Wallkill Public Library
The dumbing down of lit 
Reading below grade level latest trend 
A study of kids' reading habits by Renaissance Learning tracked what kids are reading in grades one through 12.The results of the study showed that after the late part of middle school, students don't usually continue to increase the difficulty levels of the books they read.
Nearly all of the top 40 books read by ninth- through 12th-graders were well below their grade level. The most popular books, The Hunger Games trilogy, were assessed at a fifth-grade level.
The study was featured in a recent NPR article that focused on the reading habits of kids - teens in particular. According to the article, not only are high schoolers reading books meant for younger audiences, but the challenging classics that were once assigned in school have been substituted with easier-to-read novels.
The article mentions another study Renaissance did last year, to discover what books were being assigned to high school students. The study found that the difficulty level of assigned material has dropped by about three grade levels over the past 100 years. Most of the assigned books in 2012 were at a sixth-grade level. And though certain classics like To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men were assigned, they were veritable easy readers compared to lists as recent as 1989, when high school students were reading works by Sophocles, Dickens, and Emily Bronte.
The good news is if kids are reading at all, they stand a better chance of at some point delving into more complex material, even if what they're currently into is below their level. So perhaps the bright side to the popularity of YA novels like The Hunger Games is they get kids hooked on books to begin with. It's up to us to nudge them toward higher goals later on....
  
Coming up at the Wallkill Public Library
The Harvest Faire is almost upon us - join us on the library lawn next Saturday (the 21st) for great sales, food, activities, music, and more.

Tuesday: The library budget vote takes place from noon to 8 p.m. at the library. Textile Tuesdays are offered between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.in the community room of Town Hall. Book Buddies takes place at 10:30 a.m. The Library Club meets at 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Mommy and Me meets at 10 a.m., followed by Toddler Story Time at 11 a.m. Afternoon Story Time is offered at 1 p.m., followed by the Kinder Art Club at 2 p.m. The Adult Computer Class meets at 7 p.m.
Thursday: The Knit and Crochet Club meets at 6:30 p.m.
Friday: Part II of the Two-Part Art Club meets at 4 p.m. to finish their Working with Wire projects.
Saturday: The Harvest Faire takes place from 9-3 p.m. on the library lawn.
  
Coming up: This season's first Parents Supporting Parents meeting will be held at 7 p.m., Oct. 3, at the Town Hall.
  
Science equipment sought for next SRP
Looking to clean off your scientific instrument shelf?
As part of next year's Summer Reading Program, the library is planning on hosting some science-oriented projects, but we need equipment to get them off the ground.
Microscopes in particular would come in handy, but if you have any type of equipment that you think would be useful, you can give us a call at 895-3707 or just stop in. We truly appreciate your help!
Service to be a Netflix for book lovers 

If you like supplementing your library titles with a permanent collection of your own, Oyster may be for you.

The site is a new book subscription service that  provides an all-you-can-read experience for a monthly fee of $9.95 a month. Among the 100,000 titles Oyster currently offers include books from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, HarperCollins, Workman, and Melville House.

An app is in the process of being made for smartphones. Though Oyster is at the moment in invitation-only mode, if you're interested in joining you can add yourself to the invitation waiting list on the site. 

Most popular eBooks in the county
According to the Ulster County Library Association, the top adult eBooks (among Ulster readers) for 2013 thus far are:
1. Gone Girl
2. The Racketeer
3. Fifty Shades of Grey
4. Notorious Nineteen
5. Fifty Shades Darker
6. A Wanted Man
7. The Litigators
8. Cloud Atlas
9. Defending Jacob
10. The Help

The top eBooks for children are:
1. Big Nate Out Loud
2. Big Nate and Friends
3. 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to do Anymore
4. Holes
5. The Aviary
6. The Berenstain Bears: The Bike Lesson
7. Cinderella (As If You Didn't Already Know the Story)
8. Too Many Dogs
9. Absolutely Lucy
10. Because of Winn-Dixie
  
You can stop by the library today and pick out or order the print versions of these titles, or visit OverDrive and download your own electronic copies!
  
Two chances at library awards coming up 
The I Love My Librarian Award, which each year honors those librarians who make such a positive impact on their communities, is once more underway. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Sept. 27. If you'd like to nominate someone you consider an exceptional librarian, you can visit the I Love Libraries website and follow the links.
Library Journal is also offering its tenth annual Best Small Library in America award. Cosponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this award was established to honor the public library that best demonstrates outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less.
The winning library will receive a $20,000 cash award and other prizes.

Among the criteria used to judge the winner will be:

  • Creativity in developing services and programs that can be replicated by other libraries, including outreach to special populations
  • Innovation in introducing and supporting public access to computers and the Internet
  • Success in educating patrons in computer use, and measuring the results of technology usage
  • Use of technology to expand the reach of library services
  • Demonstrated community support
  • Increase in library use, particularly by new users
  • Evidence of library's role as community center
Deadline for nominations is Monday, Oct. 14.
New library bags available for patrons!

For those looking for an easy way to tote their books around, new Wallkill Public Library bags are now on sale! The bags are $5 each and are available behind the circulation desk.

If you're planning on attending the Harvest Faire, you might not want to rush right out and get your bag before then, because that day they'll be on sale! For Sept. 21 only, you'll be able to purchase a WPL bag for just $4 or - better yet - fill it with the used books that will be on sale that day at the Faire and pay $5! Once the Faire is over, the prices per bag will return to $5.
Be sure to stop by and take advantage of this special offer! 

Fight for your right to libraries of all kinds

Those at the Harvest Faire next Saturday (from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. on the library lawn), will have the chance to further the cause of institutions like WPL by adding their signatures to the Declaration for the Right to Libraries.

As part of an initiative by ALA President Elect Barbara Stripling, the Declaration for the Right to Libraries is an opportunity for community members and officials to stand up for their right to have vibrant school, public, academic, and special libraries in their community. In a time when continuing economic challenges threaten not only the prosperity but the very existence of libraries across the nation, it's become vital to publicly recognize these places as not just the final resting place of the printed word, but community centers where adults can access computers, WiFi, job help centers, and more, and children can enjoy fun and educational programs like Wallkill's own SRP, Story Times, and Art Clubs.    

  Not much is free these days - especially in New York. By signing the Declaration for the Right to Libraries, you'll add your voice to the cause of keeping certain liberties - like knowledge - affordable for everyone. 
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