On Monday, June 26, join us in the community room at 2 p.m. for “Science Heroes: Saving Earth Together.” Science and stories collide in this  interactive STEM program. Two unlikely heroes must learn to work together to stop a super polluting mastermind. Throughout the story, kids will help the performer conduct amazing science experiments all about air pressure, the laws of motion, chemical reactions, and much more! This free science program is geared to kids in grades K-5, and there’s no need to sign up in advance.

Sign up now for the selfies painting workshop for kids, teens, and adults ages 5 and up. It will be held in the community room on Friday, June 9^th, at 1:00 p.m..  COMPAS Teaching Artist Heidi Jeub will be teaching students to create a portrait of themselves.

This event is free to attend but space is limited, so make sure to sign up in advance. Adults are encouraged to stay with younger children, especially those younger than age 8.

This summer, kids and teens are invited to “Find Your Voice,” the theme of this year’s summer reading program at the Grove City Public Library. Speaking, reading, writing, making art, and actions we take are all ways we express ourselves.

Kids and teens up to age 18 can sign up for the self-paced reading program starting Tuesday, May 30. No need to worry if you can’t get to the library that day; sign-up continues all summer. The Grove City program ends August 15.

When kids sign up, they’ll get a book bag, a bookmark, a small treat, and a reading log.

The summer reading program is always self-paced. Children work their way through the reading game sheets, earning spaces by reading or being read to for 20 minutes (counting up to an hour a day), and by doing other activities like being active for at least 20 minutes, reading aloud to a person or a pet, or attending a library program. For teens, there’s a more straightforward sheet for tracking hours of reading. Whenever kids bring in a completed sheet, they can choose from a wide variety of small prizes.

The goal of the summer reading program is to encourage kids to read all summer long so that they keep up their reading skills and return to school in the fall ready to learn. Because of that, kids can do one reading sheet after another all summer until late August and keep earning prizes.

Mark your calendars for some special events! The library is hosting a selfie portrait painting class on Friday, June 9, from 1-3 p.m. in the community room. COMPAS Teaching Artist Heidi Jeub will be teaching students to create a portrait of themselves, after teaching them about color mixing, proportion, and composition. This program is open to all ages, but space is limited, so make sure to sign up in advance. Free to attend, this program is funded through the Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

On Monday, June 26, join us in the community room at 2 p.m. for “Science Heroes: Saving Earth Together.” Science and stories collide in this  interactive STEM program. Two unlikely heroes must learn to work together to stop a super polluting mastermind. Throughout the story, kids will help the performer conduct amazing science experiments all about air pressure, the laws of motion, chemical reactions, and much more! This free science program is geared to kids in grades K-5, and there’s no need to sign up in advance.

CLIMB Theatre will be performing “The Ant & the Grasshopper” for kids on Thursday, July 13, at 4 p.m. in the community room. This mini-play supports literacy and reading readiness, so it’s especially great for young children. In this continuation of Aesop’s Fable, “The Ant and the Grasshopper,” two friends compete together in the “Find Your Voice” competition. However, hardworking Ant and playful Grasshopper are having trouble finding their harmony. With the help of Queen Bee and the audience, Ant and Grasshopper will learn to BEE kind, BEE a friend, and BEE together as they work toward creating a sound where everyone’s voice is a part of the chorus. This is another program funded through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. As with all library events, it’s free to attend. There’s no need to sign up in advance for this performance.

For current information, visit the library’s website at grovecity.lib.mn.us or the Grove City Library Facebook page, or visit the library in person to learn more about what’s offered this summer.

Grove City Library will offer curbside service indefinitely. Call the library at the number on the sign, 320-857-2550, if you’d like your materials brought outside. Have your library card number ready.

Library staff can hand your bag of library materials to you on the sidewalk or bring it to your vehicle parked in front of the library. Let us know where you’d like us to bring it when you call.

Curbside service may be useful if you have mobility issues or a sleeping child in the car, or because of illness. Regardless of your reason, you are welcome to use the service!

by Beth Cronk, Meeker County Librarian

Here are some useful facts about the library in a Frequently Asked Questions format. I hope you learn a little something you didn’t know before!

How much does it cost to get a library card?
A library card is free! It’s part of the public services available to you as a resident of Minnesota. Once you have a library card, it’s also free to check out anything in the library collection, both ebooks and physical items. If you had a library card and it’s lost, there is a $3 charge for a replacement card.

How many books are in the Grove City Public Library?
The Grove City Library has about 6,900 books. It also has about 1,800 DVDs and about 300 CDs.

What if I want to check out something that the Grove City Library doesn’t have?
You can request things from other libraries in the Pioneerland Library System, which has a collection of about 620,000 physical items. If Pioneerland doesn’t have something, you can often request it from another library in Minnesota, using the MNLINK catalog. You can search both the Pioneerland and MNLINK catalogs online and request things yourself, or library staff can help you and place those requests.

Does it cost money to order things from other libraries?
No, the service is free to you as part of the interlibrary loan network in place in Minnesota. Our state is outstanding at providing access to library materials! Grove City Library gets two deliveries of those interlibrary loan materials each week.

How long can I keep a book?
Most books are loaned for four weeks. Some bestsellers are limited to just two weeks while they’re new; you’ll recognize these by the sticker on the spine that says “14 day loan.”

How long can I keep a DVD I’ve checked out?
DVDs are now loaned for two weeks.

Can I check out magazines?

Yes, magazines can be checked out for two weeks.

A book I checked out had a due date coming up soon, but now I found out that it’s not really due for a few more weeks. What happened?

Automatic renewals! This is a brand-new service our library system is offering. If no one has a hold on an item that you have checked out, and you haven’t renewed it before, the library’s computer system will automatically renew it for you once, three days before its due date. If you are signed up for email updates about your account, you’ll be notified by email when those renewals happen and when you have items that will be due soon.

I’m late returning a library item. How much will I be charged?

There is a charge of ten cents per day for late items, although there is a three-day grace period before those start being charged. Materials for children and teens no longer have late fees. If your item is a month overdue, you’ll get a bill for the replacement of that item. If that happens, once you return the item the charge will drop to a $3 late fee (or to $0 for materials from the kids’ section). If an item is damaged or lost, talk to library staff about how you can resolve that charge.

Can I use my library card in other libraries?

Yes, you can. Your Pioneerland library card will work in all libraries in the system. Our system stretches from Graceville to Glencoe and from Canby to Dassel. If you want to use a different library system in Minnesota, you can do that, too. Bring your card to them, and they will help you register as a reciprocal borrower in their system.

If you have more questions, stop in or call the library, and we’ll be happy to answer them.

We are very excited to announce that juvenile materials in Pioneerland Library System will no longer accrue late fees! This includes books, CDs, and DVDs with call numbers beginning with J, E, B, and YA.

We are so excited to announce that Pioneerland Library System has a subscription to TumbleBooks!

https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/Home.aspx?categoryID=77

Our library has a subscription to TumbleBookLibrary, and your family can access it from home! It’s unlimited, and it’s FREE for you to use.

TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of e-books for children.  They are a great way to encourage tech-savvy kids to enjoy reading!

There are over 250 animated, talking picture books. The site also features Spanish and French books, read-along chapter books, non-fiction books, and exciting games and puzzles.

We hope that you will get the chance to check out the collections with your child!

You can use your computer, tablet, or mobile phone. All you need is an internet connection. There are no downloads: books are streamed right to your device at the click of a button.

Happy Tumbling, everyone!

Pioneerland Library System has online magazines available for your use through the Overdrive e-book service. Access them here: https://pioneerland.overdrive.com/library/magazines