Stories & Crafts & More at the Library!

Come on out for stories and crafts and other fun at the Homer Community Library on Wednesday, Dec. 28th from 10am – noon. We will learn about Chinese New Year and make some dancing dragons and hear some fun stories. Kids of all ages are welcome to attend. Come out for just a few minutes or the whole two hours!

Champaign and Urbana have their new cataloging system up and running so Homer Library card holders can being using the larger libraries again. Even if you had been using these libraries, you will need to re-register with them. You will need to be in good standing without any fines and your library card cannot be expired. You will need to bring your Homer Library card, a photo ID and fill out a short form. Champaign has instituted a new policy and will only allow our patrons to have two items checked out. The Homer Library allows up to 20 books at a time and our strictest limit is that only 3 DVDs can be checked out on a patron’s card.

Did you know that besides holding fun events and checking out books, the library offers many other services? We have several computers for the public to use and offer printing, copying, scanning and faxing services. We have a color printer available for public use and only charge 15¢ per page for prints, copies or FAXES – this is one of the cheapest rates around for faxing!

The Homer Library will be closed on Dec. 24th and 25th and again on Dec. 31st and Jan. 1st for the holidays.

It's Getting Cold Outside - That Means It's Time To Read!

We had a great turn out for Santa in the Library – thank you all who came to visit and to all who picked a wish-list ornament from our tree. We still have quite a few items left on our wish list if you would like to donate something to the library. Keep in mind, donations of money or new items to the library are tax exemptions. Just let us know, and we can give you a receipt letter for you tax records.

We just got in our latest stack of new releases. We have: V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton, Shock Wave by John Sandford, Zero Day by David Baldacci, 11/22/63 by Stephen King, and Chasing Fire and The Next Always by Nora Roberts for our adult collection. We have Bloodlines by Richelle Mead and Witch & Wizard: The Fire by James Patterson for our Young Adult collection.

Don’t forget – Free Family Movie Night will be Friday, Dec. 16th. All ages are welcome to attend.

The Calendars Are Here! (and much more!)

If you ordered a Homer Library birthday calendar they are available for pick-up now at the Homer Library! We are open M, Tu, Th, Fri 2-7pm, Weds 9am-2pm and Sat 10am-2pm.

We keep filling our shelves with new book and DVD titles. Some of our most recent dvd additions are: Cars 2 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

For adult fiction books we have added: The Litigators by John Grisham, Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson, Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks, The Priest’s Graveyard by Ted Dekker, Secrets of the Tudor Court by Kate Emerson, and Hotel Vendome by Danielle Steel.

For the juniors and teens we have in: Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) by Jeff Kinney, Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead, 1st Kill (a Vladimir Tod book) by Heather Brewer and Destined by PC Cast (the most recent House of Night novel). We have also been getting in some wonderful non-fiction for both kids and adults.

Have you read something wonderful lately? We are looking to start a display for “patron recommendations”. If you’ve read something that you think others might like, please let us know – we would love to pass along your recommendation. Just give us a brief description of what you liked about the book. You can do this anonymously if you prefer.

Want to keep up with the most current library news and events? Search for the Homer Community Library and ‘like’ us on Facebook.

Mango Language Demo!

Thursday Nov. 10th at 7pm the Homer Community Library will give a demonstration on how to use Mango, the on-line language learning program. There are about 45 different languages to choose from. We offer all of the common languages, such as French, Spanish and German but also offer Urdu, Slovak, Korean, Chinese, Farsi and many, many more! This is perfect for home schoolers who would like to learn a foreign language as well as anyone about to travel. You DO NOT need a library card to attend. If you are interested in a demonstration but can not attend this event, please contact the library and we can arrange something.

Meet Author Maureen Holtz on Nov. 12th

Meet author, Maureen Holtz and learn about,

Robert Allerton:
The Private Man & The Public Gifts


Most people know Robert Allerton only as the rich and mysterious man who built a mansion on many acres outside of Monticello. But few people realize that the main building of the Art Institute of Chicago is named after him, or that he's the son of the founder of the Chicago Stockyards, & the First National Bank of Chicago. Robert Allerton was also named Chicago's Richest Bachelor in 1906!

To find out more about this mysterious man and the connection between him and the town of Allerton, Illinois join us at the

Homer Community Library
Sat, Nov. 12th @ 1:30pm

The Homer Community Library is located at 500 East 2nd St., (the Homer-Catlin Rd), Homer, IL. For more information contact us at 217-896-2121 or homerlibrarian@gmail.com

The Homer Community Library Has GONE TO THE BIRDS!

The Illinois Audubon Society has set up a wonderful display of photographs of local Illinois birds. Come on in any time during Library hours and check out the display.

On Tues., Oct. 18th join us for a presentation on Champaign and Vermillion county birds by Jim Smith.

Keep an eye out for upcoming events including a presentation on Nov. 13th by Maureen Holtz, author of the book, "Robert Allerton: The Private Man and the Public Gifts".

Going to College?

If you are going to college soon, you may want to look into applying for student loans and other student aid. The Library has links to all of the Federal Student Aid publications which are available online. I'm posting the most important links here, but we have more information at the Library that you may find useful. If we don't have the information handy we can help you find it - that is what we are here for!

Here are some of the most important links to start out with:

http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/pubs offers student- and parent-oriented publication ins PDF. Note that we have a number of items in PDF that are not available in hard copy so be sure to visit this page to find a variety of useful fact sheets and other items that you can print out.

http://www.edpubs.gov is the ordering site that students and parents should visit to order single copies of our hard copy publications.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ is the site you will go to apply for student aid. There is a lot of good information on here including application deadlines, college codes, and the FAFSA4caster which can help you estimate how much you will need to contribute for your college education.

If anyone else has some good on-line resources, please let us know about them.

On-line Language Courses at the Homer Library!

The Homer Community Library is proud to announce our new partnership with Mango Languages. Mango is an on-line language learning program that any Homer library card holder can access from any computer with internet and basic capabilities. You can chose from about 30 different languages, including english as a second language. For more information, call or visit the Homer Library during open hours.

Phone: 217-896-2558
Open: M,T,Th, Fri: 2-7pm; Wed 9am-2pm; Sat 10am-2pm

Pre-School Story Time Coming to the Library!

Parents and daycare providers - The Homer Community Library is going to begin a pre-school story time! Story time will be held the first and last Weds of each month at 10 a.m. beginning Sept. 7th.

Our first few stories will be Pirate themed!

We are looking for both listeners and a few more volunteer readers so that no one person is responsible for every story time. If you are interested in coming in to listen, just show up! If you are interested in being a reader, please call or email the Library. 896-2121 or homerlibrarian@gmail.com

As with any of our programs we would love to get ideas or feedback.

3rd Friday Movie Night - Coming to Your Library!

Moms - Dads - Kids of All Ages!

The Homer Community Library is happy to announce the start of 3rd FRIDAY MOVIE NIGHT!


We will be showing family-friendly (PG-13 or less) movies the 3rd Friday of every month. This month's movie is Gnomeo & Juliet.
Come on out to the Library at 7pm. Bring your favorite pillow or blankie and enjoy the show!

For more information call 896-2121 or email homerlibrarian@gmail.com

Meet Sarah Holmes, author of the book “How to Get Free Groceries” and columnist for the Coupon Corner in the News-Gazette …

…and learn



Techniques Coupon Pros Use
To Get Free Groceries!

Fri., Aug. 12th @ 7pm
Homer Community Library
500 E. 2nd St., Homer Community Library




Sarah began couponing at the age of 12 when Sarah's mother offered to give her half of the amount Sarah saved on her mother's grocery bill. At the age of 16 for a Mother's Day gift she took her mother on a $135 free grocery shopping spree. Using the methods featured on TLC's Extreme Couponing program, Sarah went on her own grocery shopping spree where she bought $400 of groceries for $5. Join us August 12th to learn coupon techniques and perhaps you will soon bring home your own free groceries.


For more information call 896-2121

New & Classic Movies Just In

We just got in our latest batch of new movies: Gnomeo & Juliet, Sucker Punch, Red Riding Hood, Burlesque, Country Strong, The Pajama Game, The Wiz, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, Pirates of Penzance, Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Stoning of Soraya M, Slumdog Millionaire, Cleopatra & Taming of the Shrew. Yes-lots of musicals to fill help fill out our Hunter Music Collection.

Whenever we get in new movies they fly off the shelves so if there is something here you are just dying to see, you might want to call before coming out. We can tell you if it is in and hold it for you.

Stay Tuned for upcoming news on Homer Community Library MOVIE NIGHT. We will be hosting 1 - 2 movies a month through the winter and spring. We will announce a preliminary schedule soon! Come on out and enjoy free movies. If we get a good turnout we will continue our movie license for another year or more.

Give a Big Hand to Our Top Readers!

We just wrapped up our Summer Reading Program - Congratulations to our prize winners! Kailee Eldridge won the top prize for most pages/books read out of all the reading levels. She also took 1st prize for the Level 2 Readers. 2nd prize for Level 2 went to Sage Lundquist and 3rd went to Sophia James. Our top Level 1 reader was Aren Lundquist, 2nd was Mazie Ronk and 3rd was Jordan Eldridge. For the Read-to-me kids, Gwendolyn and Anthony Happ tied for 1st place, Olivia Wallace took 2nd and Nathan Eldridge took 3rd. All the kids did a great job reading this summer - let's keep it up! I had a great time with the Summer Reading Program this year and want to thank all of the parents and volunteers who worked hard to make it a success.

For other Library news... we just started our own Facebook page. Come visit us there to keep up with what is going on at the library.

We continue to get in new books about twice a month - don't forget to come see what we've got in. It's been so hot, now is a good time to find a good summer read and stay inside. Today I am cataloging about a dozen new early Reader books - we have some Disney Fairies, Barbie Ballerina, Tangled, Fancy Nancy and Princess and the Frog and some Star Wars, Transformers, Batman and Superman. I also just got in a set of manga - Hikaru no Go for the teens. Give me a day or two to get them all cataloged but they will soon be ready to go out!

And remember, the Library is always cool and a good place to go if your house is too hot!

We're Now on Facebook!

For those of you who just can't get enough information about your local library, YOU CAN NOW JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!! Yes, the Homer Community Library now has a Facebook page - please visit our page and "Like" us. While the blog is a good place for longer posts, I will be able to do much more frequent short posts on Facebook. I'm also hoping to get a few more teens informed on what is going on at the library by using Facebook. So, please, tell your friends and kids. I'm hoping to get 100 "Like"s before the end of July. You can find us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Homer-Community-Library/140749452667547

If you search for Homer Community Library, there are two entries that come up. The active one is the one with the picture (and once you go to it, the one with the recent posts!) I'm trying to get the second one deleted to avoid confusion.

I will still be updating the blog but will be posting different types of things in each place so please don't forget to continue to check us out here, too!

Free Books!

The Homer Community Library is having a
FREE BOOK Giveaway!!!

When? July 4th from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Where? At the Homer Village Hall
(500 East Second Street for non Homer people)

The Catch? Take as many as you would like, just PLEASE don't bring them back!

We have too many books accumulated for our book sale and don't have the room to store them. This is good news for you - bring a bag and pick up some reading material. I know we have lots of mysteries, drama, romance and a little bit of everything else!

We have HOW MANY Biographies??

In the Summer Reading Programming we are discussing the difference between legend and history - how during the Dark Ages and early Medieval times when very few people read and books were hard to come by, history was repeated orally from generation to generation and it was much easier to forget real events and people but is, of course, how we've come up with some of our favorite legends, like King Arthur and Robin Hood. In thinking about this topic for the kids, I thought about how wonderful it is that we have such great access to books about real people and events so that we can learn from history and from the lives of others. It also dawned on me that we have quite a few biographies sitting here in the Homer Library and very few of them come across my desk for circulation. Doing a very quick check, just by call number, I discovered that we have 580 biographies in our adult section. This does not include many books that are shelved just as a general non-fiction because it is not a 'true' biography but could easily be considered one.

We also have close to 250 biographies in our Junior section.

We have many different types of biographies. We have the typical school 'book report' biographies on people like George Washington, Harriet Tubman, and JFK. We also have some celebrity biographies on such personalities as Princess Diana, Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, John Lennon, and Woody Allen. We have books that run the spectrum of politics - from funny to quite serious and from the extreme left to the extreme right. We also have the first volume of the long anticipated autobiography of Mark Twain which he asked not be released until 100 years after his death. He must have had a lot (and perhaps not a lot good) to say about his contemporaries.

With biographies there is so much to choose from, the subject matter so varied, that there is sure to be something to interest almost everyone. I am someone who is usually much more interested in legends than history, but find myself fascinated by the biographies of people such as Cleopatra, Ann Boleyn, or Catherine the Great. There is so much adventure, mystery and intrigue in the lives of people like this that their stories are a lot more interesting than a lot of the fiction I read.

So the next time you are looking for a good story, think about looking in the Biography section. You never do know what you might find!

It's Summer Reading Time!

School is officially out and summer is here! That means we are getting ready for the Summer Reading Program at the Homer Community Library. This year's theme is "A Midsummer Knight's Read" and we will be having a lot of fun with knights, dragons, castles and princesses. We have a local resident building some mini catapults for us and we will learn about castle design and defense along with many other medieval facts. Don't worry - it won't all be facts - there will be plenty of fantasy! We will read about fighting dragons (and maybe even practice on one of our own) and make some edible magic wands. Even if you can't participate in the activities you can still complete a reading log. Summer is the perfect time to read for fun. This summer's program will run on Tuesdays at 1pm from June 7th - July 12th. Any student in the Heritage School district entering K - 5th grade is eligible to participate. You can register at the Homer Community Library starting now! Call us at 217-896-2121 for more information.

Pet Care and Gardening is Hot at the Library

This is the time of year when many families start planting gardens and when younger children beg for a new pet. If either of these situations apply to your family, the Homer Community Library can help!

We have recently purchased a wonderful series of Pet Care for Kids books in the memory of Gertrude Brown, a long-time teacher and pet lover in our community. These books are aimed at younger kids - up to about 3rd grade and explain the basics of caring for different pets. We have books on caring for cats, dogs, fish, parakeets, hamsters, lizards and turtles. Rabbits seem to be a popular pet this year so we have also purchased an Animal Planet book on caring for your rabbit. We also have various other pet care books for all ages - juniors through adults.

We also have added a few new books on gardening for kids thanks to a generous donation from the C-U Herb Society. We have books on growing plants for fun and food and books that explain the different uses of herbs to children. We also have many wonderful books on gardening with and using herbs for cooking and crafts in our adult non-fiction section.

With school coming to a close, this is the perfect time of year to visit the library and keep your family both entertained and educated through the summer.

Is Your Child Struggling In School?

If your child is struggling in school, you are invited to attend one of seven free workshops being offered in Illinois to explain how Response to Intervention strategies can result in improved outcomes fr students with and without disabilities. The Champaign Public Library is hosting a workshop on Sat., August 13, 2011 from 10am-noon at the Champaign Public Library, 200 W. Green St., Champaign. Here is a link to the complete flier listing all seven locations: http://www.fmptic.org/download/rti_flyer.pdf

Registration is required. Contact Family Matters at 866-436-7842 or at www.fmptic.org/family-matters-trainings.htm

May is a Manic Month for New Releases!

May is a big month for new releases so I am in a buying frenzy! Here is some of what's new on our shelves:
10th Anniversary by James Patterson
Buried Prey by John Sandford
Ella's Wish by Jerry Eicher
Love You More by Lisa Gardner
44 Charles St. by Danielle Steel
Eve by Iris Johansen
Fatal Error by J.A. Jance

For Juniors and Young Adults, we have filled out our selection of junior sports novels by Tim Green, including his newest release, Best of the Best. We have also completed the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull and the first of his new Beyonders series, we have the newest books in both the 49 Clues series as well as the Ranger's Apprentice series along with the latest books by Rick Riordan, Cassandra Clare, Scott Westerfeld and Anthony Horowitz.

We just got in a great new set of books on pet care for younger children as well as some nice picture books, including the newest Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems - we will be getting many more of these of the next several months..

We have also added some new DVDs to our collection including; Tangled, Harry Potter Deathly Hallows part 1, Black Swan and The King's Speech.

Summer is almost here - don't forget that your local library is a great place to find some entertainment!

Mysteries and True Crime Novels

Many of our patrons love mysteries. We always try to keep up with the newest releases by our most popular mystery writers as well as look for a few new ones to keep our readers fresh. But did you realize that along with the popular fiction novels, we also have several true crime mysteries. These are mostly located in the non-fiction section under the call number 364.1....

We just recently cataloged a book titled, "The Devil in the White City" which looks like a fascinating true crime story that takes place in Chicago circa 1893. Here is the description from the back cover:

"Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson's spell-binding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men -- the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America's place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction."

However, if you want to stick with your tried and true favorites, we just got in the new releases by James Patterson, J.A. Jance, Danielle Steel, and Iris Johansen (as well as many other non-mystery favorites!)

Poems to Read and Books to Sell

Did you know that April is poetry month? Thanks to Mr. Honeycutt at the Heritage Jr. High we have dozens of poems on display by our local students. See what is on their minds and see if they can make you smile.

Also..... the Homer Community Library is having its semi-annual book sale starting this Saturday, April 9th. Come on out to the Village Hall for the HCIA Business Expo and the Library book sale - all happening from 10am-2pm.

Thousands of books - hardcover and paperback, new and old, fiction and non-fiction. We have added A LOT of books to our sale. The money you spend on our book sale all goes back into improving your local library.

Hope to see you this Saturday or anytime during open hours during the month of April!

Magazines at Your Local Library

It seems strange to me (Librarian's personal editorial here) that we have subscriptions to about 20 different magazines which rarely get checked out BUT I know there are a number of people in the community who would like to read these magazines. Is the problem in getting the word out? Do people just not know what we have available? Do they not think to see if their local library has a subscription to a magazine before they subscribe themselves? Or, do people just like to read magazines in the bathtub and get the pages all wet and wrinkly so they don't want to do that to a borrowed copy?

I can't really help with that last one, but... In the attempt to get the word out, I am listing the magazines that we currently have a subscription for. We also receive several free serials so comes check out what we have!

Autoweek
Better Homes and Gardens.
Tips & Tricks Video Game Codebook.
Consumer Reports.
Country Living.
Country
Disney FamilyFun.
Good Housekeeping.
THE Journal : Transforming education through technology.
Motor Trend.
National Geographic.
Newsweek
Prevention.
Redbook
The Reader's Digest.
Slam.
Smithsonian.
Seventeen.
Tennis.
Website Magazine.

We keep approximately a year's worth of magazines available to check out. We also get the two local newspapers, "The Leader" and "The Southern Champaign County TODAY". We also keep about a year's worth of back issues for these.

We also offer a magazine trade-in area. People bring in the magazines they are finished reading and other people can take them home and read them. This is a great way to 'try out' a magazine before you commit to a subscription or to see what other magazines are around. This is also where our "old' magazines go so it is a great place to pick up magazines for kids' cut-and-paste school projects!

Lots of New Materials In!

The 2010 Newbery and Caldecott award winners are in. We are still hosting our reading incentive - if you check out a Newberry or Caldecott book (past or present) you will have your name entered for a prize drawing!

We have several new movies in, including:
The A-Team
Salt
Paranormal Activity 2
Secretariat
The Social Network
Iron Man 2
Sherlock Holmes
Disney's The Princess and the Frog
(along with several Disney Classics now on DVD)

We have several new fiction and non-fiction best-sellers and have had a good number of new fiction books donated. If you like Nicholas Sparks you will enjoy several of these new authors. We also have some new Lisa Gardner books for those of you who like mysteries!

We also have had a number of newer historical romance and paranormal romance books donated. If you like this genre, come see what's new!

Tax Forms Are Here...

...most of them anyway. The IRS is a bit late getting all of their tax forms out but we do have the most common forms people need in from both the IRS and the state. I understand the post office is not carrying as many forms this year, so as always, THE LIBRARY is the place to go for what you need!

The Newberys are Coming!

This week the American Library Association announced the latest Cauldecott and Newberry Award winners. Cauldecott awards are given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. The Newbery awards are given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

We will be purchasing some of these newest medal winners soon. In the meantime, check out a previous medal winner or honor book from the Homer Library and you will have your name entered into a prize drawing! This is our latest reading incentive. You don't have to be a child to enjoy these books either. We will have many of these books on display but ask us for our full list and see what might interest you. You might be surprised!

Congratulations Keegan!

Thank you to all of the kids who participated in our winter break Treasure Hunt. I hope you all had fun answering our questions and learned something about how your library works! Congratulations to Keegan for winning our grand prize!

We have had several purchases from our Wish List Tree - thank you to the patrons who bought gifts for the library. Following is a partial list of wish list items now in:

Despicable Me - DVD
Twilight Eclipse - DVD
Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems - Easy book
Llama Llama Mad at Mama - Easy book
Llama Llama Holiday Drama - Easy book
4 Judy Moody books by Megan McDonald - Junior Fiction
4 Sports books by Mike Lupica - Junior Fiction
(there are 3 more Mike Lupica books on their way!)
Hero by Mike Lupica - Junior Fiction
Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan - Young Adult Fiction
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett - Adult Fiction

Thanks again to all who participated in our Wish List Tree!

We have several other books and movies just in or on order so check in with us and see what's new!