With this new service, you can:

* Receive text notices regarding your holds available for pickup, renewals, and overdue items.

* Renew items right on your phone.

* Find out if a book is available at a nearby library

To use this service, you will need to be able to send and receive text messages on your phone and have a messaging plan with your mobile service provider (your text messaging rates may apply).  You will also need your library card number and PIN.  That's it!

To sign up for this text messaging service and to get more details, click here and use the online form or text "SIGNUP" to countycat@shoutbomb.com to get started.

If you have a smartphone capable of scanning QR codes, you can also scan this code to initiate a SIGNUP text to the service:

Voting open now through March 1, 2013  

The MCFLS Young Adult Services Committee is excited to announce the 2013 nominee titles for the Milwaukee County Teen Book Award! The MCTBA was started in 2009 to promote teen reading and literature by highlighting and awarding books published for teens of both quality and appeal. The fifteen nominees for 2013 were selected from titles published for teens between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012.

The 2013 MCTBA Nominees are:      

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick	The Fault in Our Stars by John Green	Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson	Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl	Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers	Legend by Marie Lu	Boy21 by Matthew Quick
Curveball by Jordan Sonnenblick	The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater	Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein	The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder	How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

Teens will be able to vote for their favorite title(s) through March 1, 2013. Votes for the 2013 MCTBA may be submitted via email to mctba.votes@gmail.com, via mail to the West Allis Public Library c/o Katie Hubbard, or dropped off in person at teens' local Milwaukee County library. Look for ballots and more information online at   http://mctba.wordpress.com/ soon!

The winning titles will be announced April 1, 2013.

Katherina Himsel, Milwaukee Public Library

Heather Holton, Cudahy Family Library

Keri Whitmore, Franklin Public Library

The Milwaukee Bucks, The Northwestern Mutual Foundation and the Milwaukee County Federated Library System have once again partnered to execute the "Milwaukee Bucks Library Reading Challenge."

The reading challenge is open to all Wisconsin young-adults in the 3rd - 10th grades and runs from January 2nd through February 27th. The purpose of the reading program is to promote literacy and library usage by youth in Milwaukee and statewide communities.  Students are given points for each page read in books, magazines and newspapers. Once a goal has been reached for a specific number of pages, the student will receive a voucher that will entitle them to one free Bucks game ticket, and the opportunity to purchase additional tickets at a discount.  

This year participants who read more than 750+ pages/points will have their names entered into a drawing for one of two official Milwaukee Bucks autographed basketballs. In addition, the Bucks will host all-star (500+ page) readers, parents, and library personnel at the "Read to Achieve" games with the Bucks; and in conjunction, randomly selected all-star readers will be part of the Bucks Pregame High Five Tunnel and Kourtside Kids, as well as be formally recognized at halftime.