Check out our new helper!

We're excited to introduce our new Automated Materials Handling system! The system will help us check in and sort items faster, and it will help you because items that you return using the system will be checked in right away. Watch this video to learn a little about how it works:
NEW Tigard Public Library AMH from Tigard Library on Vimeo.

Re-Boot Camp is back!

Attention 4th and 5th graders! Re-Boot Camp was on extended leave, but after 3 years, it is back! Want to learn research skills, prepare for school reports and have fun, all at the same time? I can't hear you! Did you say YES?! Call the Children's Desk at 503-718-2656 to register. It will be upstairs in the Technology Room on Wednesday, October 30 and November 6 from 4 to 5:30. Please plan to attend both sessions.

Celebrate Children's Book Week!

May 7-13 is Children's Book Week,  which is the national celebration of books and reading for youth, sponsored by the Children's Book Council.  Established in 1919, Children's Book Week is the longest-running literacy initiative in the country. Each year, books for young people and the joy of reading are feted for a full week with author and illustrator appearances, storytelling, parties, and other book-related events at schools, libraries, bookstores, museums, and homes from coast to coast!

Why not celebrate by checking out the Children's Book Week Website and stopping by the library to check out a great book.  Need help finding a great children's book?  Youth librarians will be eager to help you choose the right one!

Bilingual Spanish books

I'm a librarian nerd. I admit it. That's why I am SO excited to announce that we now have Bilingual stickers on our bilingual kids' Spanish books. We often get the question, "How do I find books in both English and Spanish?" Until now, we have always had to tell patrons to find books that have both English and Spanish on the spine. Just turn yourself sideways, practically upside down so you can get at the right angle to look for books that have both English and Spanish words. No joke. That really was about the easiest way to find a bilingual book in our Juvenile Spanish collection. Now we have a nice brown and white "Bilingual/Bilingue" sticker that is much easier to pick out just scanning the shelves.

Never Too Young for a Library Card

Did you know that there is no limit for the age at which a child can get a library card? Nobody is too young. You can get your kids their own library cards with your ID and proof of address. Stop by the welcome desk to fill out an application. Oh, and when your kids get a new library card, they even get their pictures taken to mark the momentous occasion!

Meet the Collection Mondays: Early Readers

Welcome to Meet the Collection Mondays!  Every Monday from now through winter, librarians and staff from the youth services department will discuss each one of the collections they are responsible at the library.  We feel this series of posts will be a great way for everyone to know more about the children's and young adult collections and the special care that is given to each one.  Today we will begin with the Early Reader Collection.

The Early Reader Collection is comprised of books for children who are learning to read. The collection consists of books with limited and/or repetitive vocabulary and larger print size, specifically designed for beginning readers.  These books contain anywhere from one word to several simple sentences per page. Books can be individual stand-alone titles or are part of a series.  The collection also contains a number of sets focusing on each letter of the alphabet, plus many sets that help readers develop and proactice their phonics. 

Many people ask if the collection is organized by reading level.  Unfortunately, we can not accomodate this request as there are so many ways of interpreting this, due to the fact there are numerous leveled reading programs.  However, many of the books are rated by the publisher's own intepretation of a reading level, so parents are encouraged to use this as a way in deciding which reading level is best for their child.  We do keep the collection in order by the author's last name, or if it is a series by multiple authors we will shelve it by the name of the series.

The Early Reader Collection is housed beween the Juvenile Spanish and Juvenile Non-Fiction Collections.  You can spot these books by the green labels on the spines with the letter "E", which represents the term, "Early Reader".

Here are some of my favorite Early Reader Books from my childhood: The Frog and Toad Series, Amelia Bedelia Series, Big Dog Little Dog, Bears on Wheels, I Wish I Had Duck Feet, The Eye Book, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.

It's Not Too Late...

...to get Summer Reading prizes. Your kiddos must turn in reading records by August 31 to get their bag of goodies and a free book.

....to enter the Oregon College Savings Plan drawing. You have until September 2 to mail in your entries for a chance to win a $10,000 College Savings Plan for each child that signed up for summer reading. We still have plenty of entries here at the Library.

...to enjoy the summer. Reserve a Cultural Pass and get free entry to the Children's Museum, Japanese Gardens and other great local attractions. Check here for more details.

Tumblebook

You little one wants to play on the computer. You'd prefer they do something educational. You can both get what you want with the TumbleBook Library, an online interactive picture book collection for kids. Your library card gives you access to all of the great stories, games and activities for kids. You can choose read-along titles for beginning readers or story books that simply read aloud a picture book.  You can even create a playlist to make a mini-story time. I love that it includes non-fiction titles for those readers who love learning about "real" stuff. Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Kits for Kids!

Have you ever our explored our collection of juvenile kits? The J Kit collection shelves are packed with fun. Most kits are picture books with an accompanying CD or DVD. They're great way for kids to peruse books while listening to artfully produced readings of the stories, and they can keep the whole family entertained during road trips! Stop by the library to browse the collection and check out my personal favorite: Dog Train by Sandra Boynton.

How much is your library card worth?

Sure, it didn't cost you anything to get your library card, but how much is it worth? One of the new features of our Tigard Library website is a Library Use Calculator. Plug in how much you use your library in a month (number of books and movies you check out, computer time used, programs attended, etc.) and you can find out. My card is worth a cool $506 a month! Now that's some savings. Let us know how much your card is worth in the comments.

What's growing in the garden?

Sunny days are gracing us now and again. If you're thinking of starting a garden with your kids, stop in to the library to check out some books. The Dewey number for gardening is 635, so you'll find great books upstairs for grownups and downstairs for kiddos. Here are a few of my favorite kid titles.

Kids' Container Gardening by Cindy Krezel. Garden all year round with projects for inside and outside plants.

Mini Scientist: In the Garden by Lisa Burke. Gardens are great places to learn. Try out these experiments in your own yard.

Ready Set Grow! This DK publication has step by step instructions, fantastic pictures and fun projects.

Yucky Worms by Vivian French. Worms are wiggly and slimy and great for the garden. This fun picture book shows you how.

Love Your Library? Join the Board

Want to help with the decision making and direction of the Library?The Tigard Library Board is looking for a few good volunteers. Find out more about Board meetings and responsibilities here. You can fill out an application online or pick up a copy at City Hall. Either way, the deadline is May 27 to apply.

Good Ol' Dewey

The Dewey Decimal System is the way our library and many libraries, including all in the Washington County system, categorize non-fiction books. Pretty much any subject you can think of probably has its own Dewey Decimal Number. If you find the call number of a book you want, chances are if you go out to the stacks, you will find more like it with the exact same call number or right around there. If the books you find in the the kids' section are too easy, you can even go upstairs, and using the same call number, find something that is a little harder.

Our fiction books, on the other hand, are generally shelved in alphabetical order according to the last name of the author.

Searching at Tigard

Did you know that if you want to search for a book specifically at the Tigard Library, there is a way to do that?

1. Go to the Washington County Cooperative Library Services site.
2. Click on Search in the upper right-hand corner.
3. Choose Advanced Search.
4. In the upper right-hand corner, you will see a drop-down menu labeled Switch to Another Branch. Select Tigard Library.
5. Do a Keyword or Advanced search.
6. Find the drop-down menu next to Limit By: and select Local Titles Only.

Your results will bring up only items owned by Tigard. You will still need to Check Availability to make sure the item is In at Tigard. Because you selected Tigard as your branch, Tigard items will be listed at the top.

Fresh Reviews

Want to see what other library readers think about a book, movie or anything else you check out from the library? Like writing reviews? You can do both through the library's catalog using Chilifresh.

To the left of a title you'll see one of two options...write a review (that means no one's reviewed it yet) or Reader Rating (number of stars) and the number of reviews. It's one little way to share your feedback with your library community. We'd love to know what you thought, so just click through. If you need any help getting started, just let us know and we'll show you how!

But is it "in"?

You may have noticed by now, but the library catalog has a new feature. Next time you're searching for books about a subject and you just want to know what's "in" that you can check out, you're in luck! If you're in the Tigard Library, for example, under "Limit by" select "Items that are IN." Instead of seeing all the items throughout the county, you can see the ones on hand in Tigard that are ready to bring home right then. It's exciting news...at least for librarians!

Friends are Fantastic

Everybody needs friends. Even libraries need friends. This week is National Friends of the Library Week! The Tigard Friends of the Library help your library through volunteer work, super book sales and much more. The latest sale just a few weeks ago raised over $7,800 to support library programs and materials. Find out more about what the Friends do to help the library and maybe you'll want to become a "friend" too!

Volcanoes, Mold and Seeds

Ah, science fair time. Those fun projects that kids research and develop to share with their friends. For me, it's the time to panic about how many scientific terms sound like foreign words to me. And time to help parents and students find something (because all of the related books are checked out!) to help with their projects.

Enter the fantastic world of Science Online. This resource is available to you 24/7 and it's even student-friendly in its search system. Unlike the Internet, all of the articles, terms and topics are completely accurate and up-to-date. You can search a specific idea or explore general concepts. There are even some experiments available through the site. All you need is your library card number and you and your student can start searching!

Books at Home

You know we love it when you check out plenty of books and other things here at the library. But it's also great to have books on hand at home, for those times when you want something familiar to read. I always like to have a few paperbacks on hand for trips and waiting rooms, that can be forgotten without the fear of a fine! That's why the Friends of the Library Book Sale is such a fantastic thing! This Friday, Oct. 8 from 9-5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 9 from 9-3 p.m. you can load up on lots of inexpensive books at the sale, held in the Community Room. Expand your at home library without having to expand your expenses.

What Did You Think?

The Washington County Cooperative Library Services wants to know what you thought about the Summer Reading Program. The Tigard Public Library participated in this county-wide event. Take a short survey to let us know what you thought of the performers, prizes, promotions and more. Next summer's just around the corner (at least planning for it is!), so give us some information to make things even better. You've got until the end of September to take the survey. Thanks!