It’s springtime! Numerous new books have generously been donated to our collection for your reading pleasure (see below). We would also like to thank all of our patrons and members of the community that turned out for the T&N Railway Lecture. We hope that you learned as much as we did! Summer Reading Program We are excited to share with you our 2022 Summer Reading Challenge: Read Off the Beaten Path! The program is a series of reading challenges intended to push you outside of your reading comfort zone and into new literary realms. Read or listen to a book for each of the 10 challenges. Track your reading in your Reading Challenge notebook and complete the log sheet on the final page. Starting June 1, 2022, you may bring in your printed sheet by October 1, 2022, to receive 1 free book of your choosing for every book that you read from the selection available in our ongoing Book Sale! View our Facebook page or contact us directly to learn more and register! A Light To You In Dark Places Our patrons may have noticed that the library has been fairly dim inside. “But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer” . . . or our new LED lights, that is! You heard that right, gone are the days of a dark and dingy library! Every light in and out of the library has been retrofitted with new LEDs that are both brighter AND more energy efficient. No more must you worry of Gollum lurking in the shadows, so come down to our slice of Middle Earth and enjoy what we have to offer! May we be a light to you, when all other lights go out. Mills County Foot Clinic
Mills County Public Health will be holding a Foot Clinic at the Carnegie Conference Center of the Malvern Public Library on the first Tuesday of each month from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Call Mills County Public Health today to schedule an appointment. How can you get involved? If you would like to stay more up-to-date with the goings-on at the library, we invite you to attend a library board meeting, held on the first Monday of every month at 6:00 PM. You may also attend a Friends of the Library meeting, which meets every third Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM. Both meetings take place in the Carnegie Conference Center. New Books
. . . and many more!
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It has been a busy month for the library! In addition to numerous new books that have been added to our collection for your reading pleasure (see below), we would like to inform you of two programs and services that are offered here at the library: Tykes Story Time What: Tykes Story Time for children 5 and under acts as an integral part of early literacy education by introducing young children to books and helping parents to incorporate early childhood literacy practices into their daily life. When: Every Friday from 10:00 – 11:00 AM Virtual Story Time What: Unable to attend Tykes Story time in person? No worries! We are happy to read to your child during free, virtual story time sessions on Zoom. All ages are welcome! When: Call 624.8554 or e-mail [email protected] with inquiries. Wits Workout What: This is a FUN, interactive, and educational brain health program. By exercising our brains, we can delay or prevent the onset of dementia. When: It will be held every other Wednesday from 10 - 11 AM here at the library, beginning March 30th. Tabor & Northern Railway Lecture and Slide Show What: Presented by Harry Wilkins, the T&N was a railway that operated its 8.79-mile route from Tabor to Malvern and back between 1890 and 1929. This one-hour event is free of charge. It is sponsored by the Friends of the Malvern Public When: Thursday, April 7 at 6:30 PM in the Malvern Public Library. Mills County Foot Clinic
Mills County Public Health will be holding a Foot Clinic at the Carnegie Conference Center of the Malvern Public Library on the first Tuesday of each month from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM. Call Mills County Public Health today to schedule an appointment. How can you get involved? If you would like to stay more up-to-date with the goings-on at the library, we invite you to attend a library board meeting, held on the first Monday of every month at 6:00 PM. You may also attend a Friends of the Library meeting, which meets every third Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM. Both meetings take place in the Carnegie Conference Center. New Books
. . . and many more! It has been a busy month for the library! In addition to numerous new books that have been added to our collection for your reading pleasure (see below), we are pleased to announce two new programs that have been added to our weekly lineup:
RPG Club What: RPG Club is a group where you and your friends may come to play role-playing games, such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and others! We even have a checkers and chess table! When: Every Tuesday from 5:00 – 6:00 PM Inklings Writers Club What: Inspired by celebrated authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, we are an informal gathering for critiquing the works of fellow writers, be it book, short story, poem, and everything in-between! No need to be shy, bring your work! When: Every Thursday from 4:00 – 5:00 PM Mills County Foot Clinic Mills County Public Health will be holding a Foot Clinic at the Carnegie Conference Center of the Malvern Public Library on Tuesday, March 1st from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM (the first Tuesday of each month). Call Mills County Public Health today to schedule an appointment. How can you get involved? If you would like to stay more up-to-date with the goings-on at the library, we invite you to attend a library board meeting, held on the first Monday of every month at 6:00 PM. You may also attend a Friends of the Library meeting, which meets every third Wednesday of the month at 1:30 PM. Both meetings take place in the Carnegie Conference Center. New Books
. . . and many more! New Book Spotlight Title: Our Educational System Flipped Upside Down – Teaching Reading to Reduce the Negative Effects of School Closures during the Pandemic, and Beyond Author: Barbara Stotts Cochran Description: Through specific, easy-to-understand directions, this book teaches any proficient reader how to teach the skills and strategies to any potential reader to maximize their learning capabilities. It combines the best parts of the guided reading, reading through trade books, and basal reader programs when initially using it with the "ABCs" learner's section. Examples of how to use higher-order thinking skills for all developmental ages are included. The questions to Check for Understanding provide practice for inexperienced instructors in the controlled ABCs. This book is all-inclusive from individuals who do not yet recognize print, through literal comprehension, and to those who are proficient readers who need to develop stronger abilities to evaluate text. A major positive emphasis when interacting with individuals takes them from where they are as a learner and offers many opportunities to advance them to reach their highest potentials as communicators in reading and writing. Once mastered, this book becomes a handbook for teaching through any selected print from personal pleasure reading through school related materials. "Teaching Reading..." incorporates much information and many activities from math, science, and social studies also. *This book is available in the library for check-out and via Ingram and Amazon for purchase. New Program
We are pleased to announce that we have recently added a new program, Midday Meditations, to our weekly lineup. Join us every Monday through Friday, 12:00 to 12:30 PM, for a moment of meditation with relaxing music. All are welcome! View this link to learn more. Book Sale Special We will be holding a “2-for-1” book sale special on Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022! A purchase of two paperback books will cost 25¢ and two hardcovers will cost 50¢. New Books Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill Confessions of a Union Buster by Martin Jay Levitt The Book of Awesome Women by Becca Anderson Student's Guide to the Great Composers by L. Dean Bye A Collector's Guide to Seashells of the World by Jerome E. Eisenberg Our Educational System Flipped Upside Down by Barbara Stotts Cochran Essential Black Wisdom: Quotes of Inspiration and Strength by Carol Kelly-Gangi Another year has come and gone. Though the holidays have passed, it is never too late (or too early) to give thanks for what we hold most dear. As your library, we are very grateful to have spent the last year with our patrons and are looking forward to another great year with you all.
For those who are new to our library or have not visited us recently, we welcome you! You are invited to take a glance below at some of the programs that we offer on a weekly basis for our patrons. You may also view a list of new books that we have added to our collection! Programs:
New books:
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit us and have a wonderful day! HISTORICAL LECTURE SERIES
APRIL 2020 "Iowans Who Fought Against the Union": Book Reading & Signing David Connon April 16, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. David Connon has added a new wrinkle to Iowa's proud Union history. He documented 76 residents who left our state and served the Confederacy. He will share a few of their stories, telling their pre-war, wartime, and post-war experiences. He will also discuss the most common motives for Iowans to serve the C.S.A. Connon is the author of “Iowa Confederates in the Civil War”. CARNEGIE LIBRARY RENOVATIONS CONTINUE My staff and I have worked diligently on breathing new life into the old Carnegie Conference Center. The last couple of years have brought about some pretty big changes for the space: all-new windows, new AC/furnace units, an updated kitchen, the amazing new theater and projector system, a Harold Wilkins art corner showcasing some of Iowa’s most beautiful landscapes -- and even more changes on the way! The most recent of these is bringing the original built-in bookcase adjacent to the kitchenette back to life. It has been sitting empty for as long as I have been working in the library, anyway. After discovering a series of old wooden leaflets that were collecting cobwebs on the floor of the closet, I decided it was time to have them polished and returned to their rightful place. After all, that bookcase offers the perfect solution in finding a permanent home for the library’s antiquated books. These books are, quite literally, a page out of history, with the oldest of these dating back to the mid-1800’s. They are the kinds of books you want to avoid handling for fear of damaging them, but you can’t help but want to admire them up close for their distinctive quality. They really don’t make ‘em like that anymore! The finishing touch to this rejuvenated bookcase will be the installation of a set of custom-made glass sliding doors, complete with lock and key, coming soon to a library near you! LIBRARY “BOOKENDS” REACH COMPLETION After more than four years of careful plotting and scheming, the renovation of our "bookends" at Malvern Public Library have at long last reached completion with the final addition of the USS Enterprise! Door #1: The Entrance to Moria staged alongside Bilbo's contract, along with Gandalf's staff and hat. - From J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy Door #2: The Castle Keep A watchful knight stands his guard in his post as defender of the castle wall - and history section! Door #3: A Christmas Carol Seen here is the door to Ebenezer Scrooge's stately home, complete with creepy door knocker! Door #4: Star Trek As you enter the fantasy section of the library, you'll hear that "woosh" sound as typified by the classic Star Trek television series. Beam us up, Scotty! Door #5: Sherlock Holmes 221 Baker Street is the location of the permanent residence of London's most famous detective, just down the road from our Classic Fiction section of the library! Door #6: Platform 9 & 3/4 Do you have what it takes to make the leap into Diagon Alley? A CHRISTMAS CAROL CELEBRATION
Between the beautiful singing from our carolers, the sharing of poignant Christmas memories, Mike Formhals’ incredible passion for history and the delightful holiday confections, there was no shortage of Christmas cheer to be found within these walls on the night of December 7th, 2019. More than that, I would even be so bold as to say that anyone who stepped into town that day witnessed for themselves the very best that Malvern has to offer - in its people. I saw so many genuine smiles, bore witness to the kindest acts of generosity and witnessed for myself the real excitement of anticipation for the arrival of Christmas bubbling forth from kids of all ages - everyone from ages one to ninety-three! I am so grateful to have been part of it all. Nothing puts you into the Christmas spirit more readily than this feeling of togetherness that the holiday brings. And so, as Tiny Tim said, "A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!" CARNEGIE CONFERENCE CENTER RENOVATIONS UNDERWAY The Malvern Public Library’s Carnegie Conference Center is once again undergoing some renovations in an effort to improve the facility while also paying homage to its history. Some of these efforts include the creation of a Harold Wilkins corner featuring original oil paintings by the famed native Malvern artist. Additional projects include the restoration of the original wooden bookcases for the purpose of creating a historic display corner showcasing old artifacts and antiquated books. The newly acquired theater system is also enjoying the inclusion of some additional features such as stage curtains and stanchions to really “usher” in the moviegoing experience for our community. Stay tuned to learn more about these developments in the months ahead! REFLECTIONS ON YESTERDAY AND TOMORROW The new year is upon us, and with that comes pause for reflection…When I first started in my position as director of the Malvern Public Library some four odd years ago, I had this very particular and riveting image in my head of what I imagined the library could be - and, in that moment, I experienced the simultaneous inner groan of having the realization that it was going to take monumental patience, effort and painstaking work to bring that vision to life, if it could ever truly be done. I saw doors leading to other worlds around every corner. I saw ancient castle walls with darkened halls illuminated by candle light. I heard the music of times gone by echoing in the chambers of my mind. I saw dedicated patrons walking the library’s corridors, book in hand, deeply entrenched in thought and wonder. Ah, yes, nothing delighted me more than to see a sharp mind engaged in the pages of a good book! I even saw visions of dancing literary characters in my head - only they were actually pirouetting in and around the library bookcases themselves. (Today, you can find a few Redwallers, Narnians and other personalities running amuck in the library!) And, too, I saw the books - books, everywhere! I was overwhelmed. We needed more books, more kinds of books, and most importantly, they needed to be organized in a very specific way. Was there any system already out there that matched my own distinct sense of order? (As it turned out, there wasn’t!) At this point, you can probably imagine the rush of inspiration and overwhelming exhaustion that hit me all at once with the advent of these ideas! I knew I had to make it all happen, somehow. And so, book by book, piece by piece, I continue to cobble together my impassioned “vision” of what I saw in that Da Vinci moment back in September of 2015. I have just recently completed the task of returning the last book from storage onto the shelf, and that provides me with some sense of accomplishment. The work is never over, however, and I like it that way! Once I have my spiral staircase leading up to that second story floor of even more books and that study complete with its own brick fireplace framed by leather-bound books of antiquated thought -- well, I still won’t be done! NEW BOOKS & MOVIES: I am pleased to announce that the Malvern Public Library has recently added the following titles to its collection: Inside Out: A Memoir by Demi Moore One Hundred and One Beautiful Small Towns in France by Simonetta Greggio Voice Lessons: How a Couple of Ninja Turtles, Pinky, and an Animaniac Saved My Life by Rob Paulsen Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting by Jason Fung, MD German Castles and Palaces by Uwe Albrecht Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Aladdin the 2019 Movie Visit us today to view more of our newest books, movies and more! A CHRISTMAS CAROL CELEBRATION:
Date/Time: DECEMBER 7, 2019 @ 4:30 PM Caroling - Holiday Memories - Victorian Costume Party FREE ADMISSION for ALL AGES! Join us for Caroling and Come Dressed in your Victorian Best (optional)! Explore Charles Dickens’ most iconic work with local historian, Michael Formhals! Egg Nog & Figgy Pudding for all! FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK & DVD SALE Check out our Friends of the Library Winter Book Sale, happening now at Malvern Public Library! Get your Nora Roberts, James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, Danielle Steele and much more, all gently used and ready for a second life. We have Kids books, DVD's and more -- we're packed to the brim -- so it's time again to clean house! Also for sale is our gorgeous solid oak, 3-piece wooden bookcase - like new and ready for a second life! NEW BOOKS: I am pleased to announce that the Malvern Public Library has recently added the following titles to its collection: The Home Fronts of Iowa, 1939-1945 by Lisa Ossian The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah One Thing I Know by Cara Isaac The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell Waves of Mercy by Lynn Austin Slavonic Fairy Tales by John Naake Visit us today to view more of our newest books, movies and more! |
Rebecca BassichAs Library Director here at our Malvern Public Library, you can count on me for all the latest on books, events, programs & more! Archives
May 2023
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