Upcoming at the Library for November

We have two new programs coming up in the library:

An Evening of Murder at the Library: Beyond the Grave - Come for an evening of mystery and intrigue on Thursday, November 15th from 5:30pm to 8:00pm! The murderer could be YOU!

Beadworx for Teens - Teens are welcome to bring friends and folks to make unique pendants and pins from polymer clay. It takes place on Saturday, November 24th from 11:00am to 4:00pm. The cost is $10.00 and all supplies are included!

Space is limited for both these programs, so register soon!

Also,check out our new Gallery exhibit: 'A Glint of Glass' featuring beautiful blown glass and stained glass works from local artisans! It's an amazing exhibit, so be sure to check it out...and don't forget to look up!

YOU PUNKED THE LIBRARY!

Congratulations to the City of Brooks! With your help, we raised $1,175.50 for new computers! We also received a digital camera and some next-to-new computer equipment for our library!

YOU PUNKED THE LIBRARY! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Have You Punked the Library Yet?

Want to see your librarians with blue hair? spiked hair? no hair?

This could happen if our community helps us raise enough money to purchase new computers! The library staff have agreed to:

• $2500 Raised - DRESS PUNK
  
  
• $5000 Raised - DRESS PUNK AND WEAR PUNK MAKEUP
  
  
• $7500 Raised - WE'LL PUNK OUR HAIR TOO!
  (PERMANENT DYE AND HEAD SHAVING WILL HAPPEN)
  

Help us punk the library, then come in on OCTOBER 16TH and catch us in our punked out finery!!

October is Canadian Library Month

Bring the world to your fingertips:
Get a library card today!

Brooks Reads

October is Canadian Library Month and the Brooks Public Library is celebrating by hosting a ton of fun events!

Five Brooks residents have chosen the books that they love to read. Now it's your turn to tell us which book Brooks should read. Send us your vote today and tell us which of the five books is your favorite! Only one book can win so tell us which one Brooks Reads!

Check it out: brooksreads.blogspot.com

Knight of Murder

William the Watchman announces the discovery of Sir Rufus' body at a Knight of Murder.

KNIGHT OF MURDER ran on August 8th, 2007 to a sold-out crowd. Guests enjoyed a wonderful medieval banquet and spent the evening trying to figure out "whodunnit!"

A BIG THANK-YOU to the Heritage Inn for hosting this event and to everyone who provided an item for the silent auction. A huge THANK-YOU also goes out to all of our volunteers, particularly Ronnie Adams who helmed the event.

The event raised over $1000 in support of the library's annual Medieval Faire!

The BPL Book Club is Live!

Are you looking for a good book...or have you read a good book that you want to share with others?

Check out our new online book club! We have a genre for everyone and you can even post your own choices!

Find it here:

http://bplbookclub.blogspot.com/

LOST WORLDS: Summer Reading Program

The Brooks Public Library is hosting the Summer Reading Program again! This year's theme is Lost Worlds and it looks to be a world of fun for kids aged six to twelve. Want to sail with the Vikings? Get captured by Pirates? Travel back in time to visit the dinosaurs? Live happily ever after? With this year's summer reading program, kids will do all these things and more, exploring new places, reading exciting books, and having wild and wacky adventures at the library!

There are six sessions in Lost Worlds and children can be signed up for one session or all six! There is a cost of $10.00 per session. Parents must sign a registration form before the session starts for their child to be able to participate.

Sessions:

• Discovering Dinosaurs:
  July 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 - 10:15am - 11:45am
• A Pirate's Life for Me!:
  July 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm
• Far Out Fairytales:
  July 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 - 10:15am - 11:45am
• Venture with the Vikings:
  July 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm
• The Atlantis Adventure:
  August 7, 8, 9, 14. 15, 16 - 10:15am - 11:45 am
• Exploring Ancient Greece, Egypt, and China:
  August 7, 8, 9, 14. 15, 16 - 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Want to learn more? Call the library at 362-2947!

Cowboy Poetry 2007

Our Second Annual Cowboy Poetry Event held last Monday was a huge success with over seventy people turning up to hear poets Jon Bowie and Brian Anderson perform. Here are some pictures from the day's festivities:

Mayor Don Weisbeck opens the event, reading "Call Me a Fool," by Cowboy Poet Mike Puhallo.

The crowd enjoys the BBQ and waits for the festivities to start.

Head Librarian Shannon Vossepoel addresses the crowd.

Mr. Berg's Grade Three Class from Griffin Park School performs.

Brian Anderson gets a laugh from the audience members with his humourous poetry.

Jon Bowie has some fun with the crowd.

Rob Brown, from the Brooks Bulletin newspaper, reads his poetry and gives closing remarks.

Murder in the Library!

Can You Pick Out the Murderer? It took a lot of detective work, but we finally cracked the case at the library's first Murder Mystery Party on May 31st!

Missed your chance to participate? The library will be hosting more mysteries in the future...keep your eyes peeled for a special medieval-themed banquet with murder on the menu. It'll be coming this August to coincide with the annual Medieval Faire!

Cowboy Poetry!

The Brooks Public Library is pleased to host our Second Annual Cowboy Poetry Event! Last year's event was a huge success with over 80 people joining in the fun. Here are the details:

Cowboy Poetry @ the Library
Monday June 4th from 11:30am - 1:30pm
featuring the poetic stylings of
Cowboy Poet Jon Bowie
Mayor Don Weisbeck
Mr. Berg's Grade 3 Class from Griffin Park School

Free Barbeque Lunch Provided!


Our Summer Reading Program Coordinator, Lesley, has written a poem in honour of the occasion:

C'mon little doggies (and big ones too)
Giddy-up to the library, we're waitin' fer you
With hot dogs a' sizzling and lip smacking treets
There's lottsa free grub fer you all to eat.

We've wrangled a poet, a reel life cowboy
To come entertain, his name isn't Roy
In fact, it's Jon Bowie and he's come a long way
With his side splitting stories yippee kai ai ay!

But that's not all folks, Oh no siree
Mr. Berg's class is comin', they're in grade three!
These Griffin kids are a talented bunch
They'll perform a couple poems while you eat yur lunch

So come on down and kick up yur boots
Stay for a while and you'll have a HOOT!
We're itchin' to share sum Library hospitality
The best part about it is that it's all fer FREE!!!


City Councilor Michael Glynn MacDonald performs at the Brooks Public Library's 2006 Cowboy Poetry Event

The Golden Compass: Find Your Daemon

Philip Pullman's fabulous His Dark Materials trilogy is going to the movies with the winter release of The Golden Compass! In this fantasy trilogy, people's souls reside outside of their bodies in the form of animal companions known as daemons. Now, it is true that the Brooks Public Library is not technically a person. However, as Cicero said, "a room without books is like a body without a soul." So, I figured the library was deserving of a daemon too.

Interested in learning what your daemon would be? Follow the link here:

http://www.goldencompassmovie.com/

(You can also view the site in different languages.)

If you haven't read this great series, you can pick it up at the library. Click on the link below to find The Golden Compass in the library catalogue:

FIND THE GOLDEN COMPASS IN BROOKS PUBLIC LIBRARY

Genealogy in the Library

Interested in learning more about your family history? The Brooks Genealogy Society is here to help you! The Genealogy Society will be in the library this Wednesday night (March 28) from 6:30pm to 8:00pm to answer your questions and introduce you to some of the library's excellent genealogy resources. Can't make it? The Genealogy Society will be here again in April...dates will posted soon!

Congratulations, Karen Armbruster!

Karen served as the Head Librarian for Brooks Public Library from 1970-2000 and she has recently been named on the Government of Alberta's list of "100 Legends in Public Library Service." Congratulations, Karen! That's quite an achievement!

Click here to view the list and check out the other 99 library legends!

A Very Blustery Day

It's cold outside and, looking at the weather forecast, it's only going to get colder with lots and lots of snow. It's the kind of weather that requires a big blanket, a cup of hot chocolate, and a good book.

On your way home this week, you might think about stopping in at the library to pick up some supplies to get through this freezing cold weekend. We've got tons of great books, movies, and music that will chase away boredom while you're stuck inside. We've even got books that will teach you to knit that blanket if you don't already have one at home!