Dig into Reading at your library this summer! Register at the library or online and earn rewards for reading all summer long. You may pick up your reading record and get more information about all the events happening at the library this summer.

In 2012, over 650 kids participated in Summer Reading at NOPL and read over 12,000 books!

Sign up, log-in, and begin submitting what books you have read this summer!

• NOPL @ Brewerton Kids
• NOPL @ Brewerton Teens
• NOPL @ Cicero Kids
• NOPL @ Cicero Teens
• NOPL @ N. Syracuse Kids
• NOPL @ N. Syracuse Teens 

Why Summer Reading?

Summer vacation is a great time to be a kid. It is great to have time to relax and hang out, with friends and family, at home and in the sun.  It is also important to keep your kid’s reading skills fresh over the next three months. According to the National Summer Learning Association, “at best, students show little or no academic growth over summer. At worst, students lose one to three months of learning.” Summer Reading can go a long way to minimize summer learning loss and can even improve a child’s reading skills. Read the full article.

Summer Reading Events

There are dozens of events for children and teens to enjoy this summer at the NOPL Libraries. Events include Story Times, arts & crafts, visits by magicians, puppeteers, storytellers, The MOST, The Rosamond Gifford Zoo, and more. We are also excited to introduce two new clubs, Maker Club and the Junior Gardeners, as well as the continuation of Lego Club, Teen Advisory Board, and Anime Club!

Moreland the Magician, pictured here literally digging into reading, will appear at all three NOPL libraries.

NOPL @ Brewerton Summer Reading events kick-off with “Moreland the Magician,” Tuesday, June 25 at 2pm (Registration Required). For all Brewerton kids and teen events, check out our full event list (pdf). Sign up for events in our online calendar, in person, or call 676-7484.

NOPL @ Cicero Summer Reading Kickoff is on Tuesday, June 25, from 10am to 4pm.  For all Cicero kids and teen events, check out our full event list (pdf). Sign up for events in our online calendar, in person, or call 699-2032. Event registration begins Monday, June 24.

NOPL @ North Syracuse Kids Summer Reading Kickoff is on Monday, June 24, from 1pm to 5pm, followed by the Teen Summer Reading Kickoff from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. For all N. Syracuse kids and teen events, check out our full event list (pdf). Sign up for events in our online calendar, in person, or call 458-6184. Event registration begins Monday, June 24.

At the first Maker Club session, we’ll work together to design a club logo, make an avatar mask, explore and get signed up for DIY.org (if desired), and brainstorm some projects for future Maker Club events. There will also be general supplies available if you find another easy/quick project you’d like to work on.

What do you do at Maker Club?
We make things! At each session, we’ll focus on a different DIY.org skill area (cardboard, Perler beads, tape, mechanical engineering, and others!). Choose from suggested projects, or come up with your own. You can also get ideas for more things to make at home, work together on ideas, help brainstorm future Club projects, and show off your work.

Who is Maker Club for?
Children and teens ages 7 and up. In Maker Club, we use real tools, some of which are sharp or hot – Maker Club projects are not appropriate for preschoolers.

Do I need to sign up for DIY.org to be a part of Maker Club?
Nope! DIY.org is just one way to share your work with others and ask questions. You don’t need to sign up if you don’t want to.

Do I need to come to every session, or stay for the whole session?
No, and no. You can come to as many or as few session as you want, and stay for a short time or for the whole two hours.

Want more information?
Check out DIY.org. Contact Nicole (Children’s Librarian) at 699-2032. Or check out this video:

Summer 2013 schedule

June 26: Welcome Session
July 3: Minecraft
July 10: Tape Ninja
July 17: Lego Community
July 24: Perler Beads
July 31: Cardboard Samurai
August 7: Mechanical Engineer
August 14: Transport Engineer
August 21: Maker Faire

Saturday, May 11, 10-12pm
NOPL @ Cicero LibraryFarm

Registration is requested, click here to sign up!

Find out more about our LibraryFarm.

Other upcoming events:

Starting Thursday, June 27  – *NEW* Junior Gardeners
A new club meets over the summer to plant and tend two raised beds in the LibraryFarm community garden. For children ages seven and up. Find out more!

Wednesday, May 22 – Habitat Gardening For Life
Presented by Janet Allen, President of Habitat Gardening in CNY. By providing habitat for even the smallest creatures and by using earth-friendly landscaping practices, we can help create a healthy planet for future generations. Become a habitat gardener and watch your yard come to life. 6:30pm – 8pm. Sign up.

Tuesday, June 4 – What’s Bugging Your Garden?
Nothing is more frustrating for a vegetable gardener than to find that something is destroying your vegetables. Often the pest is not even seen. Slugs and bugs slip in and cause trouble that you may not notice until too late. What’s Bugging Your Garden? is about things like squash vine borers, cucumber beetles and cabbage worms, and a few larger creatures such as groundhogs and rabbits, and ways to stop or minimize their damage. Presented by John Allen. 6:30pm – 8:00pm. Sign up.

Saturday, June 15 – Seed Saving
Learn about saving seeds from your plants this season and participate in a seed swap program. Presented by Jenny Stratton. 11am – 12pm. Sign up.

Enter the 9th Annual Cicero Photography Contest! Accepting submissions May 1 through June 6, 2013.
Top prize is $100!

Deadline: 6/6/13

Open to all amateur photographers. Submit photos in person at NOPL Cicero (8686 Knowledge Lane).

Entry Details:

All non-professional photographers are eligible. A professional photographer is someone who receives monetary compensation for his or her photographic work.

•  Up to 4 photos/person
• Any size up to 8.5′ x 12′
• Photos must be unframed and unmounted
• No entry fee is required
• Judging is blind: no names should appear anywhere on the photos

Photographic Consent (view pdf)
Each recognizable person in each photograph must give written photographic consent. Photo Consent Forms are available at the library, but any written permission will do. Photos containing recognizable faces without consent forms will not be displayed, and so will not be eligible for judging.

Declaration of Authenticity (view pdf)
Each photographer must sign a statement claiming intellectual property rights of all work submitted.

Prizes

• Top prize: $100 (juried)
• 2nd prize: $50 (juried)
• People’s Choice: $30 (votes cast by patrons during the month of July)
• Judge’s Choice: awarded by each judge for his/her favorite photograph

Display

• Photographs will be on display at NOPL Cicero during July 2013.
• Winners will be announced on August 1.
• All photographs not claimed by Sept. 31, 2013 will become the property of the Northern Onondaga Public Library
• Photos will be displayed using bull clips, which leave an impression.

Liability
The Northern Onondaga Public Library assumes no responsibility for loss or damage to an entry.

Questions: Email Alyssa Newton, Adult Programming Coordinator at anewton@nopl.org or call 315-699-2032.

NOT accepting: textbooks, magazines or encyclopedias.

Drop off donations anytime at the Brewerton Library from April 29^th thru June 11^th during library hours.

Sponsored by Friends of  NOPL @ Brewerton Library  Information call 676-7484

You can check out one of our easy to use Flip video cameras for up to one week. Record your family’s stories on the camera and save to you own computer or we can help you burn to a disc. You must be at least 18 years old, have a valid photo ID and a NOPL library card. Ask at the reference desk if you have any questions. Let us help you discover and preserve your story.

Check availability and place a hold.

20 Questions for Interviewing Relatives: PDF format or DOCX format

Here is our reference librarian, Sue Clarey, discussing her maternal great-grandmother:

At the LibraryFarm, half of the area is dedicated to the Community Garden; the other half is dedicated to the LibraryFarm Plotters – our individual gardeners. All gardeners agree to follow organic growing practices.

Come visit us! We are located at the NOPL @ Cicero Library.

Events | Press | Sign-up to get involved | Plot map

Previous Activities, Classes and Related Programs

November 17, 2012 – Library Farm “Bedtime” meeting
September 22, 2012 – Food Canning and Preservation
August 12: Herb Academy – Rosemary & Thyme
August 6, 2012: Herb Academy – Sage & Lavender
July 30, 2012: Herb Academy – Dill & Mint
July 23, 2012: Herb Academy –  Parsley & Basil
May 19th, 2012 – Library Farm Kickoff
May 12, 2012 – Build Your Own Mesclun Year Round (Jennifer Cleary)
April 30, 2012 –  May 2: Master Composting class with OCRRA’s Greg Gelewski
April 21, 2012 – Planting Seeds and Transplants in the Garden
March 17, 2012 – Timing: When to Plant What (John Allen)
February 18, 2012 – Food Isn’t Ugly: Fitting Edible Plants into Your Existing Lawn, Landscape & Garden (Terry Ettinger)

December 10, 2011 – The Slow Food movement (Chef Abigail Henson)
August 31, 2011 – Garden Fresh Cooking
September 10, 10:30am – Edible Gardening CNY
August 20, 2011 – What do I do with all this squash?
May 21, 2011 –  LibraryFarm Kickoff event
May 14, 2011 – Pests and other problems.
May 2-4, 2011 – Master Composting Class, with OCRRA’s Greg Gelewski
April 9, 2011 – Watering, fertilizing.
March 19, 2011 –  Compost, Compost, Compost!
February 19, 2011 – Starting seeds indoors.
January 8, 2011 – Succession planting, ordering seeds (link)

Links and Press

Time Magazine: How Libraries Are Reinventing Themselves for the Future, 06/22/2012

Christian Science Monitor: Libraries reinvent themselves as labs of creativity, Cat Johnson, 10/10/2012

Open Education Database:  10 Most Amazing Library Laboratories, 09/26/2012

Good.is: 50 Building Blocks of Citizenship: Check out a Garden Plot With Your Books

CNY Eagle Star-Review: LibraryFarm wraps up first growing season, Caitlin Donnelly, 09/28/2010

The Post-Standard: Free plots at Cicero’s organic LibraryFarm, Clay’s community garden, 04/24/2012

Information Space: Library Farm By Shander Bawden, iSchool student, School of Information Studies at Syracuse University 09/30/2010

Public Praxis: The LibraryFarm, By Thomas Gokey, artist & LibraryFarmer, 08/02/2010

Edible Gardening CNY

Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency

Photos

 

Starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway. Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Miserables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit.

Registration Requested. Rated: PG-13. Free popcorn available.

Family Movie Series: Monsters, Inc.
Saturday, May 25, at 1pm
NOPL @ Cicero

Are you excited for the sequel to Disney Pixar’s Monsters, Inc? So are we! To get ready for the June release of Monsters University, NOPL @ Cicero library will be showing Monsters, Inc (2001). Re-watch this action-packed and hilarious film featuring your favorite monsters, the big, blue and fuzzy James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) and his wise-cracking sidekick Mike Wzowski (Billy Crystal). Tell us your favorite scenes and enjoy the movie with family and friends at the library.

Registration Requested. Rated: G. Free popcorn available.

TumbleBooks are created by adding animation, sound, music and narration to existing picture books in order to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you. Books can be read online or downloaded!

More Digital Downloads

Visit NOPL during National Library Week and explore all the great resources and programs we have to offer. We have gardening programs, book clubs, movie showings, story times, author talks and more! For a full list of events, please visit www.nopl.org/calendar.

Facebook Trivia Contest:
Test your knowledge about the Northern Onondaga Public Library in our Facebook Trivia Contest during National Library Week. Search our website, visit our libraries and explore our catalog to find the answers!

Each day we will post 2 questions on Facebook (facebook.com/NOPLibrary). The first three people to reply to our post with the correct answer will be entered into a drawing to win an Amazon Gift Certificate. The more questions you answer correctly, the more times you will be entered into the drawing.

Special OCPL Program: An Evening with Author Garth Stein
Thursday, April 18th at 7:30pm
Temple Adath Yeshurun, 450 Kimber Road, Syracuse
*Free Tickets available at the Service Desk at all OCPL libraries
In celebration of National Library Week, author Garth Stein will speak and read from his best selling novel “The Art of Racing in the Rain.”
Made possible by the NYS grant secured by Senator DeFrancisco.