Happy New Year!

Wishing all our patrons and visitors the Happiest New Year and thanking you for all the support in 2010!

Books for Babies

Welcome to the library's newest patron Briza Jaramillo! Just 2 months old and sister to Maria, age 3, Briza is the latest recipient of our Books for Babies program. All residents in the library's service area who have welcomed a new baby qualify for this gift so stop by or phone the library for more information.

Holiday Hours

The library will be closed December 24th and 25th, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, to celebrate the holidays and will resume regular hours on Monday, December 27. Merry Christmas to all!

Winter Weather

With the first good snow event (over 8 inches!) under our belt it's a good time to remind folks that the library may close early or remain closed during severe winter weather. Phone first, 388-2421. Of course there are no late fees if this should happen!

Local Author Donates Book

Thanks to local author James R. Shearl for donating his new book Honoring an Era: A History of Illinois Crop Improvement Association, Inc. 1973-1997. Jim served as Ford County Extension Advisor from 1974-1978 at the office here in Melvin before becoming manager of ICIA. Several local residents served as staff members and field inspectors for ICIA and are also featured in this photo-filled book. Stop by and check it out soon.

Pageturner Christmas

The Pageturners Book Club will be having their annual Christmas get-together on Wednesday, December 1, at 5:30 p.m. at the Bayern Stube Restaurant in Gibson City. Feel free to bring a holiday memory or collection or favorite thing to share!

Memorial Donation

We have received a donation from K&S Lincoln Mercury in Fairbury in memory of Melvin resident John Bitner who was a Friend of the Library. John's mother Esther Bitner was the librarian at Melvin Public Library for many years in the 1980-1990s.

Popular New Book

One of the most popular series at the library is the Guinness World Record Books and the 2011 edition has just arrived!

Pageturners Meet in Gibson City

The library's book club The Pageturners held their November meeting last evening at the Gibson Area Hospital Annex. The meeting was hosted by Esther Ficken, a resident of the Annex and a beloved founding member of the book club.

The group discussed the latest Richard Paul Evans book The Christmas List with most members giving it a vote of 8 or higher. There were a few members who did not love the book but in general it was rated a very pleasurable, if somewhat sad, read.

Special thanks to the Annex staff who were so kind to provide meeting space for the group as well as delightful refreshments, to Pat Donovan for the idea (if Esther can't come to the library for book club we'll take the book club to Esther!), to Cheryl Kurtenbach for tirelessly leading the group, to Esther for hosting, and to all the Pageturners for making it such a special evening!

Pageturner Road Trip

The Pageturners will meet Monday, November 8 at the Gibson City Hospital Annex to enjoy the company of one of the group's founding members, Esther Ficken. Please join us in the little conference room by 6:30 for the discussion, although the room will be available anytime after 6:00 if you wish to come early and visit. The book for discussion is The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans and there will be light refreshments served.

New Book

Fans of Janet Evanovich and her delightful dishy reads will enjoy her latest book Wicked Appetite. This new series features pastry chef Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Tucker along with a colorfast cast of characters.

Pageturners November Selection

The library's book club The Pageturners have chosen A Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans as the selection for the Monday, November 8 meeting. The library will have multiple copies available, call 388-2421 or stop by to pick up a copy and join the group for a rousing discussion in November!

New Books at the Library

New books by two of the bestselling authors writing today have just been added to the collection. Check out Legacy, a novel by Danielle Steel and Don't Blink, a thriller by James Patterson.

The library also has all three of the extremely popular novels by the late Stieg Larsson, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.

Paxton IGA Fundraiser

Don't forget to come to the Paxton IGA this Saturday, September 25 and support the library fundraiser! Friends of the Library will be serving lunch from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and will also be holding a bake sale. Hope to see you all there!

Generous Donors

Thanks to Judy Schall for her recent donation to the library. Judy has donated a small refrigerator that will allow us to keep lunches and refreshments for programs well chilled, thank you Judy!

Also thanks to Diane Doyle for her generous donation of books to the library. Diane is a regular book donor and many of her donations have become popular reads at the library!

Upcoming Fundraisers

Friends of the Melvin Public Library have two fundraisers approaching including a lunch stand at the Marvin Lee concert to be held at Melvin Community Hall on Saturday, September 18. Food is available beginning at 6:00 p.m. and the music begins at 7:00 p.m.

You can also support the library by visiting the Paxton IGA on Saturday, September 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. to enjoy a cookout and bake sale. Hope to see you at these events!

Summer Reading Winners

Congratulations to the winners of the summer reading program! Helena Goff was the first place reader with 21 books, Erika Painter was second with 19 books and Seth Breeden was the third place reader with 15 books read.

A total of 29 children participated in the reading challenge where they earned prizes for reading during the summer months. A total of 189 books were read and 49 prizes awarded. Way to go readers!

Pageturner's Next Selection

The library book club The Pageturners meets the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the library and new members are always welcome. For the September 13 meeting the group is reading Shanghai Girls by Lisa See and copies are available at the library.

See You At Meet Melvin!

Be sure to join us this Sunday, August 22 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Melvin Community Hall on Main Street for the fun annual event, Meet Melvin. There will be plenty of activities for all ages including face painting, basketball, bean bag toss, bingo, a cake walk, and lawn mower and toilet races.

From 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. enjoy a delicious, reasonably priced barbeque and hot dog meal served by the Friends of the Library. There will be chips, drinks and desserts as well as sandwiches available. Come and join us on Sunday for Meet Melvin!

Meet Melvin

The annual event Meet Melvin is just around the corner! It will be held Sunday, August 22, 2010 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Main Street at Melvin Community Hall.

There are lots of fun activities planned including a cake walk, lawn mower races, bingo, games for kids and a delicious barbeque luncheon fundraiser will be served by Friends of the Melvin Public Library. Hope to see you all there!

Book Donations

Thanks to these Friends who have recently made book donations to the library; Diane Doyle, Ron and Donna Courtright, Steve and Jan Bangert and Mary Lee. Material donations are always appreciated!

New Books in the Collection

New books recently added to the library's collection include the most recent title from Nora Roberts, The Search; Family Ties by Danielle Steel, Private by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro, Betsy's Return by Wanda Brunstetter and The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs.

Other new books include Alaska Twilight by Colleen Coble, Whiplash by Catherine Coulter, Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich and The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow. The Girls, subtitled A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship, is also the selection for the August 9 Pageturners Book Club meeting.

Thank you Friends!

Thanks to the many Friends of the Melvin Public Library who helped make the July 4 fundraisers a great success!

Thanks to those who worked at the pork chop dinner at the Ford County Fairgrounds including Lynn Duke, Lorie Ford, Pat Donovan, Mike and Daniel Schall, Ron and Donna Courtright, Don and Cheryl Kurtenbach, Chic Meredith, Bill and Helen Curtis, Diane Dawson, Norman and Judy Schall, Bill and Joan Flowers.

Thanks to those who donated food and money for the fundraiser: Rhonda Hornstein, Linda Moody, JoAnn Althouse, Lynn Duke, Deb Rexroat, Diane Doyle, Dolores Clauss, Judy Schall, Janice Ehmen, Helen Curtis, Jean Watterson, Roger Arends, Jean Thackeray, Lorie Ford, Larry Boundy, Bev Rueck, Gloria Brinkman, Dan Schmidt and Heritage FS.

Thanks to the Friends who worked at the Sibley food stand: Mary Kemmer Howell, Ruth Schwarz, Barbara Ortiz, Kaley Brennan, Laurie Sturm, Rhonda Hornstein, Pat Donovan, Donna Courtright, Don and Cheryl Kurtenbach, Diane Dawson, Chris and David Dawson.

And lastly thanks to those who helped with bingo: Norman and Judy Schall, Diane Dawson and Gloria Brinkman. We couldn’t have done it without all of you!

Fundraisers Are a Success!

Thanks to all the Friends of the Library who helped to make the July 4 fundraisers a great success! Friends donated food, money and time to the cause and we couldn't have done it without them!

A special thank you to the Melvin Public Library Board of Trustees who do so much work to raise the funds to keep the library open and thriving. Trustees Cheryl Kurtenbach, Donna Courtright, Judy Schall, Alora Ford, Diane Dawson, Lynn Duke, Helen Curtis and their families are all to be commended for their dedication and generosity.

Join Us on July 4th!

The library is involved in several fundraisers on the 4th of July and we hope you'll come and join us!

The annual pork chop dinner at the Ford County Fairgrounds in Melvin will be held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, 2010.

The library is also partnering in a food booth at the Sibley 4th of July celebration that will serve food all day long. Also join us for bingo at Sibley from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Friends of The Melvin Public Library
are sponsoring a fundraiser

PORK CHOP DINNER

Whole meals include pork chop, baked beans,
potato salad, applesauce and beverage
$7.00 per plate.
Pork Chop Sandwiches–$4.00 • Bake Sale Goods Available
Sunday, July 4, 2010
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
At the Ford County Fairgrounds

following the Community Church Service.
Supplemental Funds provided by
Ford County Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Ford County Opens Legal Self-Help Centers

At a press conference today, Presiding Judge Stephen R. Pacey announced the establishment of a new internet-based legal self-help center for residents of Ford County. The new center is a collaborative project among the circuit court, Circuit Clerk, Kim Evans’, Office and the public libraries in Paxton, Gibson City, Melvin and Piper City. Technical assistance and support were provided by Illinois Legal Aid Online and the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice.

“Ford County is fortunate to have four very community-focused public libraries in Paxton, Gibson City, Melvin and Piper City. When Judge Pacey wrote to them explaining the project, they immediately agreed to be a part of it. The role of the public libraries in this collaborative project is critical. Public libraries are community focal points for information, both printed and electronic, particularly in rural areas where high speed internet access might not be readily available” said Joseph A. Dailing, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Equal Justice.

“The library directors, Anne Newman at Paxton Carnegie Library, Sharon Craig at Moyer District Library, Jacqueline Allen at the Melvin Public Library, and Julie Kurtenbach at the Piper City Public Library District have all been fantastic to work with on this project. Their public access computers will allow patrons to use this rich source of legal information that Illinois Legal Aid Online has developed and which it maintains,” he said.

“This is one of those instances where technology can overcome the usual barriers caused by long distances. Technology makes it possible for everyone to have the same level of access to information whether they are located in Paxton or in Chicago,” he said. “For those who have internet-enabled computers at home, the resources of the center are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week,” Dailing said.

The Ford County Legal Self-Help Center is the forty-fourth new legal self-help center opened since 2007 in Illinois. It can be found on the internet at Ford.IllinoisLegalAid.Org. The start up funding for the Ford County Legal Self-Help Center comes from a grant from the Illinois Bar Foundation.

Submitted by: Illinois Coalition For Equal Justice on 06/14/2010

Summer Reading Starts!

The Summer Reading Challenge begins today at Melvin Public Library! This program helps keep reading skills sharp over the summer months and allows young people to win prizes for reading books.

The program is for K-8th graders who are asked to read 3 or more library books, at or near their reading level, record the titles in a reading log and choose a prize. Youngsters may win one prize a week over the summer months. Stop by the library to sign up today!

Book Donations

We extend heartfelt thanks to several members of the public for material donations to the library and to the library trustees who made the donations possible. Thanks to Leslie Stephen, Steve & Jan Bangert, Cheryl Kurtenbach and Lorie Ford!

Children's books and current popular fiction are in great demand at the library and donations of these material are always put to good use.

Programs at the Library

The Children's Summer Reading Program begins in early June and once again young people K-8th grade may win prizes for reading books during their summer vacation.

The Pageturner's book club is reading John Grisham's Playing for Pizza for the June 14 meeting and the library has plenty of copies available. Stop in and pick up a copy at your convenience.

New Books

The next selection in the James Patterson Women's Murder Club series, The 9th Judgment, has arrived! Also new are Think Twice by Lisa Scottoline, Return to Sender by Fern Michaels and A Stranger's Wish by Gayle Roper.

Other new books include Morning's Refrain, book two in the Song of Alaska series by Tracie Peterson; The Telling, book three in the Season's of Grace series by Beverly Lewis and Hannah's List, the newest release from popular author Debbie Macomber.

Pageturners Meet

There was a great turnout for the The Pageturners' book club meeting May 10th at the library and the group had a rousing discussion of Loving Frank, Nancy Horan's historical novel about Frank Lloyd Wright

Club members say discussions are much more animated when all members don't agree on the book, that is, when all love it or hate it, there is not much to discuss. In the case of Loving Frank several members did love the book while several members did not!

The Pageturners meet the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the library and new members are always welcome. For June the group is reading the John Grisham novel Playing for Pizza and copies are available at the library.

Art Display At The Library

As part of her art class assignment GCMS senior Barbara Ortiz has prepared a display of her art which will be available for viewing at the library through Saturday, May 8.

Barbara's display includes paintings and drawings, art photos, silk screening, ceramics and sculpture including an unsual "table" made of empty water bottles and painted blue. Stop by the library this week to see this creative display.

New Books on the Shelf

New books recently added to the library's collection include The Shadow of Your Smile by Mary Higgins Clark, The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini, Shattered by Karen Robards and House Rules by Jodi Picoult.

Also new is Take Three, the last of the Above the Line series by Karen Kingsbury, A Cousin's Challenge, book 3 in the Indiana Cousins series by Wanda E. Brunstetter, The Professors' Wives Club by Joanne Rendell, Serpent by Clive Cussler and The French Gardener by Santa Monterfiore.

New Movies Arrive At Library

Melvin Library is a member of the Video Co-op, a group of libraries in the Lincoln Trail Libraries System who jointly purchase and rotate current popular films. Each collection contains about 70 titles and remains in the library for one month.

Several new movies have just arrived to join the collection currently in our library including Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, Michael Jackson's This Is It, Pandorum and Whip It. Rotating movies check out overnight and may be renewed twice, and there is no charge to check out a movie from the library, unless of course it is returned late :)

National Library Week

National Library Week continues through Saturday, April 17 and there is plenty of time to visit the library and see what material and services are available to you!

We are currently holding our popular book giveaway and each member of the public may choose three free books from our book sale area each day of National Library Week.

We also want to thank everyone for the nice comments we are hearing about the library's landscaping, it's great to know the improvements we make to the library do not go unnoticed!

Celebrate National Library Week

Celebrate National Library Week April 11-17 at Melvin Public Library! The theme for this year's annual event is "Communities thrive @ your library."

It's a good time to visit your local library and see what sort of material and services are offered. At our library you may check out books, audiobooks, magazines and movies. And a brand new program makes it possible for you to check out a cake pan!

We also offer a public access computer, printer and Internet access, as well as a copy machine, fax services, tax forms, large print books, reference and genealogy material, newspaper on microfilm, student financial aid forms, adult book discussion group and a summer reading program for kids.

Check Out a Cake Pan at the Library!

Thanks to a recent donation from Deb Netherton and Gabby Trautman the library is trying something new. You can now check out a cake pan at the library! Apparently this is all the rage at a few select libraries and now with a dozen different specialty cake pan shapes available, we are now offering this service.

Cake pans come with instructions and may be checked out for two weeks, just like a book. We have a few seasonal shapes like an egg or lamb for Easter and pumpkins and bells for Thanksgiving and Christmas. There are also children's themed pans like Yogi Bear, Mickey Mouse, Superman, Raggedy Ann and Strawberry Shortcake.

New Books

New books recently added to the library's collection include Big Girl by Danielle Steel, Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons, More Letters from Pemberley by Jane Dawkins, Rebecca's Choice by Jerry Eicher and Winter's Awakening by Shelley Shepard Gray.

Other new books are Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith, Fortunes of War by Stephen Coonts, The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson, Dawn's Prelude by Tracie Peterson and Losing It and Finding It by Valerie Bertinelli.

Fundraiser a Great Success!

Thanks to all the Friends of the Melvin Public Library who helped to make the March 14 fundraiser at community hall a great success by donating material and working at the event.

Thanks to Dennis & Donna Lee, Pat & Ralph Denault, Vicky Beck, Linda Moody, JoAnn Althouse, and Ed & Sheila Hinthorn. Thanks also to the Steve and Kaye Swearingen and Darrell and Sherrill Dunahee Families for cash donations made to the fundraiser.

And very special thanks go to a dedicated and generous group of individuals and their families for help at this and all the fundraisers on behalf of the library. Thanks to library trustees Cheryl Kurtenbach, Judy Schall, Alora Ford, Donna Courtright, Diane Dawson, Lynn Duke and Helen Curtis and to their families for all they do to bring quality library service to your community!

Fundraiser at Community Hall

Mike Porter and the Panther Creek Band will be playing at Melvin Community Hall on Sunday, March 14, 2010 beginning at 2:00 p.m.

The doors will open at 1:00 p.m. and a fundraising luncheon served by Friends of the Melvin Public Library will be available all afternoon.

Come out and support the library and have a delicious barbeque or chicken salad sandwich plus homemade pie, coffee, lemonade or ice tea while you enjoy the music!

Read Across America Day

Pick up a book and join other participants in NEA's Read Across America Day! Today is Theodor Geisel's birthday and he of course wrote under the pen name of Dr. Seuss. What better time to read If I Ran The Zoo or Hop on Pop, Horton Hears a Who! or Oh, The Places You'll Go! Celebrate reading today!

Celebrate Read Across America

NEA's Read Across America is an annual event meant to motivate young people to pick up a book and read. It's celebrated on the birthday of the beloved children's author Dr. Seuss.

It's a perfect opportunity to encourage your child to read, after all, who doesn't love to read a good old Dr. Seuss book! The library will have all it's Seuss books out on display so stop in and pick one up to celebrate Read Across America on March 2, 2010.

Books for Babies

Congratulations to 7-month-old Hayden Manson, the newest recipient of the library's Books for Babies Program. Open to area youngsters under the age of one, this program gifts the library's newest patrons with books to begin what we hope is a lifelong relationship with the library. Happy Reading Hayden!

Pageturners Provide Program

On Thursday, February 4, 2010, the library's book club The Pageturners provided the program for the Melvin Women's Club at the United Methodist Church.

This has become an annual event for both groups and this year they discussed The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. The library book club has been meeting since 1998 and newcomers are always welcome.

New Books

James Patterson's newest title Worst Case is now available at the library. Co-authored by Michael Ledwidge, it's set in New York City and features Detective Michael Bennet trying to solve a kidnapping case before the worst scenario happens.

Also new is Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky, First Family by David Baldacci, An Amish Gathering by Beth Wiseman and others, Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz, Cuba by Stephen Coonts and Sizzle by Julie Garwood.

Memorial Donation

Thanks to Sarah and Lindsay Meyer the library has added The Dragonfly Secret: A Story of Boundless Love by Clea and John Adams to the collection. A companion book to The Dragonfly Door, a touching children's story about loss and change, Secret is part mystery and part surprise and like Door, it's beautifully illustrated. This book has also been placed in the collection in memory of Michael Moody and our heartfelt thanks to Linda Moody for making these additions possible.

Check Out These New Books

New books at the library include Ice by Linda Howard, I, Alex Cross by James Patterson, Rainwater by Sandra Brown, U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton and Ford County by John Grisham.

Also new are A Gift of Grace by Amy Clipston, Under the Cajun Moon by Mindy Starns Clark, Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury, Rough Country by John Sandford and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer.

Tax Forms Are In!

Once again the library is participating in the tax form program and has all basic state and federal tax forms available free to the general public.

We will also have a binder of reproducible tax forms for any other form that is needed or you may use the library's public access computer to file your taxes or to look up any information you need directly from the IRS website at IRS.gov.

Library Welcomes Donations

Thanks to Gayle Ford and Jamie Boyd, and to Steve and Jan Bangert for donating many wonderful books to the library. Thanks also to Library Trustees Alora Ford and Cheryl Kurtenbach for making these donations possible!

Linda Moody has donated a gem of a book for young people called The Dragonfly Door by John Adams. This award winning book helps parents help children understand about loss and change and has been placed in the collection in memory of Michael Moody.

Library Book Club Meets

The library book group The Pageturners met last evening, January 11, to discuss the Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows book The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

This book has proven to be very popular among book clubs and our group agreed by giving the book an 8.38 rating on a 10 point scale.

The group will next read Bill Bryson's The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and will hold their discussion as the program for the Melvin Woman's Club on Thursday, February 4, 2010.

New Books

New books at the library include 4 Sookie Stackhouse Novels donated by Stephanie Swearingen: Dead as a Doornail, Definitely Dead, All Together Dead and From Dead to Worse.

Also new are donations from Friend of the Library Diane Doyle: Snow Angels by Fern Michaels, Home in Time for Christmas by Heather Graham; and That Holiday Feeling, Angels at Christmas and Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber.

We extend our thanks to Leslie Stephen and Becky Eveland, co-workers of library Trustee Alora Ford for donating several boxes of books to the library. All donated material is greatly appreciated!