amount of times I have to reprimand the kids for touching each other or looking at each other. Again - it's a great distraction and we are all learning something new, which is fun!   
  
If you would like become bilingual, please go to an app store near you and download the Mango languages app or use your computer. Create an account using your Trimble Library card. Don't have one? Call us, we will sign you up for a card. Go to our **Mango Languages** page to start today!   
  
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