Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Free Music Downloads!

If you haven't checked out our free downloadable music service, Freegal, I wanted to fill you in on some of the music for children that is available:

Alvin & The Chipmunks
Blues Clues
Dan Zanes & Friends
Dora the Explorer
Kidz Bop Kids
Rugrats
The Wiggles
Laurie Berkner Band
The Backyardigans
Spongebob Squarepants
Wonderpets

With a Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library card, you can download up to three songs a week to your phone, iPod, computer or iPad.  Every Sunday into Monday, your Freegal account is reset and you can download three new songs.

And if you haven't checked it out- there is plenty of music for adults, too, from Bruce Springtseen, Adele, Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson, and more! 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

E-Books and Digital Libraries Aren't Just for Grown-ups

A few years ago the Youth Services staff began purchasing electronic books and subscribing to databases to supplement our collection.   We wanted to make reliable resources available (that could also be accessed 24/7) to children and parents to help with school assignments.

One of my favorite databases that we subscribe to is the Gale Biography Resource Center (GBRC).   Biography reports are one of the most common assignments that children receive.  Through the GBRC,  you can find over 600,000 biographies that include video, audio, images, articles, and other references.  Unfortunately, we can't supply a print biography on every inventor, scientist, or explorer that ever lived (the books just aren't made!) and this resource is fantastic for such assignments! All you need is your library card to login. Next time your child has an assignment that requires information, but not necessarily reading an entire book, check out some of our electronic resources on the Student Resources page and you just might find what you're looking for!

On a similar note, I wanted to share a free great resource for free e-books. The Pearson Foundation recently created www.wegivebooks.org .  It includes a variety of fiction and non-fiction titles for picture books, beginner readers, some early chapter books, and board books.  It might be a good site to keep handy if you get stuck in traffic or are waiting somewhere for an appointment with your child and have an iPad or an e-reader with web access with you.    It also works just as well on your computer!

Finally, I wanted to mention that one of our part-time librarians, Miss Flora will be doing an iPad storytime on Saturday, March 31st @ 11AM for children ages 2-5- no registration required!. She'll be using a variety of e-books and apps to share stories projected on our movie screen in the meeting room.

For more information about any of our electronic resources, see a member of the Youth Services staff or send an email to maplkids@lmxac.org.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Calling All Tweens!

Are you in grades 4-7? Are you looking for something to do in this winter weather?  Check out what we've got going on for tweens @ the library in February!

On Friday, February 16th we'll be making no-sew pillows and scarfs like the ones below!


On Sunday, February 18th Ms. Flora will be hosting science experiments with our old candy. Bring in any leftover candy you might have from, Halloween, the winter holidays, or Valentine's Day.

To register for these fun programs, visit us online. Don't forget to keep your library card handy for registration!