Saying Farewell

Today we need to say "fare thee well" to one of our staff who is leaving the Allen County Public Library. 

Heather Acerro joined the Children's Services team just over six years ago.  Since that time she has worked with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age kids, and all types of adults - teachers, parents, college students, children's literature enthusiasts - in a wide variety of programs. She has presented arts, sciences, reading, and homeschool programs. She has been a strong advocate for early literacy, reading in general, kids of all ages, and the Library. She has helped the Children's Services department make many positive connections within our community. She has served not only as a supervisor, but also as a mentor, coach, and friend to staff. Offering excellent customer service has always been the cornerstone of Heather's work at the Library.

Join us between 3:00 and 5:00 pm today in the Globe Room at the Main Library to share some time with Heather, to thank her for her years of service to the Children's Services department & to the Allen County Public Library, and to wish her well wherever her life journeys take her.

Happy Anniversary 900 Library Plaza!

Today is the fourth anniversary of the Grand Opening of the beautiful new library at 900 Library Plaza! Happy Anniversary to all of us!

It has been a wonderful four years of fun here. Take some time to review the ACPL Kids Blog to see where we have been and what we have been doing. Another fun place visit is the ACPL's Flickr account.

Check out some of these photos from the past four years which highlight some of the awesome spaces here at the library:

Art Cars on the Plaza
2008 Poetry Contest Awards Ceremony in the Theater
Day of the Dead 2007 in Children's Services
Homeschoolers Sneak Preview in the Great Hall
Time 2 Chime Live in the Jeffrey R. Krull Gallery
EcoKids Club (featuring live worms) in the Program Room

Please visit the library soon to see what we are up to now!

More Letterboxes!

Letterboxing is a hobby that will exercise your treasure hunting and artistic abilities. This fun and exciting activity can be enjoyed by the whole family. Letterboxes are hidden all over the world and each one contains a unique stamp. Find letterboxes and collect stamps in your personal journal and leave your personal stamp in the letterbox's visitor book.

We have several letterboxes hidden in the Children's Services department, making this a perfect cold weather activity for your family. Most of our boxes contain beautiful hand carved stamps and if you aren't careful you might learn something about how to find books in the library while you solve the clues. Our trail name is ACPL Kids, click here to find the clues. You can also ask at the Ask Here desk in Children's Services for a folder with EVEN MORE clues!

Do you have visitors?

Bring them to the Library!

Since the new building at 900 Library Plaza opened in 2007 we have noticed a new local tradition...Fort Wayne families LOVE to show off their new library to out of town visitors over the Thanksgiving weekend.

So, if you are looking for something fun and warm to do this weekend, bring your friends and family in to meet us.

A beautiful and elaborate alphabet book

A is for absolutely adorable! Beloved artist Gyo Fujikawa teaches toddlers
their alphabetin a picture-packed A to Z.
Each letter is illustrated by a multitude of marvelous things to help build a child's vocabulary, including chicks, chocolate cake, and cuckoo clock for C

and moon, mouse, and monkey for M.

As always, Fujikawa has created a charming collection of cute children

and huggable animals

of all kinds.

Scenes from a self checkout...

amazing photographs

Nic Bishop is an author and photographer of many award winning books for children. He has a doctorate in biological sciences and a passionate interest in animals. His books are filled with the most amazing photographs of animals. We all get so excited when a new Nic Bishop comes across our desks. Check out his website for a taste of what he does www.nicbishop.com
His latest offering is Lizards and it does not disappoint; the photographs are beautiful.
Stop by the library and check out our selection of Nic Bishop books - you will love them.

Read to a Dog - Tonight!

Thursday evenings, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
at the downtown library
in the Children's Department

The mission of the Paws to Read is to improve the literacy skills of children with the assistance of registered canine reading companions in a fun and relaxed environment. Research with therapy animals indicates that children with low self-esteem are often more willing to interact with an animal than another person. Even more, they are inclined to forget about their limitations. Children involved in Paws to Read nationwide have shown:

• Improved reading skills
• A sense of pride in their accomplishments
• Willingness to become Involved in other positive activities
• More respect and kindness in their interaction with animals
• Found reading more enjoyable
• Check out more books from the library

Wii READ today!

Actually, we hope that you read everyday! But today is Wii READ in the Children's Services department of the Main Library.
This is game day at the library~the format is easy...read for 20 minutes and receive a ticket to play Wii for 20 minutes. Not enough? Read for another 20 minutes and receive another ticket to play Wii for another 20 minutes!
Board games will also be available. It is a fun-filled, game-filled day at the library!

Come see us today!
Wii Read!
10:00 am - 12:00 noon 2:00- 4:00 pm

Check this out! Jim Gill HERE Tomorrow!

Jim Gill will be at the main library, performing on the plaza for four shows:
Friday July 23 2:00pm AND 7:00pm
Saturday July 24 11:00am AND 1:00 pm

The butterflies are on their way!

We have packed up our butterflies and shipped them to the Holocaust Museum Houston in order to be part of their loving tribute to the 1.5 million children who died in the Holocaust. We added 374 beautifully colored butterflies lovingly created by the children who visited our department in June. Visit the link provided to learn more about this awesome exhibit in the making!

Three Rivers Festival Today

The Three Rivers Festival is in full swing ~ don't miss this great Fort Wayne tradition!
If the heat gets too much, feel free to stop in the Children's Services department!
We have three beautiful aquariums, a computer room just for children, a reading tower, and of course, books and magazines! You can also visit our famous (with the six and under set!) Early Learning Center which has puzzles, puppets, a writing center, and dress up clothes.

Visit us at Barr Street Market Today

If you visit the Barr Street Market today, please make sure to stop by the Allen County Public Library's booth. We are there every week and always have a new and exciting craft for the kids to do ~ and like everything at the library, it is always free!!
The Barr Street Market is a lovely downtown event that happens every summer! There are food and non-food vendors and wonderful acoustic entertainment.
We hope to see you there!

The Library is Closed Again Today

We hope that you had a fabulous holiday weekend. Enjoy this Monday!

We'll see you at the ACPL tomorrow when all locations will re-open after the loooooonnnngggg holiday weekend.

Happy Fourth of July!

The Children's Services department of the Allen County Public Library

wishes you a peaceful, happy and fun-filled holiday

on this Fourth of July!

The Library Is Closed Today!

All locations of the Allen County Public Library will be closed today, tomorrow and Monday in observance of the Fourth of July!

Letterboxing

Letterboxing is a fun activity for the whole family. Start a letterboxing journal and collect stamps from letterboxes hidden around the world!

There is now a letterbox hidden somewhere in the downtown library. For more information check out Letterboxing North America.

Summer Hours

The Main Library is now closed on Sundays for the summer. Sunday hours will resume after Labor Day.

Looking for something to do on Sundays? Check out an ACRES Landtrust nature preserve, or explore a new Fort Wayne Park.

Congratulations!

We are the proud recipients of the We the People "A More Perfect Union" Bookshelf!
This grant is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH issues a We the People Bookshelf each year on themes related to American ideas and ideals. We are proud to have received this grant and will be using the books awarded in a variety of ways. Click on the link to see the collection for this year's "A More Perfect Union" Bookshelf.

Dogs in the Library?!?

Yes! Paws to Read is tonight at 6:30pm - 7:30pm in the Children's Services department!
Please visit the Library and read a story to a book-loving dog. A trained therapy dog will be here tonight with her handler -- and they want to listen to you read! Research shows that children enjoy improving their reading skills by practice reading to animals. Morgan or Samantha and their handlers will have an hour to spend at the Library -- readers will take turns as time allows.
What could be more fun?!?