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Gale Virtual Reference Added to Your Research Toolkit
Now, with a Kanawha County Public Library card and an internet connection, you have 24/7 access to the new Gale Virtual Reference library featuring premier reference works.
Swine Flu Links
Learn what is known about the swine flu, the current outbreak, and flu prevention with the web pages we have collected.
Be a Critic
Everyone's a critic – literally! Share your insights, thoughts and opinions about the books you've read. Check out the reviews before you check out an item. You may find a reviewer who's opinion you trust and can base your selections on their reviews or better yet, become one of those trusted reviewers!
Libraries Will Be Closed Friday and Saturday
All Kanawha County Public Library branches will be closed Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day.
Celebrating a Century of Service
KCPL continues its year-long birthday celebration. Join the fun. Have you taken the 100 Book Challenge? It's not to late to earn your gold library card. Join dozens of others who have earned theirs.
KCPL: Past, Present, Future
Take a trip back in time with this slide show of historic pictures from the past 100 years of the Kanawha County Public Library.
5 Things We Love This Week
Moon Women by Pamela Duncan
If you love the southern fiction of Fannie Flagg and Rebecca Wells, try Moon Women, set in the lush North Carolina foothills. Ruth Ann Moon's life is turned upside down when she takes in her elderly mother, her pregnant nineteen-year-old daughter, and her ex-husband, in a story of three generations of women separated by a long-hidden family secret.
Iron Horse: Lou Gehrig in his time by Ray Robinson
In an age where celebrity is given for shallow reasons and sports heroes have feet of clay, we celebrate the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig's speech. On July 4, 1939 Gehrig stood before Yankee fans and told them he was the "luckiest man on the face of the earth", even as he faced his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Robinson's biography captures Gehrig on the field and off in this excellent biography.
Littlest Dinosaur's Big Adventure by Michael Foreman
Just in time for Summer Library Club 2009, is the arrival of the picture book The Littlest Dinosaur's Big Adventure by Michael Foreman. This gentle story of a very small dinosaur who cavorts with frogs and butterflies offers an alternative for very young children to stories which feature much more fearsome dinosaurs. Only one scene may prove to be frightening for the children but all ends well. Pair this with the first book in the series, The Littlest Dinosaur, for your own dinosaur storytime.
Drood by Dan Simmons
Looking for a big, big beach read? This tale, inspired by the mysterious final years of Charles Dickens, finds the fifty-three-year-old literary master irrevocably changed when a train journey with his mistress ends in violence. "Simmons also offers a stunning re-creation of Dickens' London and its characters that's almost as good as, well…Dickens. A top-notch, genre-bending tour de force, this is where history and horror meet." –Booklist
Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak
Do you remember Nancy Drew? This volume reveals that the many mysteries solved by Nancy Drew, the brainchild of children's story mogul Edward Stratemeyer, were written by two women who published under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene. Working from correspondence, articles, and other archival materials, Rehak recreates the lives and careers of Stratemeyer, his daughter Harriet, and writer Mildred Wirt Benson, in an engaging book that grown Nancy Drew fans will enjoy.
Year-long Read 100 Challenge Continues…
Patrons of all ages are challenged to read 100 books during the year, and it’s not too late to earn your commemorative gold library card. Use these tips to help you towards your goal.
- Participate in one of KCPL's summer reading clubs
- Get your family reading–you can encourage each other
- Bring books on vacation
- Listen to audiobooks in the car, bring a Playaway to the gym
- Join a book group
- Keep a book with you in case you get caught waiting in line
- Read on your lunch break (this will also make you look smart)
- Try poetry or short stories
Above all, don't give up! Keep your eyes on the prize–a gold library card.
Job Programs: April -August 2009
Throughout the spring and summer KCPL will be hosting a series of programs geared toward helping you land a job during the current economic downturn.
Learn more about these special job-related programs and link to other resources we have collected to help you find the information you need to thrive in the new economy.
Thriving in the New Economy
A frugal lifestyle is essential in this time of economic recovery. You'll find plenty of good ideas for frugal living here to help you get started.
If you find yourself out of work, the Find a Job page has links to a variety of print and web based materials to help with job searches, changing careers and benefits. For some resources, it will be useful to have your KCPL library card number.
Are you confused by all the information about the financial crisis? The pages we link to in our resource guide to understanding the financial crisis will help you understand what happened and keep you up with the latest news.
New book group looks at love, forgiveness
Kanawha County Public Library will host a free five-part reading and discussion series called “Let’s Talk About It: Love & Forgiveness” beginning March 23. The series explores the themes of love and forgiveness in everyday life through classic and contemporary literature. more information…
Reading, Viewing, Listening
If there's one thing the staff at the Kanawha County Public Library loves, it's READING! Many of us are sharing our favorite reads on the READ posters you see at your library. Want to find out what the we are reading? Just ask! Or, see the Reading, Viewing, Listening pages for more staff suggestions.
Our Reading, Viewing, Listening pages serve as a jumping off point for the sometimes overwhelming sea of media.