Last Blog of 2012!!!

Special December Hours
* The library will close at 1pm on Monday, December 24, and remain closed on Tuesday, December 25. We will reopen at 9am on Wednesday, December 26!
* We will close at 1pm on Monday, December 31, and remain closed on the first of the new year - Tuesday, January 1, 2013! We'll reopen at 11am on Wednesday, January 2, after our first all-staff meeting of the new year.

Winter Break Programs

Bubble Wonders Show - December 27, 11am.
Watch spellbound as bubbleologist Akins creates bubble caterpillars, ice cream cones, a snowman, a volcano, dancing bubbles, a bubble merry-go-round and a bubble around a real kid. You'll never look at bubbles the same way again! One adult per family group - make sure to register each attendee separately! This event is currently filled - but join the waiting list! 

Close Encounters of the Chemical Kind - January 3, 2pm.
Try fun, exciting hands-on experiments that create magic drawings, slime, superballs, and chemically altered "gold" and "silver" coins: all yours to take home. Witness chemical reactions involving exploding foam and dazzling displays of fire and liquid nitrogen! (In a safe environment.) This is a drop-off program - no adults (or gerbils) allowed!

Winter Storytime

Winter Storytimes are still open!.

Book Patch

Stay entertained over winter break & participate in Book Patch! Earn sew-on patches for reading books!

Remember, if you go out of town for Winter Break, send Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot a postcard! Stop by the Youth Desk for a mailing label or scroll to the bottom of this page for the library's address.

Year in Review

*  January 2012
    * Our New Year's Bash was featured in the online version of the Highland Park News.
    * Our librarians didn't guess the correct Caldecott or Newbery Award winners this year, but they did guess two Caldecott Honors correctly! Stay tuned for posts about this year's Mock Caldecott and Newbery discussions.
  * We participated in the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service by decorating book bags for the North Shore Health Center. We're doing it again this year, so stay tuned for info! 

* March 2012
    * We added two iPads to the literacy area - they have been a huge hit this year. 
    * The Spring Gaming Tournament was great fun! 
    * The 2011-2012 Book Match Season came to an end.

*  April 2012
    *  Light It Up Blue!  The library participated in a movement called Light it Up Blue for autism, which was started two years ago by the organization Autism Speaks.  April is autism awareness month with April 2nd being Autism Awareness Day. Buildings and households across the world change their outside/entry lights to blue to join together to raise autism awareness and money for research to find the cause and treatments to help those with autism.
  *  Every Day was Earth Day in April at HP Library! Patrons shared their own Earth Day pledges with us, and the Gerbils tweeted Green suggestions each day. 
  * The Instrument Petting Zoo visited & everyone had lots of fun.

* May 2012
    * Michael Jordan's Mom visited!
    * Author Sharon Draper came to speak. 
    * Our librarians MET NEIL GAIMAN.
    * 2012-2013 Book Match lists are out!

* June 2012
    * Summer Reading was DELICIOUS!
    * Giant, terrifying birds of prey came to the library & we gerbils hid.
    * Sherwood School celebrated a library night during our first Stories Under the Stars event.
    * Delicious chef Gale Gand taught two cooking classes & we gerbils drooled.
    * James and the Giant Peach was a popular show.

* July 2012
    * Kids drew delicious art with artist Terri Murphy.
    * The musical The Magic Onion was a fun puppet show.
    * We had 958 total participants in Summer Reading this year. 

* September 2012
    * Outdoor Drop-In Chess began.
    * We had a Labor Day parade.
    * The library's 125th anniversary celebration kicked off with a great day of fun, including a production of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
    * Ventriloquist, songstress, and storyteller Sandi Sylver visited on the second of our school open house days.
    * We were voted Highland Park's favorite rainy day spot by HP Patch!

* October 2012
    * We presented a check to the Moraine Township Food Pantry for $226.17 worth of donations from Summer Readers!
    * The annual Halloween Railroad was a blast!
    * Authors Dan Gutman, Jon Scieszka, and Jeramey Kraatz spoke at Elm Place School.
    * The adult services renovation began!

November 2012
    * Our own Robyn was featured in an article about Right from the Start.

More Still to Come...

We've had a busy year at the library. See you in 2013!!!!!!