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Color Your Own Dragon Cards

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color your own dragon cards in multiple colors

Happy Holidays busy readers! I thought it would be super fun for you all to be able to color your own dragon cards. I bet you have some really cool ideas about what your dream dragons would look like. All through December you can stop in at the children’s department to pick up a pack of blank dragon cards or request them at curbside pickup. I would love to see what you make! You can share your cards with the library through facebook or tag your cards on social media #DoverReadingDragons 

Dover Goes International!

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There are so many ways that 2020 has not lived up to our expectations. BUT, there are some good things that have come from this pandemic. In having to go digital with our programs, the Dover Public Library has reached a wider audience than ever before. Check this out!

GMO strawberry versus organic strawberry comparison

Chris Zoller, Assistant Professor at the OSU Extension Office in Tuscarawas County, gave an Overview of GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). 

Two gentlemen joined us from Lima, Peru to learn about Genetically Modified Organisms.  In Peru, there is a debate about the advantages and disadvantages of GMO potatoes.  Some agriculturists want to introduce GMO potatoes into Peru in order to help the poor farmers of the highlands, but there is a group of people who oppose it because they want to preserve the multiple ancient strains of potatoes.   In 2011, the latter group convinced the government to impose a 10-year moratorium on the planting of GMO potatoes.  There was an international research center about potatoes in Lima, but, due to the moratorium, they had to move their center to Kenya, where there was more of a possibility of planting and researching GMO crops.  Next year, the moratorium will expire.  The group against GMO crops wants to extend the moratorium for another 15 years, but the men who joined us argue in favor of the GMO potatoes.

The questions in my mind are these:  Do they care more about the traditional crops and ancient seeds?  Are they considering the nutritional value of the potatoes grown in the Andrean highlands?  Can a poor farmer get more yield if he planted GMO potatoes and therefore make a profit for his family? 

Chris Zoller agreed to send his presentation to the gentlemen so that they can translate the information into Spanish and use it in presentations in the upcoming year (to convince the government officials to allow the planting and further research of GMO potatoes.)

I asked the Peruvian gentlemen how they found out about our program and they simply said a colleague told them about it.  And just like that, the Dover Public Library went international!

-Sherrel Rieger, Adult Programming Specialist

Holidays Around the World

This entry was posted in Adult Services DPL Blog Kids Teens on by

This year has been different to say the least.  Most people have not traveled anywhere or at least have stayed close to home. 

So, we decided to give everyone a little taste of adventure this holiday season by transforming the top of the bookshelves in the Children’s Department into a trip around the world.

Christmas is celebrated by a lot of people in the United States and a lot of European countries, but you can’t forget about Hanukkah and Kwanzaa too. 

I have learned so many cool facts about different countries, like how Ukraine uses a spider web on their trees due to an old folk tale.  In Thailand most people are Buddhist, but those that celebrate Christmas like to use the fish, which is a Christian symbol, to make special ornaments for the tree. 

Kwanzaa came into existence in 1966 to celebrate African American heritage. 

Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 nights because the Maccabees were able to survive with a day’s worth of oil that lasted 8 days.

Of course, the Christmas season in the United States is a religious holiday for many representing the birth of Christ, and homes and churches decorate with manger sets, trees and hold family gatherings.

It is also welcomed by many celebrating the arrival of Santa, gift giving and the reading of the ever popular The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore.  Did you know that it was first published as an anonymous poem in 1823, and in 1837 was found to be authored by Moore. 

Stop in and find out more about this joyous holiday season! 

This display starts November 16 and will continue until the end of December.  It is for kids of all ages.

-Jen Gardner, Children’s Department Manager

Halloween at Home

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Stuck at home this Halloween? Make the most of it with these five fun activities you can do without leaving the house!

  1. Interactive Movies: Watch your favorite movie with a new twist. Come up with actions to do during key moments in the movie to turn movie night into a game. Need some ideas? Check out YALSA’s post on Interactive Movies for scripts and more.
  2. Ghost Hunt: Hide paper ghosts or other ghost props around your house and have the kids race to find them all! Search for free clipart to use on Pixabay or draw your own!
  3. Halloween Egg Hunt: Have the Easter Bunny help you out for this one! Hide candy and toy-filled plastic eggs around the house. Bonus craft: decorate your plastic eggs with puffy paint to turn them into pumpkins, ghosts, monsters, and more. Not crafty? There’s always these pumpkin eggs from Amazon.
  4. Scavenger Hunts & Escape Rooms: Feeling a bit more ambitious? Try your hand at making a custom Scavenger Hunt or go a step further with an Escape Room! Check out Escape Room puzzle ideas and downloadable kits at Lock, Paper, Scissors and Instructables.
  5. Minute to Win It: Play a series of challenging mini-games to win the title of Halloween Champion. Come up with your own games or do classic Halloween games like bobbing for apples. Need some ideas? Check out 30 Easy & Fun Minute-to-Win-It Games for Kids from Red Tricycle.

Happy Halloween!

-the DPL Staff

Reading Dragons

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Reading dragon cards for the Skeleton, Glowshroom, and Calico dragons

This Fall, I’m excited to announce that the Reading Dragons are back with a new look and brand new games to play!

Earn a new dragon card for every 30 minutes of reading. You can get 4 different dragons each month. That is a total of 16 cards a month! One card for every box on the tracker.

Where did the dragon cards come from? How are there so many different kinds? The original line art was designed by Ms. Mallory of the Children’s Department. The unique colors and themes for each dragon are then created by library staff. Sometimes, these designs are even based on patron ideas!

So how do you get a Reading Dragon? You start with an egg, and then you read to make it grow! It will hatch into a baby, then grow to a teenager, and then finally become an adult dragon. Then, you can start all over again with a new egg!

And now, Ms. Mallory has developed two new games to play with your dragons! The more you read, the more dragons you collect, the more fun you can have playing.

Stop by the Children’s Department at the Library to pick up your Reading Dragon tracker, game instructions, and some special starter cards!

-Liz Strauss & Mallory Thompson

Update 12/27/2023

Please email Mallory at mthompson@doverlibrary.org for information on how to get started and access to our Google Drive!

Mini Sketchbook Project

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Calling all young artists in grades 6-12! This October, we’re throwing down a challenge: fill up a mini sketchbook with art and return it to the Library for inclusion in the Teen collection.

Sketchbooks are 4″ x 4″ and can be picked up at the Library while supplies last.

Guidelines:

  • Artwork must be original work.
  • While a prompt list is provided for inspiration, art is not required to follow the prompts.
  • Fanart or studies that copy famous art must give credit to the original artist or copyright holder.
  • Submissions featuring inappropriate artwork will not be added to the collection.
  • Sketchbooks must be approximately four inches by four inches.
  • Finally, sketchbooks will not be returned to the artists.

There is no deadline for submission, but any teen who turns in their sketchbook by November 1 will be entered to win a gift card. 

The Mini Sketchbook Project is inspired by Brooklyn Art Library’s Sketchbook Project, the largest collection of sketchbooks in the world. More information about the original project can be found at https://brooklynartlibrary.org/sketchbookproject. 

The original Sketchbook Project is amazing, and I’ve always wanted to participate, but it seems so daunting. I hope our Mini Sketchbook Project helps make the idea more accessible by providing mini sketchbooks, for free, to the young artists in our community. I can’t wait to see what the teens in our community come up with this fall!

The Mini Sketchbook Project is funded by a 21st Century Afterschool Learning Grant with Dover High School, which supports learning opportunities outside of classroom walls. This grant has also funded author visits, the Dover Public Library’s Mobile STEAM Lab, and the publication of Tornado Alley, the Teen Literary Magazine published every Spring. 

What are you waiting for? Get drawing!

–Liz Strauss, Teen/Outreach Services Manager

Thank You, Julie Warther!

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As Dover Public Library Board of Trustees Vice President Julie Warther begins her next adventure, we asked her a few questions about life, libraries, and literacy.

Julie Warther

1. What has been the best thing about serving the community as a Trustee at the Dover Public Library?

I felt honored to have had the opportunity to participate in this vibrant part of our community. I loved being part of this winning team of staff, managers, board members and patrons who all work together to make the magic of the Dover Public Library happen!  The overwhelming support shown by the community confirms time and again that what we do is important and valued here.


2. How has the Library changed during your time as a Trustee?

I’ve been on the board with two directors, a levy campaign, a remodel of the Children’s Department and later a remodel of the rest of the library.  We’ve experienced an incredible growth in programming, making the library a hub in the community for all ages. I’ve watched our Outreach Program blossom and technology explode. The StoryWalk® was created and continues to flourish at Dover City Park.  And most recently, we navigated a shut-down due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a re-opening with curbside pickup.  And these are just some of the highlights!  It’s been an incredible journey!


3.What words of advice would you impart on someone considering applying for the open Trustee seat?

Love the library and this community. Know that you are helping to bring our community together; be an advocate for literacy; open doors for many. The current board has worked together for numerous years and each fills a niche.  Bring your own unique talents and be ready to jump in with both feet!


4.  What do you like to do in your free time?

My favorite hours are spent with my kids, or reading, writing poetry, hiking at Norma Johnson’s Conservation Center and kayaking the Tuscarawas River.


5.  What is your greatest memory of growing up in Dover?

I recognize I had a near-idyllic childhood with a loving family, lots of outside time, and a love of reading.  My childhood home was adjacent to what is now the Norma Johnson Conservation Center. I spent hours hiking and fishing there with my parents and brothers.  My mom brought me to Storytime at the Dover Public Library when I was younger, then I started reading through the shelves of mysteries in the Children’s Department – The Happy Hollisters, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown.  I grew up as part of the family at Dover First United Methodist Church and attended Dover High School where I remember fondly my days playing alto saxophone with the Marching Tornadoes and performing with the Thespians on the Dover High School stage.

6.  One thing about me that people would be surprised to know is…

I am a poetry nerd!  I am an editor for an online haiku journal called The Heron’s Nest www.theheronsnest.com and have been instrumental in establishing several haiku path installations, including one at The Inn at Honeyrun in Millersburg.


7.  What is your favorite book of all time and why?

You didn’t really expect me to name just one, did you? I have found delight in many books.

The Bible, cozy mysteries, children’s literature like the Harry Potter series, and lots of poetry.

There is however, one particular book that surfaces when this question is asked. Richard Adams’s Watership Down was that one special book for me that still resonates. It was a place of community, albeit through many difficulties; friends helping each other along, each respected for his or her own unique gifts. There was an opening to possibilities and hope in it for me.


8.   You are about to begin the next chapter of your life.  Can you share what is next for you?  

I am moving to Wisconsin with two cats where we will likely be snowed-in often and catch up on stacks of books. I will probably do much of what I did here: be involved in the writing community and the church, find a place to lead a tai chi class and enjoy hiking and biking.  As my people are here in Ohio, I will make regular trips back to visit.  Don’t be surprised if you run into me at the library!

***

Thank you, Julie Warther, for your years of service to the community! We wish you all the best in your next chapter!

Thank you with fall leaves background

If you know someone who has a passion for literacy, the community, and the Dover Public Library, please tell them about our Board of Trustees, currently seeking a new member! Learn more online or call Library Director Jim Gill at 330-343-6123 for more information.