Spring? It's Coming!

Check out our new Spring has Sprung book display! On the table in front of the quiet study room you will find numerous books to help you whip your garden into shape. Spring is just around the corner, (we hope!), and now is the perfect time to start planning your garden!

Expanded Request Service

We've made it even easier for you to get the material you want by expanding our online request service. Previously, your requests made in our online catalog applied only to Hooksett Library holdings. And, if we didn't have the item, you had to contact us and make an interlibrary loan request or drive to a GMILCS library which had the item and pick it up there. Now, your requests extend to holdings in all participating GMILCS libraries. In addition, if we don't have the item you're looking for, but a participating GMILCS library does, all you have to do is request it online in the "All GMILCS" catalog, and you'll even be able to choose the pick up location for the item. If you'd like to find out more about this expanded service, watch the short presentation here.

Easter Egg Hunt Photos 20080322

Everyone had a blast during this year's Easter Egg Hunt and party. All 120+ participants. We held the event indoors, since the ground was snow-covered outside. Many thanks to everyone who helped out: Hooksett Kiwanis Builders Club of Cawley Middle School, the Hooksett-ites, the Friends of the Library, and many others!

Foyer Display by Massabesic Audubon Center

Stop by and check out the beautiful Spring display in our front foyer, courtesy of the Massabesic Audubon Center. When you see it you'll really think Spring. If only we could leave the display up year round! It's that impressive. Visit the Massabesic Audubon Center at 26 Audubon Way in Auburn and find out what programs they're offering to celebrate Spring. You can also visit them at www.nhaudubon.org.

Edible Book Contest on April 12th 2008

We’re “cooking” up a real treat to kick off National Library Week during the second week in April. Do the titles “The Cherry Cheesecake Murder,” “How to Eat Fried Worms,” and “Everything on a Waffle,” ring a bell? They were last year’s entries in our first-ever “Edible Book” contest. We’re hosting the contest once again this year on April 12th, since it was quite the hit. If you’d like to participate, please contact us no later than April 11th at 485-6092 or at hplbooks@hooksett.lib.nh.us to register. The rules are simple: (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 photos of last year’s contest here or in photos from the international contest here. (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.

Scheduled activities for the day:

1. 9:00am-10:00am: Drop off entries.
2. 10:00am-3:00pm: Voting by public.
   
3. 2:00pm-4:00pm: Cake decorating demonstration and other crafts/activities/games.
4. 4:00pm: Awards.

If you don't feel inclined to submit an entry, but would like to volunteer your time to help out with the various activities and cake decorating demonstration, please let us know at 485-6092.

Won't you wear a sweater on March 20th?

In honor of what would have been Mister Rogers' 80th birthday we are asking that you join us and wear your favorite sweater on March 20th. It doesn't have to be a zipper sweater like Mr. Rogers wore, it just has to be special to you.

Computer Instruction at the HPL

Are you looking to improve your computer skills? Need help setting up or maintaining an email account? Would you like some extra tips and training? Well, you are in luck! Starting in April you will be able to sign up for FREE, one on one, half hour computer instruction!

Dr. Seuss Night

Thursday, March 27th is Dr. Seuss Night at the Library. Starting at 6:30 PM, we will have guest readers, activities and a Birthday cake for Dr. Seuss!! Come and enjoy a night of rhyming fun! For kids up to 10 years of age. Let's have a WUBULOUS Time!

Get Cooking at the HPL

Looking to try some new recipes? Want to impress friends and family with your culinary genius? Or are you just trying to boil a pot of water without burning it? Come to the Hooksett Public Library and browse our collection of cookbooks for inspiration and tips. Learn to cook food from all over the world- Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia with “Curry Cuisine”. Or, get some gluten-free baking recipes from “Great Gluten-Free Baking”. We have two new cupcake books: “Hey There, Cupcake” and Betty Crocker’s “Decorating Cakes and Cupcakes”. And for you Food Network people we have Rachel Ray, Alston Brown, Paula Deen cookbooks plus DVDs! And for you fancier folk we have Jacques Pepin’s “Fast Food My Way”.

In addition we have a large selection of books on wine, specialty diets, food allergies, and overall health. As always, if we don’t have what you’re looking for just ask at the desk and we’ll be happy to order it for you!

Reference webpage tutorials

In a previous blog entry, we reported that we had added a search toolbox to our reference webpage to make searching through the variety of resources a bit more user-friendly. We hope that you've had a chance to experiment with it. We're now working on adding some video tutorials on how to use some of the resources. If you're like the average person, seeing a demonstration is better than just reading about it. So, keep an eye on the reference webpage for these additions/updates. If there's anything else that you'd like to see there, let us know here. Until then, best of luck with your research projects.

HPL Reference

Looking to take the LSAT, GMAT, SAT, or PRAXIS soon? Interested in learning more about the GRE or Law Enforcement test? Look no farther than the HPL! Here at the HPL we strive to bring YOU, the patron the latest and the greatest in reference and one such tool is “Learnatest”. This innovative learning implement is available online from our reference tools section. Simply log in using the barcode on the back of your library card and off you go! Also, feel free to stop by or give us a call with any questions!

Bored? Head down to the HPL!

Are you looking for a new hobby or interest? Have cabin fever after so much snow and too much time indoors? Well, the HPL has a cure! As you enter the library, look to the table on your left, where you will find a display of books entitled “Try something new in the New Year”. You can find all kinds of interesting and new hobbies, from building birdhouses to playing better bridge. Other titles deal with subjects such as using GPS, Sea Kayaking, Mahjong, T’ai Chi, Swing Dancing, and even gender specific woodworking projects. If you can’t quite find what you’re looking for let us know and we’ll be happy to help you!

Easter Egg Hunt and Party:

We have begun planning for our annual Easter egg hunt which will occur on Saturday, the 22nd of March. This year we will have two schedules for egg hunters. 1-5 year olds will start at 10am and 6+ year olds will start at 11am. A special prize will be awarded to the one in the older group who finds the golden egg which will be hidden for them. We'll provide crafts and activities during the event. Refreshments will also be available. Bring your own Easter egg baskets. Registration is requested but not required. Register here or call us at 485-6092.

Update on Reader Reviews on our online catalog:

Since we're the first users of the new Chilifresh.com reader review service, the sooner you register to do a review of your favorite titles on our online catalog, you'll be able to pick a unique user name that noone else will be able to use. In addition, when someone clicks on your user name associated with your review of a given title, others will be able to see all your reviews. So, if readers liked the same title that you did, then it's likely that they'll like other titles that you liked and will then add them to their reading lists. As a reminder, in order to write a review, find the "write a review" link (if the title has not yet been reviewed) or the "reader rating" link (if the title has been reviewed). To view a single or multiple reviews of a given title, click on the "# reviews" link. Note: you must enable pop-ups in your browser or at least add chilifresh.com to your unblocked pop-up list. Enjoy!

New Navigation Toolbox on our Reference Page

In our ongoing efforts to make our Reference webpage more user-friendly, we've created a new navigation toolbox! This change will enable users to navigate to our various online resources, either by reference categories or by individual resources. When selecting any item in the toolbox's drop down boxes, the user is taken directly to the resource or resource category in question. Of course, subscription based resources will still prompt you for your patron barcode, but once logged in for that browsing session, you will be able to move between the various resources with ease. Tell us what you think!

Parent shelf-Teachers Resource shelf

The parent shelf in the children's room has moved. It is now at the end of the children's videos. The teachers resource shelf is now on the shelf to the left of
Miss Vickie's desk.

So much to do at the HPL!

There's so much to do at the Hooksett Public Library! AARP is here to help with taxes on Tuesdays from 5:00pm - 8:00pm and Fridays from 10:00am - 2:00pm. On Thursdays you can swing by and drop off your recycling. Fridays and Saturdays? You can come in and pick up a couple of DVDs to watch, without paying the Blockbuster prices! Of course, we also offer books, c.d.'s and audiobooks! If we don't have what you're looking for let us know, we're always happy to order your desired item from another library!

New Hampshire Maps

Look around the library and you will see many New Hampshire maps from the 4th grade classes at Hooksett Memorial School. Every year the 4th graders are assigned the project of creating their own NH map from any material they wish.Some are made from Leggos, others out of clay,many with many colors and some with added pictures from around the state! I wish that I could have brought all the maps for everyone to see, but this is just a small sampling of the many that are now on display at the school.Hope you enjoy them!!

Book 3 in Paolini's Inheritance Series - finally!

For fans of the Inheritance series by Paolini, you'll be happy to know that the third book, Brisingr, will be published in September - finally! You'll also be interested to know that Paolini was forced to make his originally planned trilogy into a quadrilogy, because the third book got so long that it needed two parts. You can read more about it here. As soon as we order the book, of which we'll probably have to order a couple of copies to meet the demands, we'll let you know. We'll also order the audiobook. Until then, keep practicing your Old Norse so you can understand the book's terminology.

Programming at the Library!

Hi everybody, Sarah here! A big part of my job is to organize programming for the library. Keep an eye on our calendar of events, in the upcoming weeks- I will be updating with a myriad of programs, everything from a clutter specialist to teen safety on the internet. I am always on the look out for new and interesting programs to bring to the Hooksett Public Library’s patrons! If you have any suggestions or ideas please, please, please contact me at the library, sfoster@hooksett.lib.nh.us or via telephone 603.485.6092