A WRITING CONTEST FOR CHILDREN

Does your child like to make up stories? The Youth Literature Festival is sponsoring a writing contest for children, grades Kindergarten through 5th. The prizes include a savings bond of $100 for first place winners, and $50 for runners-up, plus a book and Contest certificate.

You can pick up an entry form in the library.

Progress

To date, 2848 items have been cataloged. That may or may not sound like a lot, but there are hundreds and hundreds to go. All of the cataloged books are donated or new purchases. We have not even begun to catalog the books that are already in the collection.

Book Club

The next meeting of our book club is February 25 at 4 P.M. We are reading Margaret Truman's murder mystery, Murder on Capitol Hill. Who killed the senator?

Additions to the collection

Over 2500 items have been cataloged so far, most of them donations of all types. We have yet to start on cataloging books already in the collection.

Materials for the blind and disabled

Do you have a problem reading? Whether it is blindness, inability to hold a book, or turn pages, there is a solution. Large print books, books on cassette or CD are available. Just ask.

BOOK SALE

The Homer Library is holding a fundraising book sale. A large selection of used books in good condition are available for purchase. Here's an opportunity to purchase books by your favorite author for a very low price.

The sale will be ongoing during regular library hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - 2 to 7 p.m.
Wednesday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We're Growing and Changing!

CHANGES At the Homer Library

It seems that change is a constant right now in the Homer Library. We are hard at work cataloging our books onto a website. Thousands are done. Hundreds more are waiting to be cataloged. The end result will benefit both our members and our librarians.

On January 30, thirty children and their parents enjoyed a program on Egypt. They got to smell some of the aromatics that are part of Egyptian culture. They heard a story of an ancient Egyptian, and the challenges and danger he faced in pursuit of the lady he loved. The children discovered how life was lived and how death was treated. They learned big words, such as mummification and hieroglyphic writing. The presenter from the Spurlock Museum also displayed artifacts.

The next event will be Reading is Fundamental, when each child in the Homer Grade School, grades K through four, gets to pick out and keep a new book . We look forward to providing this opportunity for the children.

Our new adult fiction includes The Associate by John Grisham, Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods, Run for Your Life by James Patterson, A Darker Place by Jack Higgins, Riven by Jerry B. Jenkins, Midnight Sons by Debbie Macomber, Train Your Brain by Ryut Kawashima, Who Needs Classical Music? By Julian Johnson, and The Returning by Ann Tatlock.

Was FDR a good president? Was the New Deal a good program? Should we emulate it to fix present problems? Read Jim Powell’s take on current problems in his new book, FDR’s Folly, and see what you think.

If you don’t have a barcode on your library card yet, please stop in and get one. It will only take a minute.

We are open from 2 to 7 p.m on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays, we are open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, you will find the library open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Our phone number is 896-2121. Visit us in the blogosphere at http://www.homerillinois.blogspot.com/

Changes

If you are in the village hall on a weekday morning, you will see library people hard at work. We are putting our catalog onto a website. Hundreds if not thousands have already been cataloged. Hundreds are waiting to be cataloged. The end result will benefit both our members and our librarians.

On January 30, thirty children and their parents enjoyed a program on Egypt. They got to smell some of the aromatics that are part of Egyptian culture. They heard a story of an ancient Egyptian, and the challenges and danger he faced in pursuit of the lady he loved. The children discovered how life was lived and how death was treated. They learned big words, such as mummification and hieroglyphic writing. The presenter from the Spurlock Museum also displayed artifacts.

The next event will be Reading is Fundamental, when each child in the Homer Grade School, grades K through four, gets to pick out and keep a new book . We look forward to providing this opportunity for the children.

Our new adult fiction includes Train Your Brain by Ryut Kawashima, The Associate by John Grisham, and Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods.

et tu, Brutus?

CHANGES At the Homer Library

It seems that change is a constant right now in the Homer Library. We are hard at work building our catalog onto a website.

Meanwhile, since the Berean Bookstore in Champaign is closing, we took advantage of that and bought a collection of Christian fiction and other books at a discount. Look for books by Lynn Austin, Gilbert Morris, a biography of Ben Carson, and one of Michael Reagan. We have a new Veggie Tales DVD, The Pirates Who Don’t Do anything. and two other DVDs for young people, Hermie the Common Caterpillar, and The Ballard of Little Joe.

Brutus has been here! He had his photograph taken with two young people from Homer. Who or what is Brutus? Ask a librarian to show you little Miss and Mister April. Who or what is Brutus? You will have to come into the library to find out.

Winter

It's a good idea on a bad weather day to call ahead to see if the library is open. If we can't open because of bad weather, we take that into account in determining whether an item is overdue or not.

We suggest you plan ahead and stock up on reading materials and movies if an extended period of severe weather is in the forecast.

News

Exciting news! The Homer Library board members and staff are beginning to catalog our collection online. In time, you will be able to go to a website and place holds on materials. This is a big project and is expected to take about two years. But it will bring many improvements to the services we offer. Be sure to bring your library card with you the next time you come in so that we can put the bar code on.

New books arriving soon in the library include Every Now and Then by Karen Kingsbury, A Lady of Hidden Intent By Tracie Peterson, and A Love to Last Forever by Tracie Peterson.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and hours of enjoyable reading. Or video watching, if that is your preference.

Updates

All of the Boy Scout manuals have been cataloged and put on the shelf. And the latest addition of Accelerated Reader books are on the shelf as well. These new books are in the 2 and 3 level, and are a gift from a donor.

Upcoming Events

Two events will be taking place this week. Our book club on November 19, Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m., discussing another Cadfael book, One Corpse Too Many, by Ellis Peters. Family Reading Night is Thursday, November 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. This event is for people of all ages.

Additions to our collection

Thanks to your donations, we've been busy putting the following items in our catalog and on our shelves. Thanks!!


Adult Fiction Mortimer, John Rumpole
Adult fiction Sparks, Nicholas The Lucky One
Adult Fiction Young, Wm. Paul The Shack
Adult Fiction Kingsbury, Karen Sunset
Adult Fiction Peterson, Tracie A Promise to Believe in
Adult Fiction Gunn, Robin Jones On a Whim
Adult Fiction Bell, James Scott Deadlock
Adult Fiction Bell, James Scott Try Dying
Adult Fiction Bell, James Scott Try Darkness
Adult Fiction White, Stephen Manner of Death
Adult FIction Gibbons, Kaye On the Occasion of the Last Afternoon
Adult FIction Hosseini, Khaled The Kite Runner
Adult Fiction Iris Johansen Dark Summer
Adult FIction Girard, Danielle The Rookie Club
Adult Fiction Connelly, Michael The Brass Verdict
Adult Fiction Wright, Jason F. Recovering Charles
Adult Fiction Lecard, Marc Vinnie's Head
Adult Fiction Hopkins, Bonnie Seasons
Adult Ficton Wroblewski, David The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Adult PB Macomber, Debbie 50 Harbor Street
BIO Whalin, W. Terry Samuel Morris: The Apostle of Simple Faith
BIO Floren, Myron Accordion Man
BIO Zetterson, Rolf Dr. Dobson: Turning Hearts Toward Home
BIO Benge, Janet & Geoff William Carey
DVD Mummies and the Wonder of Egypt
DVD Camp Rock
DVD The Forbidden Kingdom
DVD Opus 'N Bill in a Wish for Wings that Work
DVD Miss Pettigrew
DVD Handel's Last Chance
DVD Liszt's Rhapsody
DVD Rossini's Ghost
DVD Bizet's Dream
DVD Strauss: The King of Three-Quarter Time
DVD Bach's Flight for Freedom
Easy Readers Bell, Louise Price Johnny Tractor and His Pals
Easy Readers Johnson, Stephen T. Alphabet City
Easy Readers Stafford, William The Animal That Drank Up Sound
Easy Readers Wilder, Laura Winter Days in the Woods
Easy Readers Lies, Brian Bats at the Library
Easy Readers Hanna Barbera The Flintstones Stone Age Nursery
Easy Readers Lies, Brian Bats at the Beach
JR Paperback Collier, James and Christopher My Brother Sam is Dead
JR Paperback Haugaard, Erik Christian The Samurai's Tale
JR Paperback Alexander, Lloyd Taran Wanderer
JR Paperback Bruchac, Joseph Pocahantas
JR Paperback Denenberg, Barry Early Sunday Morning: The Pearl Harbor Diary of Amber Billows
JR Paperback Park, Linda Sue When My Name was Keoko
Junior Denenberg, Barry So Far From Home
Junior Bio Yoder, Harvey God Knows My Size
Junior Non-Fiction Paul, Tessa In Woods & Forests
Junior Non-Fiction Bailey, Jill The Life Cycle of a Grasshopper
Junior Non-Fiction Bernard, Robin Insects
Junior Non-Fiction Usborne The Usborne Book of Peoples of the World
Junior Non-Fiction Pelzer, Dave The Privilege of Youth
Large Print Sparks, Nicholas At First Sight
Non-Fiction Mortimer, John Famous Trials
Non-Fiction Gingrich, Newt Rediscovering God in America
Non-Fiction Jeremiah, David What in the World is Going On?
Non-Fiction Greene, Melissa Fay Praying for Sheetrock
Non-Fiction Kendall, Joshua The Man Who Made Lists
Non-Fiction Newman, Nell The Newman's Own Guide to a Good Life
Non-Fiction National Geographic Society Wilderness U.S.A.
Non-Fiction McGinty, Alice Celebrating Champaign-Urbana History
Non-Fiction Otto, Donna Secrets to Getting More Done in Less Time
Non-Fiction Maxwell, John The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership
Non-Fiction Stuart, Sarah Anne A Treasurey of Poems
Non-Fiction Alexander, Lloyd The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook
Non-Fiction Chevallier, Andrew Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine
Non-Fiction Doeser, Linda Making Bread at Home
Non-Fiction Cloud, Henry & John Townsend Boundaries
Non-Fiction Swenson, Richard A. The Overload Syndrome
Non-Fiction Wiener, Harvey S. Any Child Can Read Better
Non-Fiction Hayhurst, Jim. Sr. The Right Mountain
Science Fiction Niven, Larry & Edward M. Lerner Fleet of Worlds
Young Adult Alexander, Lloyd The Kestral
Young Adult Alexander, Lloyd The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen
Young Adult Mass, Wendy a Mongo-Shaped Space

Holidays

The Homer Community Library will be open on Monday, October 13, Columbus Day. We only close for major holidays. So plan on us being open. See you there!!

What's New??

HOMER LIBRARY NEWS
We’ve been busy in the library lately. Cathy has been working on some exciting programming. Watch for her upcoming announcements.
Thursday November 20, the entire State of Illinois will be celebrating Go For the Gold, Family Reading Night. Homer Community Library will have games and guest readers to encourage families to read together from 6 to 8 pm. December 6 you may stop by the library from 10 am to 2 pm to make an ornament for the LIbrary's Christmas tree or one to take home.

Meanwhile, we’ve been adding a lot of new materials. Some of the titles are The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski, The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, The Shack by Wm. Paul Young, Sunset by Karen Kingsbury – the last in the Baxter Family series, A Promise to Believe in by Tracie Peterson, On A Whim by Robin Jones Gunn, and three by James Scott Bell: Deadlock, Try Dying and Try Darkness. And we are working on cataloging the dozens of donated books that people have given to the library.

Local History Books

For a taste of local history, check out our newest acquisitions: Born in the Illinois Cornfields, and Life Down on the Farm, both by Alvin Decker; and Here Stands the Law by Donald Richter. The latter book covers a time of lawlessness in Vermilion County, of lynchings and mob rule, and how law was restored. Question: Is Sheriff Hardy Whitlock related to Herbie Whitlock?

Homer Library News Sepetember 2008

What’s been going on in the Homer Library lately? Lots, actually.
Cathy would like to hear from you about the possibility of starting a book club. You can fill out a form indicating your areas of interest. There will be a meeting on September 17 at 1:00 P.M. to discuss specifics.
Meanwhile, we keep adding materials. The newest bestsellers are Rough Justice by Jack Higgins, Promise Texas by Debbie Macomber, and Being Elizabeth by Barbara Taylor Bradford, with more on backorder. Anyone who loves children or horses will enjoy Hope Rising, and Bridge Called Hope, both by Kim Meeder. Kim and her husband operate a horse rescue ranch in central Oregon. As the horses are healed, they are made available for children to ride, with emphasis on abused, neglected children and those who have suffered the loss of a loved one. The results are quite amazing and wonderful.
We’ve been adding to our travel section and will continue to do so over time. There is an excellent book on cruising Alaska; Frommer’s Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2009; and New York City 2008, with more on backorder.
For junior age children, there is Hank Zipzer: Niagara Falls, or Does It? and Hank Zipzer: I Got a “D” in Salami, both by Henry Winkler. Or they might enjoy Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox, or Pendragon: Raven Rise by D. J. MacHale.
Our newest DVDs are Journey to the Center of the Earth and Nim’s Island. You can also find six donated Winnie the Pooh, Little Bear and Jay Jay DVDs, a set of four Bananas Comedy DVDs, and some World War II DVDs. There’s something for everyone.