Guilderland Library Notes for Friday, September 4, 2015
Blue skies, green grass, a pink bunny, and a pig with a yellow bib and rainbow parachute are all featured by Shuying (Melody) Gao in her prize-winning design for the Guilderland Public Library’s new kids’ card. She and her family have just moved to Guilderland from China.
Every Kids’ Card entry is on display at the Guilderland Public Library. The new kids’ cards will be introduced at Library Card Sign-Up Month.
Over the summer the Guilderland Public Library sent out a call: “All Young Artists: We Want YOU to Design GPL’s New Kids Library Card.” We are pleased to announce that — after spirited online voting on the six marvelously creative nominated designs — we have a winner!
The winning design was created by one of our newest and youngest patrons, a young lady named Shuying (Melody) Gao; GPL’s new Kids Library Card features Melody’s artwork. The cards will be available to children of all ages on Tuesday, Sept. 8, right at the beginning of library card sign-up Month.
We received so many wonderful drawings, all of them delightful interpretations of libraries as seen through children’s eyes. We want to share them all, so Miss Leslie, one of GPL’s youth librarians, created a “You Are All Winners!” bulletin board showing every entry. You really need to come see it; it’s on the wall outside the Story Hour Room.
There is a human-interest backstory to how Melody found out she won. It’s best told using the words of GPL youth librarian Sandy Tabor, who shared the story with the GPL staff in a Wednesday, Aug. 26, e-mail:
“Just want to share a fun ‘series of fortunate events’ @ GPL tonight.
“At about 6:10 a woman came up to the youth services desk and asked if she and her daughter could attend Kindergarten Boot Camp at 6:30 p.m. She explained that they were from China and had been in the United States for about a month. She was hoping her daughter could come to the program to learn about school in the US.
“We chatted and … I walked with them to the Helderberg Room, and was waiting to introduce them to Beth Rienti [Youth Department Head, who was running Kindergarten Boot Camp], so Beth would be aware of why an older child was attending the program.
“While I was waiting, the mother came over to me with the GPL Kids brochure and showed me the cover with the winning library card design, and told me her daughter had drawn and submitted the picture! I introduced them to Beth who explained that she had been unable to reach them by phone to tell them that the daughter had won, and was so happy to meet them.
“But wait — it gets better. It turns out the family has just moved to Guilderland.
“They came back to the desk after the program to tell me how welcomed and happy they felt at the library — and to take pictures to send home.
“A very fun and fortunate series of events…GPL is a very special place.”
Isn't story time grand?
Join us on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 10:30 a.m., for a special story time celebrating grandparents and grandchildren. We'll have books, music and movement, and a fun craft.
If grandma or grandpa live nearby, bring them along. If not, you can send them your craft as a special Grandparents Day gift.
Children ages 2 ½ to 5 years old are welcome with a caregiver. Register for this program by calling 456-2400, ext. 2.
Book club
Teens are invited to this out-of-the-box book discussion series. Get crafty with a fun project while you chat with your peers about a book.
The group meets on the second Thursday of every month, at 4:30 p.m. Register by calling 456-2400, ext. 2, or online at www.guilpl.org, and then stop by the reference desk for a copy of the book. Registration ends one week before each session.
On Sept. 10 we will discuss “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard and the craft will use letter stickers to spell out a word or quote on canvas, then have fun painting over it for a cool effect.
On Oct. 8, we will discuss “Eleanor & Park” by Rainbow Rowell and the craft will use paint over an old CD and scratch out a design. Then on Nov. 12, the discussion will be about “Seraphina” by Rachel Hartman and the craft will be to create your own string art using a hammer and nails.
About GPL
The Guilderland Public Library is located at 2228 Western Ave. in Guilderland. Visit the library's website at www.guilpl.org. to get more information on these and other upcoming programs, and to register online via the homepage’s “Events & Registration Calendar.”Check out the unofficial library updates at facebook.com/Guilderland.Library and follow the library on Twitter (@GuilderlandLib).