Halloween Virtual Story Time

Today is our final Halloween-themed Virtual Story Time. We had so much fun celebrating spooks and spectres for the month of October. Tomorrow, we will also post Megan’s daily reads from this past week. Check out our two stories and accompanying craft below.

For our craft this week, we want to tell you about Junk Pumpkins! Simply find some junk around the house and use it to give your pumpkin a cute face. They are safe for kids, as they don’t involve any carving or sharp tools. Check out the examples below!

Library Happenings

Trick-or-Treat at the Library

We will be having our annual Halloween event on Saturday, October 31st from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. We will be handing out candy via a candy chute Miss Megan is building out of cardboard tubes! This will make the night extra fun and safe. We hope you will come see us.

Virtual Story Time

There was a hiccup in our usual Virtual Story Time this week due to scheduling conflicts. We will be back next week with a bunch of spooky and fun Halloween stories.

Library Closures

The library will be closed on Wednesday, November 11th for Veterans Day.

The library will close for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, November 25th at 5:00 p.m. The library will reopen on Saturday, November 29th at 10:00 a.m.

Lego Club

Lego Club will be held on Thursday, November 5th and Thursday, November 19th from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Children attending the event will make a lego creation based on our theme for that week. It is a ton of fun and we hope you will join us!

All the legos are sanitized prior to each meeting and we have hand sanitizer available. Social distancing guidelines will be adhered to. Children younger than 7 need to be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or responsible older sibling.

This picture was taken long before COVID-19 was a problem.
We are much more spread out now!

Temporary Hours

We are implementing a temporary change to our hours. This will start Monday, October 19th and end Monday, December 14th.

The library will close from 12:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. We will still open each morning at 10:00 a.m. We will still close Mondays at 7:00 p.m. and Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m.

Our wonderful library aide leaves us for a few weeks every year to help with Medicare enrollment. This change gives our library director a chance to eat lunch on the days where she is the only person working. You don’t want a “hangry” librarian!

Thanks so much for your understanding.

Another Autumnal Story Time

This week, we are celebrating fall again! The trees are finally changing and we will be experiencing cooler weather next week. Check out our stories below!

For our craft this week, we are again asking patrons of all ages to color an owl for our bulletin board. We are asking the owls be colored at the library instead of being taken home. So far, we only have one owl and he is lonely! Let’s give him some friends.

This Virtual Story Time is a “hoot”

This week, our story time is tied in with our fall bulletin board. Pete the Cat has gone into storage, and we are in the process of putting up new bulletin board decorations in the children’s area.

It is going to look something like this:

But we need your help! When you come in the library, every patron is encouraged to color a small owl that will sit on the branches of our tree on the bulletin board. This display will stay up until December, when we decorate for Christmas. Come snag one!

In the meantime, enjoy our two owl-themed stories this week.

Autumn Story Time

Monday, September 21st was the first day of fall. We’re likely to have more summer weather for a few more weeks, but the evidence of changing seasons is around us. Farmers are already harvesting and many trees are turning colors. We are celebrating the start of autumn this week with story time! Check out the stories below, accompanied by a fun craft.

Autumn Tree Q-Tip Painting

We made these at the library a few years ago and they were a big hit. All you need is a few supplies — a piece of paper, a few colors of paint, q-tips, and something to draw your bare tree with. Enjoy!

How much does your library benefit your community?

How much does your library benefit your community? The Nebraska Library Commission asked that very question in an NCompass blog post a few weeks ago. They also had some compelling numbers that show what a community would look like without a library. Yikes!

The NLC used data from several different sources. Local government revenue, information from the most recent public library surveys, and population size were taken into account. They determined that libraries cost the Nebraskan taxpayer only $41 a year.

When the cost of books, movies, magazines, digital subscription services, printer ink, internet connectivity, and other library materials are taken into consideration, that $41 is an excellent bargain. Without libraries, Nebraska residents would pay a total of $287,943,514 a year for these materials and services.

For example, it will cost you $19 to buy the latest Danielle Steel hardcover on Amazon. Buy two of those and you’ve spent nearly all of your $41. Also take into account the fact that you need an Amazon Prime subscription, (which costs $119 a year) just for free shipping.

Here’s another example. At Tekamah Public Library, we limit our patrons to 10 items per checkout. Let’s say you check out 10 items every week for a year. That’s 520 books, magazines, or movies for only $41. That number might only be feasible with our picture books, but you get the idea.

I’ll stop tormenting you with story problems. Weren’t those always the worst in math class?

Libraries also offer many services that aren’t free anywhere else. Our meeting spaces, computer and internet access, exam proctoring, reference transactions, homework help, and children’s activities are all free.

Here at Tekamah, we have also done many odd jobs for patrons. These have included activating someone’s new phone, showing someone how to post pictures on Facebook, and helping someone setting up their first email account. People are often shocked when there is no charge, which just goes to show how valuable our services are.

The math is simple. Using your library saves everyone big money, for only a small amount of tax revenue.

The NLC breaks these numbers down even further.

“Camping Theme” Virtual Story Time

Camping is one of the only summer activities that wasn’t canceled this year, and lots of families spent quality time in the great outdoors. We are celebrating that activity this week with a couple stories and a fun craft.

Below, check out the accompanying craft. It is a cute foam scene your kids can put together. We get these kits from Oriental Trading Company, a business based in Omaha, and they are always a huge hit. Stop by the library to get one for free!

“This Book Just Ate My Dog!” Virtual Story Time

You’ve heard of the old excuse about the dog eating a child’s homework. Dogs have also been known to snack on the occasional library book. (Yes, this has happened at our very own library more than once.)

But have you ever heard of a book eating a dog? Watch the video to learn more about this very hungry book we have here at the library! Then you can come to the library and see it for yourself.

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