College Cost & Funding Talk @ Your Library

Tuesday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. - Learn about planning for college, scholarships, financial aid and more! A presenter from the Center for College Planning will discuss planning and savings basics, how financial aid is awarded, what help is REALLY available and information for parents of students of all ages! Please register for this event using our online registration form.

Family Fun - Edible Books Contest!

April 9 from 9am - 12pm - Individuals and groups of all ages are welcome to participate in this year's "Edible Books" contest by creating something edible that represents a book title. Help us kickoff National Library week with a morning of fun family activities, voting for contest winners and an awards ceremony! Please visit the library's Edible Books Webpage for more information and full contest details.

Motorcycle Journey @ Your Library

Tuesday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. - Please join us for an evening of adventure with Hooksett resident and International Motorcycle Traveler, Ben Slavin. Over the course of 6 months he rode his motorcycle 23,000 miles through 15 countries. Ben will share photos and stories from his amazing ride through Latin America.

Haunted Hikes of NH - Presentation

Wednesday, March 23 at 6:30 p.m. - Is Sasquatch Real? Did a UFO really visit New Hampshire? Do You Believe in Ghosts? Author, Marianne O’Connor hopes to answer all your questions with a special slide show presentation based on her popular book, Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire. Adults, families with older children and teens will enjoy this spooky 90 minute program.

Fly Fishing Classes @ Your Library

Wed., April 6, 13, 20, 27 at 6:00 p.m. - A series of five classes designed to introduce people to the "quiet sport" of fly fishing. The classes are designed for beginners as well as people that want to expand their fly fishing skills. This workshop series is full, please join the waiting list and we will contact you if space becomes available.

Always Available eBooks @ Your Library

Use our eBooks service with your library card to download the hottest eBooks! Also, there are 15,000+ public domain titles that are always available. Try reading one of these classic books while you wait for the best seller you placed a hold on to become available. Don't forget...we have two Barnes & Noble Nooks that you can try using and we will be happy to show you how they work.

Digital Photos Workshop @ Your Library

Wednesday, January 19 & 26, 6:30pm - Do you take lots of photos with a digital camera but don’t know what to do next? This series of two classes will share tips on how to use, organize and back up your photos. Learn about easy to use software and amazing digital products that you can create with your photos. This series of 2 workshops was rescheduled due to inclement weather. Registration is required.

Writing Workshop @ Your Library

Tuesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. - Joe Smiga, local author, will facilitate a free writing workshop at the library. Learn how to start writing, develop content, overcome writer's block, edit & publish your work. Please register online for this workshop.

More Well Being - Meditation @ Your Library

Saturday, Feb. 12, 19, 26 at 9:00am - Presented by Nanci L. Meli, a Healing Arts Practitioner since 1992. These are free workshops for beginners and novices. Learn a variety of breathing techniques. Please RSVP for the date(s) you want to attend by completing this online registration form or by speaking with a library staff member.

What Do U Love @ Your Library

In honor of Valentine's Day, please take our online poll and tell us what you love most @ your library. If your favorite thing about your library is not included in the poll please Facebook, Twitter or Email us!

Author Visit - Jessie Crockett

Tuesday, February 8 at 6:30pm - Please join us at the library for a book reading and signing by local author Jessie Crockett! She will talk about her latest mystery novel, "Live Free Or Die—A Granite State Mystery".

Practice Tests & Job Skills @ Your Library

Find the practice tests, skill-building courses, eBooks, and information you need to achieve the results you want-at school, at work, or in life. Prepare for the SAT or GED tests, take occupation practice tests, study for the U.S. Citizenship Exam, or use LearningExpress Library's variety of other resources to improve your life. Try using LearningExpress Library today using your library card and password!

Civil Rights Presentation @ Your Library

Tuesday, January 11, at 6:30pm - As we prepare to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Day, please join us at the library for a special presentation about the civil rights movement. Civil Rights Veteran, James Kates, will speak and moderate a conversation about civil rights then and now. Registration not required.

Barnes & Noble Nook @ Your Library

Are you shopping for eBook readers this holiday season? Come to the library and learn which eBook readers work with our downloadable eBooks service. Best of all...we have a Barnes & Noble Nook that you can try using and we will be happy to show you how it works. Visit us soon and learn more about eBooks @ your library!

Family Love Letter - Lecture

Friday, December 3 at 12:00pm, learn the details and importance of creating a "Family Love Letter", a document that includes all the vital information loved ones need to know in case of sudden incapacitation or death. Please register online or by speaking with a library staff member. Sponsored by Denise Petrin at Edward Jones Investments.

Woodworking Presentation @ Your Library

Wednesday, December 15 at 6:30pm - Presenter, Stephen Carey, will talk about the practice of wood turning: The art or process of shaping wood into forms on a lathe. Mr. Carey will highlight techniques that he has used, mention his successes and failures and provide a general overview of the process.

Author Visit - A Piano In Every Room

Tuesday, December 14 at 1:30 PM - Rosamond van der Linde, will be reading excerpts from her new book, A Piano In Every Room. The book tells the heartwarming tale of a family of seven pianists that created a huge music enterprise.

Database Log In Notice

We are currently experiencing a problem with our database log in procedure. Until our vendor comes up with a solution, you can get around this issue by logging in and then re-clicking on the database of your choice when you are bumped back to the log in screen. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please continue to use the library's databases for all of your homework, research, job seeking, language learning & other information needs!

Get Crafty @ Your Library

Crafts for Adults - Every Monday from 5pm - 8pm, work on your current craft project with other community members @ your library. Bring a snack and enjoy free coffee & tea! Learn more...

System Upgrades -Thursday, November 11

On Thursday, November 11, our automation system, which includes our online catalog and research databases, will be going offline while it undergoes upgrades. The library will be open on that day from 11:00am - 8:00pm, but with limited services. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

Sustainable Agriculture @ Your Library

November 30 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm, John Carroll, Ph.D. Resource Development, will speak at the library about restoring our food independence. This is the subject of his book "Pastures of Plenty: The Future of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Conservation in New England". Please RSVP online or by speaking to a library staff member.

General Election Results

The general election results for the Town of Hooksett are now available on the library's website: Click here to see the results.

Book & Bake Sale

Book & Bake Sale - Saturday, Nov. 13 from 9am - 3pm
Purchase used books, audio and video materials at bargain prices. Delicious baked goods will also be for sale at the event. All proceeds benefit the Hooksett Public Library! More information...

eBook Readers Poll

Please take our poll and help us learn which eBook readers are most popular: Online Poll.

The library is planning to purchase two eBook readers to promote our OverDrive eBooks service.They will also be used for staff training and as demonstration models for the public. We will let you know when they arrive so that you can visit the library to try them out!

Author Visit - A Piano In Every Room

Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 6:30pm - Rosamond van der Linde, will be reading excerpts from her new book, A Piano In Every Room. The book tells the heartwarming tale of a family of seven pianists that created a huge music enterprise.

One lucky attendee will win a free copy of the book!

Vote 2010 - General Election

The general election takes place Tuesday, November 2. Hooksett voters can place their votes at the Cawley Middle School from 6am-7pm.

Halloween in Hooksett

Saturday, October 30 at 10:30am

Hooksett Public Library - Children's- Semi-Spooky Storytime

Friday, October 29 from 6pm - 8pm
Donati Park - Haunted Trail

Sunday, October 31, from 6pm - 8pm

Trick or Treat in Hooksett - Please be safe.

SBC Reads - In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Did you hear about the library's new Sustainable Book Club (SBC)? Pick up your copy of In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto at the library and join us for a fascinating book discussion on Tuesday, October 26 at 6:30pm.

Identity Theft Talk - Stay Informed

If you did not attend last week's Identity Theft Talk presented by Sue Moulton, Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist, you can stay informed and learn more about this important topic by visiting some of the websites that Sue recommends:

List of Websites

Thank you for sharing your time and expertise with the Hooksett community Sue!

Identity Theft - Websites

A list of online resources for learning more about Identity Theft. This information was provided to the library by Sue Moulton, Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist:

AnnualCreditReport.com

F.T.C. Identity Theft Site

Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force

Identity Theft Assistance Center

Identity Theft Resource Center

Internet Crime Complaint Center

Justice Department Identity Theft Site

myfico.com

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

Social Security Administration's Answers

Federal Bureau of Investigations – Identity Theft

Credit Report Services:

Equifax

Experian

TransUnion

Hannah Dustin's Legacy - Author Talk

Tuesday, October 12 at 6:30pm
Presented by Juanita Carey, Author of Hannah’s Revenge. Mrs. Carey will read from her book and talk about the life of Hannah Dustin. This presentation is geared towards young adults, teens and adults.

Hannah Dustin was a 17th Century Massachusetts woman, caught in an overwhelming tide of events, who found herself in a life-or-death struggle for which she had never prepared.For more information please visit our
online events calendar.

Mark your calendars...

• Columbus Day: The library will be closed on Monday, October 11 in observance of the Columbus Day holiday. Please remember...the library's catalog and online resources are always available by visiting www.hooksettlibrary.org.
• Library's Book & Bake Sale: Saturday, November 13 from 9am - 3pm. Purchase used books, audio and video materials at bargain prices. Delicious baked goods will also be for sale. If you can help us bake goods for the event please contact us at 485.6092 or via E-mail: mbose@hooksettlibrary.org. All Proceeds to benefit the Library.

Puppets and Quilts...

The Library is looking for donations of gently used puppets for a kids theater program, and also for quilts that babies can sit on with their caregivers during storytimes. Thank you in advance for your support of the library!

Banned Books Week @ Your Library...

Catcher in the Rye . . . Of Mice and Men . . . Harry Potter . . .

What's your favorite book? Chances are good that someone has tried to ban it. Celebrate YOUR freedom to read during Banned Books Week, September 25 to October 2.

For more information, visit http://www.ala.org/bbooks or come to your library and view the Banned Books Week displays, and join us in daring to read.

Week 4 of the summer Reading Program

Pirates were making a splash this week at the Library!! Participants were turning into pirates every day! The kids made pirate eye patches and pirate hats to wear, and they also created their own pirate faces, including scars!! The Percy Jackson Party was a BIG hit. Everyone made name tags using the Greek Alphabet. It was pretty tricky because you may not find a letter in your name in the Greek Alphabet!! They also made Oracle of the Delphi fortune tellers! It wouldn't be a party without food. We were treated with "Nectar of the Gods", "Ambrosia" and fresh strawberries from Camp Half-Blood.
Minute To Win It contestants took part in the 4th week of contests. They had to keep a feather up in the air for a full minute by blowing on it. The second part was to sort M&M's into 5 colors in order of color: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green and Blue. This was harder than you would think; you couldn't put one in out of order!!
Two weeks left to the program. I can't wait to see who has read the most hours!!

Week 3 of the Summer Reading Program

This week's theme was Splish, Splash Summer and we really did get splashed!! On Monday, July 19th, we had a water game night. We played Towel Toss and Sponge Tag, had a relay race with sponges and played Drip, Drip, Drenched! Everyone got wet!!That was such a fun night!
On Wednesday, July 21st, we continued the theme by decorating beach towels with fabric markers. We also sorted sea shells and decorated them and everyone was able to take their favorite shell home.
We had our third Minute To win It Contest. Participants had a stack of 39 red cups and one blue cup. They had to remove the blue bottom cup and place it on the top and continue with the red ones until the blue cup was back at the bottom. All within a minute!! This was a hard one.
Next the participants had to blow up a balloon and use that air to knock down 15 cups from the table. As the air was let out, they would need to blow the balloon up again and again until all the balloons were knocked off. All within a minute!! This one was a fun one to do!!
On Thursday, July 22nd, Majestic Theatre came to entertain us with a great show called: The Taming of Katy Lou. What a great show. Everyone loved it and spent the night laughing and enjoying some great songs!
Splish Splash Summer was a lot of fun!!

Summer Reading Program Week 2

Oceans of Fun was the theme for the second week of our Summer Reading Program. And we had FUN!! We made Flying Fish on Monday and Finger Print Fish on Wednesday. We had a Sea Serpent Scavenger Hunt on Thursday and even drew our very own sea serpents!! Our second "Minute To Win It" contest was a big hit. We played Wheel of a Deal and Breakfast Scramble. Wheel of a Deal was a contest to sort cards from a deck and Breakfast Scramble was a puzzle contest. We are keeping track of our winners for the ultimate contest at the end of the summer. Next week Majestic Theatre puts on a show for us on Thursday, July 22nd at 6:30!

Summer Reading Program begins

Week 1 of our summer program was a big hit!! We had 60 children come in to participate in all the week's events. Wednesday , July 7th, was our first Minute To Win It contest. We had so much fun!! One by one the kids had to try to keep 2 balloons up in the air for a full minute! There were 4 winners for this contest. Next they had to blow a bubble from a wand, then blow that bubble through a hoop that was 10 feet away!! There were 10 winners for this race! Can't wait to see what the kids will be doing for the next Minute To Win It contest! Also during this first week, everyone made inner tube markers to track all their reading time. Some have already made it to 10 hours of reading!! Great Job! Class wall decorations were also made. What grade will have the most participants?? Also a special Thank You to Susanne Fournier for coming in to talk about Water Safety. Keep Safe everywhere you go this summer!!

Mario Kart Racing Contest Up-date!!

Our first race date is coming up and we have some up-dated news to pass along to all interested racers!! There is only enough time for 10 racers from Hooksett to race on each race date. Please register for the race for the day you would like to race. Please register for one race day event. I will let you know if there is space available for the next race date. Also, if you have a spare steering wheel, please bring it along. We need 2 steering wheels in order for 2 kids to race at the same time. Remember we are competing against 5 other libraries who will all be racing at the same time!! Hope to see you at one of the race dates this summer!!

Summer Reading Program Registration 2010

Registration begins June 1st for this year's Summer Reading Program: Make a Splash, READ! This program is for those students who have finished first grade on up to those who have finished fifth grade. We have planned 6 weeks of fun activities where children can discover the joy of water. Here are some highlights from our exciting program:

• July 8th: Water Safety Talk with Suzanne Fournier
• July 22nd: Majestic Theatre to perform Go West!
• July 29th: Percy Jackson Party and Comedy Night, Fishing For Laughs
• August 5th: Movie Night, Finding Nemo
• August 11th: Mad Science to perform at our Award's Night
• On-going weekly contest: Minute To Win It
• Mario Kart Contest with other libraries.

To register for this summer reading program, click here. For more information and for other summer events/reading lists:

Summer Reading Events @ your library...
"Make a Splash" Program
Register for "Make a Splash" Program
Other Summer Programs

Summer Reading Lists...
For 6th Graders
For 7th Graders
For 8th Graders

Kick-off to the Summer Reading Program

"Make a Splash, Read!!" is the theme for this year's Summer Reading Program. Wednesday, June 23rd, will be the night for our Kick-Off Event. Beginning at 6:30PM, Steve Blunt will start us off on a great summer of reading activities. You can register for the program on-line beginning on June 1st. This program is for those children who have finished 1st grade on up to 5th grade. A Schedule of Events will be available that night, along with your Book Chart and a book mark. You may start reading and recording time spent reading beginning on June 23rd. We will keep track of the hours you spend reading.
This summer we will also have available activities for all age groups. We will continue our Infant Lapsit and Toddler Time on Fridays at 10:00 AM. We will add a drop-in Storytime for 3 to 6 year olds on Tuesdays at 10:00 AM beginning July 6th.
So have an ocean of fun this summer at the library and join us for the Kick-off on June 23rd!!

West High's FIRST Robotics Team Visit

Loads of fun during West High's FIRST Robotics Team visit last night. Check out the photos of the event. Special thanks to West High's Team for taking the time to come and demo their robot and explain their story to a very eager audience of the Library's Lego Club members. -Mark

Children's Author JE' Taylor visits

Children's Author JE' Taylor visited the library for our April Nighttime Storyhour on April 22nd. She read her story "The Animal Dance". The children who attended loved the pictures and the magical poem that JE' Taylor read. After the story, the children colored some Earth Day pictures to celebrate Earth Day.

Storyhour in May...

After the April Spring vacation, there will be only one more Storyhour and then our Closing Parties will start during the second week of May. Miss Vickie will keep you posted about these events as the end draws near.

West High's FIRST Robotics Team to demo robot...

Are you really into science and want to know how things work? Visit the library on May 13th to see a demo of West High's FIRST Robotics Team robot. Free and open to the public.

Happy 205th Birthday, Hans Christian Andersen!

Hans Christian Andersen, born on April 2nd, 1805, was Denmark's most famous author. His fairy tales are among the most widely read works in world literature. His stories of make-believe have enchanted young readers around the world for generations.

Ingwersen, Niels. "Andersen, Hans Christian." World Book Online InfoFinder. World Book, 2010. Web. 2 April 2010.

ARE YOU A PERCY JACKSON FAN??

Check out these book recommendations from the author, Rick Riordan, himself!

Express your creativity through our EDIBLE BOOK CONTEST!

Create a representation of your favorite book in food!
How to participate...

1. Everyone can participate: the young, the old, the professional and non-professional, residents and non-residents, and even groups.
2. Entries must be book-related. Examples of this can be found in our slideshows of past events (2007, 2008, 2009) and also online at the National Edible Book Contest homepage.
3. Entries can be made out of anything, as long as it is edible.
4. Entries must be family-friendly.
5. Participants can enter up to 3 entries.
6. Registration is free!

Check out pictures from last year! Or find more information at our Edible Books page.


Judging will be on Saturday, April 17th at 10am

Lincoln "visits" the library...

History really came to life with a program last Thursday (Feb. 25th), entitled "A Visit with Abraham Lincoln." Lincoln was portrayed by Steve Wood. Completely in character, Wood began the program with a recounting of Lincoln's early life and ended with a reading of the Gettysburg's Address. Along the way he commented on Lincoln's debates with Stephen Douglas, his run for the presidency, and the Civil War. *Mark*

New - Cake Pans that you can check out!

Have to bake a cake and want to make it special? We now have themed cake pans of various shapes and sizes that you can check out. See our current selection. *Mark*

Summer reading T-Shirts...

Order your summer reading T-Shirt(s) today! This year's theme is "Make a Splash". <<Order Form>>

Max the Mascot visits library...

Who says that lions can't read? Max, the mascot from the Manchester Monarchs, visits the library on Tuesday, December 29th, to promote reading. See photo journal of event...

Guess who came to the library today...?

Mrs. Claus paid us a visit today, during the library's annual Christmas party. She was joined by over 100 children with their families. Check out the photo journal of the event. *Mark*

Want to find your energy hogs at home?

Find which appliances are consuming the most energy in your home. Borrow one of our "Kill A Watt" meters donated to the library by NHSaves. Available for check out at the front desk. *Mark*

Mrs. Claus visits the library...

Don't forget to mark your calendars for Mrs. Claus' visit next Saturday, December 12th, at 1:00pm. It promises to be a fun-filled, festive event, with cookie and Christmas tree decorating, singing, and craft making. Refreshments too! Register here.

Missed the Home Safety program presented by Hooksett PD?

Slides used for the Home Safety/Community Awareness program, presented by the Hooksett Police Department @ the Hooksett Library on November 9th, are now available for review.*Mark*

community awareness-home safety presentation (PDF format)

Mrs. Claus visits library on December 12th...

We are planning a holiday party with Mrs. Claus on Saturday, December 12th, from 1:00-3:00pm...

Mrs. Claus is making a special request for the following items:

Home-made sugar cookies (to decorate with Mrs. Claus), sealed cans of frosting, jimmies, sprinkles, candy decorations, hot cocoa mix in canister, mini marshmallows, toilet paper rolls (empty) and paper towel rolls, wrapping paper, candy canes, red and green ribbon, jingle bells (1/2"), curling ribbon, cups, napkins, small paper plates, plastic knives, juice, craft beads (5 to 10 millimeter diameter), 12-inch plastic decorating pastry bags, jelly beans, green pipe cleaners.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

New titles to check out...

Are you a visual learner? Then you'll love the new "Teach Yourself Visually" series that we've recently added to our computer manual collection. You'll find these titles in our newly redecorated computer lab located beyond the YA/Teen room. *Mark*

Children's Storyhour Registration...

Children's Storyhour Registration
Tuesday September 8, 2009 9:00 AM

Registration for Children's Storyhour begins at 9:00am on Tuesday, September 8th. Registration will be online at www.hooksettlibrary.org. There will be 6 sessions to choose from: Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays at 10:00-11:00am or 1:00-2:00pm. Children must be 3 years old by September 1st. Please join us for Toddler Time if your child is not 3 by September 1st. Storyhour runs from September to May.

It's Back to School!

Stop by your library after school and check out what we have for you. We have the latest music CDs and family videos. We also have family-friendly videogames for Wii & PS2, audiobooks for your MP3, IPod, audiobooks on CD & Playaways. We've also planned the following monthly programs for you:

• Afterschool Storyhour: The third Thursday of the month, beginning September 17th at 4:15 PM. For grades K thru 2nd grade.
  
• Night-time Storyhour: The fourth Thursday of the month, beginning September 24th at 6:30 PM. For ages 3 to 8 years.
  
• Toddler Time: The first Monday of every month starting in October from 9:15 AM to 9:45 AM. No registration necessary. For ages 3 and under.
  
• Family Movies: The first Thursday of the month, beginning September 3rd at 6:30 PM. For all ages.
  
• Lego Club: The second Thursday of the month, beginning September 10th at 6:30 PM. For grades 1 thru 5.

New video games @ your library...

If you like to play video games, but don't want to pay the high cost involved in acquiring them, did you know that you can borrow them @ your library? We have an ever-growing collection, including Wii as well as PlayStation 2 games. They can be borrowed for up to two weeks at a time. Check out our collection of over 70 titles here. --Mark

Children's Summer Reading Program Registration now live!

The Children's Summer Reading Program for grades 1-5 is just around the corner (starts the week of July 13th). You can now register your child(ren) online by visiting this link. The complete schedule of events will be available at the Kick-off party on Monday night, July 6th, at 6:00pm. Be sure to visit our Children's Summer Reading homepage for all the latest news about the program.

NH Flume Book Award Announced...

Out of 686 votes, Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes won first place for this year's (2009) NH Flume Book Award, with City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, coming in at close second. Check out reader reviews of the winning title.

Week 4 of the Summer Reading Program

Week 4 was great! It was our voting week. We voted for our Favorite Australian Animal between a Koala and a Kangaroo. And the winner was: Koala with 47 votes!! (Kangaroo received 25 votes). We were so lucky to have Mr. Fleury come in to show us his sugar gliders. They were very cute! Ms. Fiona also came in to visit us and tell us all about Australia. She told us some interesting things and we really learned a lot! Then on Thursday, we were entertained once again with Majestic Theatre. They performed "The Return of the Glass Slipper" and it really was the best show I've seen!! Lots of kids have been searching for Bindi each week. That's been a lot of fun! Hope you heard this week's clue! Can't wait for Award's Night next Friday!!

Summer Reading Program Weeks 2 and 3

Week 2 had many of us making crafts that had to do with the Great Barrier Reef. We had a blast making Nemo magnets and Sea Urchins from styrofoam balls. We even brought home an Ocean in a Bag!! All the crafts were so colorful, especially our Seahorses. We had a total of 123 participants come in this week!
Week 3 was all about the Outback and the Aborigines. We created beautiful Walking Sticks, but had to delay our Walk-About due to the rain!! We also made some Aboriginal handprints, a bull-roarer that really works, a boomerang, and some great clap-sticks! We learned about decorating with dots! There were a total of 127 for week 3!

Summer Reading Program- first week

The first week of Summer Reading was a huge success and so much FUN!!
We had 140 participants come in to make surf boards and wall decorations for their class wall. And so many pompom fish were created to decorate the window frame!
Many of you found Bindi on her first week out in Hooksett. She has traveled to a new location for the second week. Hope you can find her. Everyone has been doing a great job reading. Keep those surf boards moving up the wave!! Make every day, a G'Day For Reading!!

YA Summer Reading

Calling all Hooksett Tweens and Teens: The HPL’s YA summer reading program is kicking off! It’s easy, fun, and gives you the chance to win awesome prizes just for reading this summer!

There’s no registration, just fill out a SHORT review form, available at the library, for every book or magazine you read, include your name and phone number, and you’re entered to win! It’s that simple!

You can win prizes like gift cards to EB Games, Restaurants, stores at the Manchester Mall, and even an ipod!

If you have any questions, contact Sarah Foster at the Hooksett Public Library

sfoster@hooksettlibrary.org 603.485.6092

Upgrade available for Overdrive Media Console used for downloadable audiobooks service

We've just received word from our downloadable audiobooks vendor, Overdrive, that an upgraded version of their media console is now available for download. You can get it here. The new software upgrade includes the long-awaited CD burner wizard, explained here in Overdrive's press release:

"In response to the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received from our Transfer Wizard, we have added a Burn to CD Wizard. With OMC v3.0, patrons no longer need to launch Windows Media Player to burn to CD. Instead, in just a few clicks, patrons can burn WMA audio titles through OMC. Clicking the Burn button launches the Burn Wizard, which guides the user through this simple and straightforward burn process. For your audiobook users who burn titles to CD, they will be excited to learn that the new Burn Wizard splits OverDrives Audiobook parts into tracks (based on the existing MediaMarkers), allowing users to more easily navigate content they have burned to CD."

What to expect from new library system in August, cont...

Have you ever found a number of titles in our online catalog and wanted to place hold requests on them, but found that you could only place such requests one at a time, and not all at once? Our new system coming in August will enable hold requests to be placed on multiple items at once. In addition, it will also allow hold requests to be placed on individual items, such as particular magazine issues. Say you're interested in this month's issue of Martha Stewart's Living--you'll be able to place a hold on just that issue. We were very excited to hear of these system capabilities and we hope you'll be too when our new system is deployed.

What to expect with new library system, continued...

In a previous post we indicated that our new library system coming in August will support email reminder notices of materials coming due. Another nifty function of the new system will be the ability to limit your searches of the online catalog in many different ways, among which will include limiting searches to items that are currently available. The idea behind this function is to help you find only what's currently on the shelf for the immediate taking in the library and not what's checked out and therefore not of immediate interest.

What to expect with new library system - email reminder notices

As mentioned in a recent post, we'll be converting to a new library system in August. Besides keeping you up to date about the latest developments with respect to the August conversion, we thought that you'd also like to hear in the ensuing weeks about some of the many features that the new system will support. One of the features will be a courtesy email reminder notice of your borrowed items coming due. How do you like that? - Being reminded about borrowed items' due dates before they're due! If you'd like to benefit from such a service, you'll have to make sure that we have your email address. You can give us your email by going to your account here and then editing your account profile to include your email address or by stopping by the front desk during your next library visit.

New Integrated Library System Coming in August

One of the tremendous advantages of being a member of a multi-library consortium is that, by pooling our resources together, we can bring you the latest and greatest in resources that would otherwise be very difficult to provide. Recently, we were able to expand our online request service so that you could place requests on any requestable materials available at any of the 11 consortium libraries, and not just the Hooksett Library, this thanks to our consortium membership.
The good news does not stop there. We are happy to report that, after a year's worth of research and planning at the consortial level, we are going to be able to markedly improve how we serve you technologically. That's because we are going to convert to a whole new integrated library system (ILS), which comes with a more user-friendly, state of the art, online catalog and a lot of behind the scenes stuff that will help us serve you better. Our target conversion date is sometime towards the end of August. We'll keep you posted as things develop. By all means contact us if you have any questions before then.

2008 Flume Book Award Winner

The votes are in and the 2008 Flume Book Award Winner is New Moon, the second book of Stephenie Meyer's popular Twilight series. The voting breakdown was as follows:

New Moon	254
Just Listen	87
Marley and Me	42
The Book Thief	40
Life as We Knew It	39
Lord Loss	39
The Glass Castle	38
Heavy Metal and You	35
A Certain Slant of Light	20
The Night My Sister Went Missing	16
King Dork	11
Over a Thousand Hills I Walk with You	10
The Minister's Daughter	5
Total votes cast	636

New website alias

I don't know about you, but I often found it a nuisance to have to type the rather cumbersome web address of our website: "http://www.hooksett.lib.nh.us". Inevitably, I would forget to type a period or forget which order the "nh" and "us" came in. Well, we've solved these issues by adding an alias to our web domain. You can now navigate to our website by simply typing "hooksettlibrary.org" in your browser's address bar. If you use Firefox as your browser, it'll automatically add the "http://" prefix. This alias even applies to our email domain extension, so if you want to reach us via email, you don't have to type "@hooksett.lib.nh.us" for the domain name, but only "@hooksettlibrary.org". Not only does this change make our web address more intuitive, it also makes us more accessible in cyberspace. We hope you like the change.

"Show us your flowers week"

The week of May 5th through May 10th is "Show us your flowers week". Join the staff and wear your flowered shirt, dress or maybe your tie. If you do not have clothing with flowers, wear one in your hair or on your lapel.

Top 10 Banned Books of 2007

Every year the American Library Association tabulates the number of books that are challenged by special interest groups for questionable and/or controversial content. The list of last year's top 10 "banned" books is out and here are the titles:

1. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War by Rober Cormier
3. Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
7. TTYL by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
9. It's Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Read them for yourself and see if you can guess why they were challenged.

Edible Books 2008 Photos

Check out our photos from this year's edible book contest which took place Saturday, April 12th. Kevin Lane's entry was inspired by the book "Who Moved My Cheese". Roxanne Kate's entry was based on the series "Sweet Potato Queens", Lee Ann Chase's, by "Fast Food Nation" or "Super Size Me", and Mark Glisson's, by "Toasting Tina". The votes are in with the following results in the order of highest to lowest votes:

1. "Super Size Me".
   
2. "Who Moved My Cheese".
   
3. Tied for third place: "Sweet Potato Queens" and "Toasting Tina".
   

A big "Thank You" for all who participated.

Changes at the HPL!

Design gurus Mark and Lee Ann put their heads together and rearranged the furniture in the reference section, make sure you come down and check it out! While you’re here, make sure you also take a look at our ever-expanding CD, audio book, and DVD collections!

Library Easter Egg Hunt for the Hooksett-ites

The Hooksett-ites enjoyed a special Easter Egg Hunt that we prepared for them this morning during their regular Friday visit to the library. We thought that this would be a great way to say "Thank You" for their very gracious and generous help in stuffing the Easter eggs for last month's Children's Easter Egg Hunt. Among all the 200+ eggs hidden throughout the library, Elizabeth Stewart found the surprise jumbo egg which we hid in a plant in the Children's room. By finding this prize egg, she won a collector's item in the form of a crystal egg.

New resource added to our reference site

We've added a very content rich medical reference resource to our reference tools page. It's called MedlinePlus, a U.S. Government sponsored site recommended by doctors to help consumers learn more about their health, find information for school projects, look up info on prescriptions and over-the-counter medicines, and prepare for doctor's visits. Check it out and enjoy the resources there!