June 2015
   
In This Issue
Summer Reading

There's something for everyone in this year's Summer Reading Program at the Worcester Public Library (WPL). Babies and their parents, kids, teens and adults can participate for fun and a chance to win prizes! Our new Wee Reads program encourages parents to read and do activities with their babies and toddlers, birth to four years old. Our Children and Teen Summer Reading Programs are to encourage Worcester youth to read at least 20 minutes a day to eliminate the summer slide. We will also have fun events, activities and great prizes for Adult Summer Readers who demonstrate their love of reading this summer.

You are invited to Kick-Off Summer Reading with us on June 26 at the Roosevelt, Tatnuck Magnet, and Goddard Branch Libraries from 3 to 6 p.m. We will also be celebrating at Great Brook Valley and Frances Perkins Branch Libraries from 2 to 4 p.m. The Main Library's Kick-Off Summer Reading event will be held on June 27 from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome! Please visit our website at www.worcpublib.org to find out more information about the programs and events that will be going on all summer long at your library. To find out how to participate in Summer Reading 2015 please visit one of our public library branches near you or sign up online on or after June 26. The program runs from June 26 through August 14.

The program includes prizes for different levels of reading. All Worcester residents/WPS students who make it to the third prize will be entered into a drawing for the grand prizes, VTech Toys, iPad Minis, Chromebooks, and Kindle Fire HDX. Learn more about the Worcester Public Library Summer Reading Program and our amazing sponsors here. 
Youth Services - Main Library

There are all sorts of fun programs taking place during the month of June at the Worcester Public Library!
  • We're happy to announce that the popular Paws to Read will continue throughout the summer. Boost reading skills and confidence by reading to a certified therapy dog. Wednesdays, June 10 and 24 from 3:30 to 4:40 p.m. Ages 5 - 12.
  • Come hear the Heroes of the beat with WAMS World Drums! Celebrate the talent of the Worcester Arts Magnet School's after-school drummers who visit the Library annually to share their Afro-Caribbean tradition! Friday, June 12 from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Ages 12 and under.
  • Be an Environmental Hero in your community and join our children's interactive garden planting and weekly garden club! All seedlings and tools provided. The planting takes place on Saturday, June 13 from 10 to 11 a.m. Garden Club will be meeting Wednesday, June 24 at 11 a.m. Join us for weekly crafts and activities related to gardening. Ages 12 and under with a parent/caregiver.
  • Dad is my Superhero features a children's craft activity celebrating Father's Day. Monday, June 15 at 4:00 p.m.
These programs all lead up to our exciting Summer Reading events! Join us for any or all of these fun and exciting events:
  • Children and families join us for our Pre-Kickoff Day of Summer Reading with a special appearance by Chuck E Cheese, Friday afternoon, June 26 between 3 and 6:30 p.m. The popular mouse will stop by the Main Library and Branch Libraries making a quick surprise visit to children and families signing-up for the 2015 Heroic Summer Reading Program! Summer Reading participants can also take part in a Hero Scavenger Hunt all day at the Main Library. Search the Children's Room for clues about your favorite books and heroes. Present your finished clue card and receive a prize!

  • Do you have what it takes to be a Superhero? Then attend the Superhero Training Camp series! Each camp session will include a Superhero adventure story and fun activities! Mondays, June 29, July 6, 13, and 20 at 4 p.m. Ages 5 - 8.
For a listing of all events happening throughout the month click here!
Teen Services - Main Library

As we gear up for Summer Reading, the Teen Room is taking to the web with an all new digital presence! Check out the new teen hub at http://yourwplteen.tumblr.com, or follow us on instagram and twitter @yourwplteen.

The deadline for applying to our Teen Summer Reading Internship is June 5. Be sure to get your applications and teacher reference in to either Dr. Chantell McDowell or Rachel Moir by 5 p.m. on that day! Applications can be found at the Teen Desk at the Main Library, or on the "Meet the Interns" page on http://yourwplteen.tumblr.com/interns.

We have plenty of programs leading up to, and after, the big Summer Reading Kickoff on June 27 too! Our last attempt at Light Printing was thwarted by gray skies - so June 10 at 3:30 p.m. in the Teen Room we're trying again, and hoping for sunshine! Teens will be able to use the sun to develop a special photo reactive dye, adding unique patterns to colorful pencil cases we will provide.
 
Those who like to draw and want to learn how to make a whole comic with one piece of paper can join us for Mini Comics in the Teen Room from 5 to 7 p.m. on June 17.

The second meeting of the Pride Book Club will be on June 29 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the AV Room computer lab. This month's read is Cris Beam's "I Am J."

We'll also be making Superhero Notebooks on June 30 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Teen Room, using old magazine and decoupage!

Check out the events calendar at www.worcpublib.org for more information, and more teen events - we can't list them all!
Adult Programs

On June 5 we begin an exciting, summer-long program at the Worcester Public Library, and we would like you to join us! The Thousand Paper Cranes Project will use origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, as we attempt to create 1,000 paper cranes in two months! The paper cranes will be displayed throughout the Library as a collaborative art project symbolizing peace and hope. Join us for one or more sessions, Fridays, July 5 and 10, and Thursday, August 6 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Banx Room. All ages (children under 8 accompanied by guardian). No registration required.

Our next Art Access! @ WPL program is almost here! On Saturday, June 6 from 1 to 3 p.m., Drawing Portraits with Travis Simpkins will help you learn basic fundamentals and helpful tips on how to draw portraits, working both from life and from photographs. The workshop is free and no experience is necessary, but space is limited. Register online at www.worcpublib.org. (This program is administered by the Worcester Arts Council, for the Local Cultural Council - an agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.)
 
Have you notices how many new vegetarian, raw and vegan cookbooks have popped up lately? Come to one of our Pages and Palates Book Club meetings, Wednesday, June 10 from 3 to 4 p.m. or Saturday, June 13 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and learn more about these healthy eating options. We'll be exploring both classic books as well as many of the newer titles we have recently acquired. Stop in for a snack, share your favorite recipe and discover some healthy new eats!

Looking for more programs for adults like genealogy or grant seeking? Check out our full June calendar now, and don't forget adults can win prizes in our Summer Reading Program too! Register and log your summer reading beginning June 26. See our website or ask a librarian for more details on how it works!
Mango Languages

Self-proclaimed champions of polylingualism, Mango Languages offers free online instruction in 65 languages, including those as obscure as Cherokee, Pirate and Ancient Greek, as well as ESL teaching for native Arabic, Armenian, Bengali, Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, and Vietnamese speakers. Mango keeps track of the completed lessons and labs and provides a detailed record of the user's progress. Pronunciation and examples of context are always provided.

While competitors Rosetta Stone can boast lush photographic images and Powerspeak offers a no-nonsense digital classroom, Mango projects a sense of fun through its branding, yet remains focused on practical application. For example, specialty courses cover such lively conversational topics as Text Talk in Latin American Spanish, Oktoberfest German, Wine and Cheese French and Endangered Languages. Linked to the Online Databases page at www.worcpublib.org, Worcester Library cardholders can access Mango remotely with the library barcode number and pin to set up a Mango account, and even download the free app for iPhone or Android devices. So sign up for Mango Languages and go play!
Best of 2015 Book Recommendations & Reviews
 

Adults

Teens

Children
    
  
Librarians at the Worcester Public Library are always ready to recommend books to patrons. Click on the book covers on the right to view suggested titles for adults, teens, and children. For more on what to read, browse our most requested titles, and the New York Times fiction and nonfiction bestsellers lists!  

By T. Coraghessan Boyle


The new T. Coraghessan Boyle novel, The Harder They Come is a story set mostly in contemporary Northern California that involves the relationships between characters whose lives have evolved into extremist positions which they feel are patriotic and heroic and in keeping with America's individualistic traditions. Boyle mixes these people into a society thrown on the defensive by drug cartels, robbers, and aggressive law enforcement agencies, and their own mental health and drug problemsRead more...
Reminders

The One City, One Library Branches will be updating their hours for the summer. Please check the website for more details.

Please note, all branches of the Worcester Public Library will be closed on Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day.