Yearly Archives: 2019


Join the Conversation

One Book, One Community 2019

How to Break Up with Your Phone by Catherine Price

For the past 12 years, the Tuscarawas County Literacy Coalition has sponsored a grassroots community reading initiative called One Book, One Community.

One Book is committed to bringing people together–regardless of race, economic, political or other differences–through the shared experience of reading the same book. When we do that we have something to talk about!

Throughout the month of October and into early November, I invite you to join the conversation! 

This year’s book is, How to Break Up With Your Phone, by Catherine Price.

The book deals with technology addiction and how our smartphones are changing us. The goal of the book is to put boundaries on our technology and to be more present when we are in the company of friends, neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones. Stop by any public library in T-County for a copy of the book and join a community book discussion or other event.

Catherine Price

Mark you calendars for Monday, November 4 at 7:00 PM for An Evening with Author Catherine Price at KSU Tuscarawas. The event is free to all!

For a complete listing of all programs and events related to One Book, One Community, click here.

Stop by and let me know what you think of the book. Happy Reading!

Jim Gill, Library Director


Fall Book Clubs

School has started and Fall is here! It’s the perfect time to start something new. And if you like to read, we’ve got a suggestion. How about trying one of the Dover Public Library’s Book Clubs?

Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle Logo

The Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle meets the last Thursday of the month at Noon. It is out branch of the oldest continuous book club in the United States.

Our Tuesday Night Book Club meets the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. Enjoy coffee and conversation with us!

B.Y.O.B.: A New Type of Book Club

We also have the BYOB, the Bring Your Own Book Club. In this club, the group picks a theme, and members each read something different. Monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at various restaurants. Enjoy a meal and beverage while discussing your chosen title.

Other community book clubs include the Literary Ladies Book Club and College Club. For more information on these groups, please contact me, Denise, at 330-343-6123.

One great feature of a book discussion is the wide range of topics that come up when we get together. And, some of the best discussion comes from those books that we hate!

“A book group gives me the chance to pick up a book I normally would just pass by. It challenges me to read something different.” – Marilyn Rainsberger

Come to a book group! We have cookies!

Denise Campbell-Johnson


A Book’s Journey

books traveling across a map

Have you ever wondered how we build our collection?

It all starts with several different people making choices for all the different materials we have. This collection development team reads reviews and articles about upcoming books and audio visual materials to help them make their choices. And, of course, the library always orders the books on the best-sellers lists and popular movies our patrons have been waiting for.

Once the materials are ordered and delivered, they are checked to ensure that the whole order is here and no books have arrived by mistake. Then, the new titles are sent to the Technical Services room, which is where they will get cataloged into the computer.

In the Technical Services room, we check the order slips to see if any of the items have a reserve, and we put those patrons on hold for the requested items.

Once they are properly entered into the computer, the materials will get the appropriate labels and protective covering, if needed. Some soft-covered books already arrive with a protective film to keep the books usable longer. These books get taped on the front and back covers to keep the spine from breaking and the pages from coming out.

New Nonfiction on display

After getting all their proper labels and protection, they are ready to go upstairs to be checked in. Any reserve slips are printed, and the remaining items will be shelved, ready for patrons like you to take home and enjoy!

Wendy Contini – Technical Services Manager


8 Stories about Refugees for Kids

Stories are a great way to develop empathy and understanding for people in unfamiliar situations. The following stories are about families fleeing their homes because of danger and seeking safety in unfamiliar places. The Journey, a picture book by Francesca Sanna led me to highlight this topic. She tells a heart wrenching story about a mother protecting her children from the threats that face them in their own country.

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

Summary

With haunting echoes of the current refugee crisis this beautifully illustrated book explores the unimaginable decisions made as a family leave their home and everything they know to escape the turmoil and tragedy brought by war. 

Lubna and Pebble

Lubna and Pebble by Wendy Meddour

Summary

In an unforgettable story that subtly addresses the refugee crisis, a young girl must decide if friendship means giving up the one item that gives her comfort during a time of utter uncertainty. Lubna’s best friend is a pebble. Pebble always listens to her stories. Pebble always smiles when she feels scared. But when a lost little boy arrives in the World of Tents, Lubna realizes that he needs Pebble even more than she does. This emotionally stirring and stunningly illustrated picture book explores one girl’s powerful act of friendship in the midst of an unknown situation.

A Different Pond (Fiction Picture Books)

A Different Pond by Bao Phi

Summary

The story is told from the boy’s perspective, as his father wakes him long before dawn to go fishing. Although the child enjoys the outing as a special adventure with his dad, they are fishing for food, not sport, and they must be home in time for the father to leave for work. The quiet time together provides opportunities for the father to talk about his past life fishing with his brother in a different pond in Vietnam, long ago before the war and before coming to America. 

Zenobia

Zenobia by Morten Durr

Summary

Zenobia was once a great warrior queen of Syria whose reign reached from Egypt to Turkey. She was courageous. No one gave her orders. Once she even went to war against the emperor of Rome. 

 When things feel overwhelming for Amina, her mother reminds her to think of Zenobia and be strong. Amina is a Syrian girl caught up in a war that reaches her village. To escape the war she boards a small boat crammed with other refugees. The boat is rickety and the turbulent seas send Amina overboard. In the dark water Amina remembers playing hide and seek with her mother and making dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) and the journey she had to undertake with her uncle to escape. And she thinks of the brave warrior Zenobia.

Nowhere Boy

Nowhere Boy by Katherine Marsh

Summary

Fourteen-year-old Ahmed is stuck in a city that wants nothing to do with him. Newly arrived in Brussels, Belgium, Ahmed fled a life of uncertainty and suffering in Aleppo, Syria, only to lose his father on the perilous journey to the shores of Europe. Now Ahmed’s struggling to get by on his own, but with no one left to trust and nowhere to go, he’s starting to lose hope.

Then he meets Max, a thirteen-year-old American boy from Washington, D.C. Lonely and homesick, Max is struggling at his new school and just can’t seem to do anything right. But with one startling discovery, Max and Ahmed’s lives collide and a friendship begins to grow. Together, Max and Ahmed will defy the odds, learning from each other what it means to be brave and how hope can change your destiny.

The Red Pencil

The Red Pencil by Andrea Pinkney

Summary

Life in Amira’s peaceful Sudanese village is shattered when Janjaweed attackers arrive, unleashing unspeakable horrors. After losing nearly everything, Amira needs to find the strength to make the long journey on foot to safety at a refugee camp. She begins to lose hope, until the gift of a simple red pencil opens her mind — and all kinds of possibilities.

Lily's Crossing

Lily’s Crossing by Patricia Giff

Summary

As in past years, Lily will spend the summer in Rockaway, in her family’s summer house by the Atlantic Ocean. But this summer of 1944, World War II has changed everyone’s life. Lily’s best friend, Margaret, has moved to a wartime factory town, and, much worse, Lily’s father is going overseas to the war.

There’s no one Lily’s age in Rockaway until the arrival of Albert, a refugee from Hungary with a secret sewn into his coat. Albert has lost most of his family in the war; he’s been through things Lily can’t imagine. But soon they form a special friendship. Now Lily and Albert have secrets to share: They both have told lies, and Lily has told one that may cost Albert his life.

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown

Summary

This graphic novel for teens depicts moments of both heartbreaking horror and hope in the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. Starting in 2011, refugees flood out of war-torn Syria in Exodus-like proportions. The surprising flood of victims overwhelms neighboring countries, and chaos follows. Resentment in host nations heightens as disruption and the cost of aid grows. By 2017, many want to turn their backs on the victims. The refugees are the unwanted.

Mallory, Library Assistant


Joy & Painting

In October of 2016, I taught my first Paint Night class at the Dover Public Library.

I kept it simple. Two pumpkins sit on a table with a blue background. I thought I’d incorporate color theory and wet on wet blending, talk about the color wheel and design principles. Simple. Right.

Since then, I have let go of the theories of painting to focus on, like Bob Ross put it, the joy in painting.

Our Paint Nights are fun times of relaxation and creativity. Follow the sample painting if you want, but make it yours. Change that background. Draw an alien. Have fun with it, because, at the end of the day, creating art should be fun.

If you think you can’t paint, I invite you to one of our Paint Nights so I can prove you wrong. Everyone can paint. And if you have fun at Paint Night, then we were successful.

Call me at the Library at 330-343-6123 to ask about our next Paint Night.

Happy Painting!

Liz Strauss – Teen/Outreach Services Manager and “Artist”


Tai Chi for Better Balance

Ever thought about trying Tai Chi? Want to know what it’s all about? The health benefits? If it’s right for you?

You can find out! Dover Public Library is hosting a Tai Chi Open House on Friday, September 6 at 10:00 AM in the library’s Community Room.

For one hour, come and learn about Tai Chi for Better Balance.

Certified instructors can answer your questions.

Watch a short DVD on the eight Tai Chi moves that you will learn in our upcoming classes. These classes are free and will be held each Friday at 10:00 AM through November 1.

This class consists of low impact, slow movements that will help you with balance. If you are unable to stand for long periods of time, these movements can also be done in a sitting position.

All ages are welcome!

Join Julie Warther and me, Denise Campbell-Johnson, for Tai Chi this fall!

— Denise Campbell-Johnson, Library Assistant and Certified Tai Chi Instructor


Magazines!

I have never been a reader of magazines, but now as I shelve the many magazines available at the library, I can’t help but glance at the cover stories.

I notice the variety of topics that our esteemed patrons read about. Now, on weekends, I make it a point to take home 2 magazines so that I can broaden my knowledge on topics that have not been on my radar.

I have to admit that I still check out food magazines and drool over the beautiful photographs of perfectly prepared dishes.  I do not aspire to recreate those delicacies, but I can dream, can’t I?

Sherrel Rieger – Library Assistant

Did You Know?

The Dover Public Library offers over 200 magazines to check out? Stop by the Library today to peruse the collection!