Yearly Archives: 2020


Happy Shark Month!

cartoon in a shark costume: August is Shark Month at Dover Public Library

Did you know that there are around 500 known species of sharks? That’s a lot of teeth!

Join us in the Children’s Department to learn even more about sharks this month as we celebrate these fascinating creatures with craft kits and books. Help us fill the ocean with many colored sharks on our Shark Wall and check out our other displays. Special freebies are also on hand in the Teen Room for older shark fans.

Check out our Shark Month kick-off story time on Facebook as Ms. Jen reads Misunderstood Shark.

Ms. Jen wearing a shark headband and a shark mask
Happy Shark Week!

Stuck at home? Learn 50 Amazing Shark Facts from Shark Sider, or sink your teeth into a Shark Word Search from Monster Word Search!


The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Review

With everything going on in the world, the library’s copies of the latest Hunger Games novel by Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, arrived about two months late. Was it worth the wait?

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The short answer, from a Hunger Games fan, is YES! The long answer is… maybe?

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place about sixty years before the original trilogy. The first two parts of the book follow the tenth Hunger Games, the annual competition slash punishment that takes twenty four children from the twelve districts of Panem and puts them in a fight to the death. This year the Capitol is trying something new: mentors. The first class of mentors includes students from the Capitol in their final year of school. Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is one of those students, and he is assigned the female tribute from District 12.

Weighing in at 528 pages, this book, full of surprises and insights, is not what I would call light reading. It raises a lot of questions about Panem and about future villain Snow. The book tackles war, reformation, poverty, hatred, ambition… It makes you think.

Personally, I like this book. It was a good read. As a Hunger Games fan, I would recommend this to other fans. But fair warning: if you haven’t read The Hunger Games, you’ll need to after reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Then, you’ll probably want to read all four of them again.

-Liz Strauss, Teen/Outreach Services Librarian


Back to School Book List

Here are some fun books to get your kiddos ready for school!

We Don't Eat our Classmates by Ryan Higgins dinosaur picture book

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan Higgins

Little Lola by Julie Saab cat goes to school picture book

Little Lola by Julie Saab

Dinosaur vs school by Bob Shea book

Dinosaur vs School by Bob Shea

The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes picture book cover

The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes

Chu's first day at school by Neil Gaiman and Adam Rex  picture book cover

Chu’s First Day of School by Neil Gaiman

The Pout-Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Deisen picture book cover

Pout Pout Fish Goes to School by Deborah Deisen

Monsters love school by Mike Austin picture book cover

Monsters Love School by Mike Austin

Biscuit Goes to School by Alyssa Capucilli, an I Can Read Book

Biscuit Goes to School by Alyssa Capucilli

Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London picture book cover

Froggy Goes to School by Jonathan London

-Compiled by Mallory Thompson, Librarian


The Baby-Sitters are Back

If you were a pre- teen during the late 80’s or early 90’s you may remember a book series called The Baby-Sitters Club

Ann M Martin The Baby-Sitters Club #1: Kristy's Great Idea 1986

Author Ann Martin put out a hit when she wrote this series.  176 million copies were sold during the period of 1986-2000.  The original TV series came from those books and was on HBO in 1990.  I did not personally watch or read since I was graduating in 1990 and was just too sophisticated for that – haha!! I am pretty sure my younger sister did have at least one of those books.

The books and TV series are making a comeback now with the hit show on Netflix.  You can still follow your favorites Kristy, Claudia, Stacey and Mary Anne even though there have been adaptations to the current styles and technology in both the books and show. 

Ann M Martin The Baby-Sitters Club The Summer Before, 2009

In 2009, Martin wrote a prequel called The Summer Before, and it was such a hit that the books  are being reissued, and there are even graphic novels of the books.  The books are slowly coming back out one or two a month through the beginning of the new year.  You can count on those books being on our shelves. Well… at least being owned by the library. They will be off the shelves more often than they will be on them, I’m sure.

-Jen Gardner, Children’s Department Manager

Baby-sitters series collection

Welcome Back!

Big Louie gives a thumbs up

A Message from the Director

For this week’s blog, I wanted to personally welcome you back to the Dover Public Library! We will officially be reopening on Monday, July 6 after nearly four months of having our building closed to the public. Please know how much we have missed you and how grateful we are for your support of the library.  We all know the pandemic has changed our world.  The Library is not immune to those changes so know that things will be different when you visit us. Each and every one of us will need to use the library in a different way. Your safety and the safety of our library staff is paramount. Our hours will be limited during the month of July: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM and Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00-6:00 PM. We hope to be able to expand hours as the year unfolds.

First of all, our curbside pickup service has been very successful.  If you are not comfortable coming into the library, know that curbside service will still be an option.  Simply call the library when you arrive in our rear parking lot and a librarian will bring your materials out to your car.  Also, our eLibrary will always be a safe and easy way to access your favorite book titles, movies, music, audiobooks and more. You can access our eLibrary here.  

Here are some expectations we are asking our patrons to keep in mind when you visit us next week: 

  • Patrons are asked not to come to the library if feeling ill or if someone you live with is ill.  
  • Wearing masks is STRONGLY encouraged
  • Patrons are asked to sanitize their hands as they enter and exit the building
  • Six foot distancing is mandatory
  • All library returns must be placed in one of the exterior book drops
  • Patrons are asked to limit their visit to 1 hour
  • Use of the public computers is by appointment only and is limited to 1 hour
  • No unattended children

At this time, our meeting rooms are not open to the public for reservations. Also, we are holding no in-person programs until further notice. Please know that these measures are temporary as we walk this journey together. Someday we will all look back on the year 2020 and think not so much about the pandemic and the toil and trials we endured, but the ways we came together as a community to help each other out.  And that, my library friends, is a story worth telling. 

Stay safe and keep reading!

Jim Gill, Director, Dover Public Library

Spread books not viruses with smiley face wearing a mask from Dover Public Library

Health & Safety Update

The Dover Public Library seeks to enrich lives in our community while being committed to the health and safety of both the public and the staff. For this reason and in light of the COVID-19 world we now live in, the Dover Public Library will implement the following measures per state & local health guidelines:

  • Six-foot minimum distance between all individuals or the minimum required by the Ohio Dept of Health (ODH). Visual indicators and signage posted in high traffic areas demonstrating a six-foot distance.
  • Staff will not report to work and the public should refrain from entering the library if showing the following COVID-19 symptoms in the last 72 hours: cough, fever, respiratory illness or difficulty breathing.
  • Clear, protective, counter shields installed at transaction desks between staff and public where appropriate.
  • Sanitization of shared surfaces daily with additional sanitation provided by staff, hourly as needed, to high-touch areas.
  • Everyone who enters the building are encouraged to sanitize their hands upon entering & exiting the building.
  • Patrons are asked to limit their visit to the library to 1 hour.
  • The library’s Unattended Minor Policy will be enforced.
  • All returned materials must be placed in one of the library’s two exterior book drops.  Materials will be quarantined for a minimum of 72 hours before they are handled by the staff & public.
  • Library staff are required to wear masks. Staff may supply their own masks or choose to wear one provided by the library. The Library strongly encourages the public to wear their own masks in compliance with ODH guidelines.
  • Adequate supply of cleaning products, masks, and gloves will be available to staff.
  • Staff required to perform thorough hand washing for at least 20 seconds per ODH guidelines; Glove use is optional but available for staff as needed/requested.
  • Staff will clean workstations before and after use.
  • The Library strongly advises members of the public refrain from entering buildings if you or a member of your household has been ill or has a temperature.

Quick Picks for Kids

Bored kids? Not quite sure what books or movies to get? The Children’s Department has got you covered with Quick Pick Bundles.

Quick Pick Bundles are librarian-selected items with a common theme. Each bundle includes 4-6 books and 2 DVD’s or Cd’s (when available) on a single subject.

quick pick book and movie selections on the themes of mermaids and sharks
Quick Picks Mermaids and Sharks!

Choose from:

  • Sharks
  • Mermaids
  • Dinosaurs
  • Pete the Cat
  • Graphic Novels
  • Princesses
  • Fairies
  • Dogs
  • Daniel Tiger
  • Space
  • Adventure
  • Unicorns
  • Gross Stuff

Call us today at 330-343-6123 to reserve your bundle for pick up at our Curbside Service!

-Jen G., Children’s Department Manager