Parenting Collection Added to Parkland Community Library

As a part of the library's continuing effort to make materials and information more easily accessible to patrons, the newest addition to the library's collection is a selection of books, audiobooks, and DVDs for parents. We hope that these materials will be a great resource for parents of children of all ages, needs, abilities, and challenges. Currently, the books, audiobooks, and DVDs are housed in the Youth Services room, but they will be moving to a new location after the holidays. Check it out next time you stop by the library!

PCL's New Website

PCL has a new website! We hope you like the cleaner look. Check it out at http://www.parklandlibrary.org. You may need to delete your internet browser's cookies, cache, & history to access the site. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options, Browsing History, Delete, and select all except for "Preserve Favorites." One great new feature is the visibility of our library's events. Now the events can be viewed on the home page. In addition, you can register for events online, and also receive an email reminder and send an event to a friend!

Join Parkland Community Library for a Technology Petting Zoo & eReader Presentation on Wednesday, October 10th. The zoo runs from 1:30-6pm & the presentation starts at 6pm. Visit for hands-on interaction with gadgets such as iPad, iPod, Kindle, Nook and more. Then attend a presentation about the different types of eReaders.

Library Card Sign-up Month 2012

As students head back to school this September, we encourage parents to visit the Parkland Community Library and make sure their children and teens sign up for the most important school supply of all - a library card. September is Library Card Sign-up Month, a time when the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country remind parents and caregivers that a library card is the smartest card you can own. When it comes to achieving academic success, a library card provides students with access to a world of both print and electronic resources. Students can access free databases and attend programs, activities and clubs that provide an added value to the educational experience. It’s easy to see why eighty-four percent of Americans agree that the public library is important to education. Today’s students learn differently than their predecessors, with studies indicating that students most effectively learn when they are allowed to follow their personal interests. Libraries and librarians are on the frontlines of engaging these students, making a library card an essential tool for inspiring a passion for learning. Today’s libraries provide children and teens with access to new and innovative software and tools. The library also comes with an expert in developing original programs and honing these new skills – a librarian. What better place is there to explore and develop new interests than the library? This September, open the door to a world of possibilities for the student in your life, and sign up for a library card today.

Author Mary Kay Andrews is Library's Summer Celebrity

Parkland Community Library's annual Summer Celebrity will be author Mary Kay Andrews, who will speak on Thursday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Parkland High School auditorium. Reservations are requested at 610-398-1361. Andrews is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels "Spring Fever," "Summer Rental," "The Fixer Upper," "Savannah Breeze," "Blue Christmas," "Deep Dish," "Hissy Fit," "Little Bitty Lies" and "Savannah Blues." She also wrote 10 critically acclaimed mysteries, including the "Callahan Garrity" mystery series, under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. Her mysteries have been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity awards. A native of St. Petersburg, FLA, Trocheck earned a bachelor's in journalism from the University of Georgia in 1976. She started her professional journalism career in Savannah, GA, where she covered the real-life murder trials that were the basis of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." She left journalism after a 10-year stint as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is a frequent lecturer and writing teacher at workshops including Emory University, The University of Georgia’s Harriette Austin Writer’s Workshop, the Tennessee Mountain Writer’s Workshop, and the Antioch Writer’s Workshop. She will sign copies of her books, which will be available for purchase. The event is sponsored by Parkland Community Library.

What's New at Parkland Community Library

There is a lot of excitement at the Parkland Community Library! New public laptops, new databases, an updated catalog (coming soon), and new toys for kids! The Parkland Community Library received a grant from Praxair in the amount of $2,000, which it used to purchase new laptops for the public to use while in the library and also to update software, including Microsoft Office 2010. Need reliable information online? New databases by Gale are accessible both in the library and outside the library with your library card number and PIN. These databases include Career Transitions, for finding a job, building a resume, practice interviewing with an interactive interview simulation, and more; Gale Virtual Reference Library, which contains searchable and downloadable reference works covering biographies, business, education, environment, history, law, literature, medicine, multicultural studies, nation & world, religion, science, & the social sciences; InfoTrac Newsstand, with over 2500 publications with full-text search capabilities including the New York Times; and Testing & Education Reference Center, with practice tests and ebooks for high school, college, & adult learners and career tools are also included. In the future, the library’s catalog will also be getting a facelift and will be available not only on your home computer with enhanced features, but also on your smartphone so you can access it from wherever you are! Bringing your kids to the library? Stop by the Children’s Department and let them try out the new puzzles and toys.

New York Times Best-Selling Novelist coming to Allentown!

Join us for Jennifer Weiner's Author Talk & Book Signing on Thursday, May 10th at 1pm.

Held at Temple Beth El, 1305 Springhouse Rd, Allentown, PA.

Five lucky attendees will receive galleys of Ms. Weiner’s The Next Best Thing(coming 7/3) via random drawing!

Books will be available for purchase.

Free and open to the public!

Reservations requested-610-398-1361

Ms. Weiner's novels include GOOD IN BED (2001); IN HER SHOES (2002), which was turned into a major motion picture starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine; LITTLE EARTHQUAKES, (2004); GOODNIGHT NOBODY (2005); the short story collection THE GUY NOT TAKEN (2006); CERTAIN GIRLS (2008), the sequel to GOOD IN BED, BEST FRIENDS FOREVER (2009); FLY AWAY HOME (2010); and THEN CAME YOU (2011).

You belong @ your library® this National Library Week, April 8-14

Whether you are a job seeker looking for resources to land a new job, a parent looking for free activities for children or a student searching for your next favorite book, you belong @ your library.

Today’s libraries help level the playing field by making both print and digital information available and accessible to all people. Libraries provide cultural heritage and genealogical collections, materials in print and electronic formats, job seeking resources, English as second language and citizenship classes and many other creative and resourceful programs.

Libraries have historically served as our nation’s great equalizers of knowledge. The strength of libraries has always been the diversity of their collections and commitment to serving all people. This National Library Week, join our nation’s libraries and librarians by celebrating the place where we all belong.

The Parkland Community Library is celebrating National Library Week by raffling an iPod for everyone.

For adults and families, the library is hosting a Night at the Movies on Tuesday at 6:30pm and The Titanic: a Salute through Dance on Thursday at 6:30 at the Family Center, Jordan Lutheran Evangelical Church, 5103 Snowdrift Rd, Allentown, PA 18069. This Commonwealth Speakers presentation is a program of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, a nonprofit organization, inspires individuals to enjoy and share a life of learning.

For kids, there is Daddy & Me storytime on Saturday at 10:30am for ages 2 to 5 years and shelf talkers for teen books.

“Today's libraries provide a wide range of opportunities for people with diverse needs and interests,” says Executive Director Debbie Jack. “That means providing their communities with tailor made collections and services for people of diverse backgrounds, language abilities and technological skills.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

For more information, visit the Parkland Community Library at 4422 Walbert Avenue, Allentown, Pa 18104, call 610-398-1361 or see the library’s Web site at www.parklandlibrary.org. Libraries hours are Monday-Thursday 10am to 9pm & Friday-Saturday 10am to 5pm.

The Titanic: a Salute through Dance

Remember the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage of the Titanic with the program, "The Titanic: a Salute through Dance."

The Parkland Community Library event will be held Thursday, April 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Jordan Lutheran Church Family Center, 5103 Snowdrift Road, Orefield.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Titanic's maiden voyage, Commonwealth speakers Nancy Walker and Jef Savage of Danza Antiqua will perform social dances from the Titanic era while dressed in period clothing.

The importance of dance in its cultural and social context will be discussed. Also there will be musical excerpts and stories of personalities associated with the Titanic, like the "Unsinkable" Molly Brown.

As part of the program, the presenters will cover the origins of the dances, explain how they are reconstructed from period dance manuals and share information on etiquette and dance fashions of the time.

A "mobile museum" of era-related artifacts will add to the experience.

The program is free and open to the public. Please RSVP to 610-398-1361.

Walker is a Pennsylvania Arts-in-Education rostered artist with more than 20 years of experience as a performer, speaker, instructor, choreographer and producer of dance programs for all ages. She was a professor of Early Dance at London's Royal College of Music. Currently, she is an adjunct professor of Dance at Wilson College and an adjunct professor of Dance History at Gettysburg College.

Savage is a performer, presenter and assistant instructor. He has 20 years of experience presenting corporate management programs.

Both Walker and Savage are experienced public speakers and performers. Their style is friendly, inclusive and humorous. Research and historical accuracy are reflected in their work.

This Commonwealth Speakers presentation is a program of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Pennsylvania Humanities Council, a nonprofit organization, inspires individuals to enjoy and share a life of learning.

XBox games now available at the library

The library has recently added Xbox to the collection of video games that include Wii and PS3.

Video games circulate for one week each on either a young adult or adult library card. Limit two per family until the collection grows.

Happy gaming!

OverDrive is now available!

OverDrive is now available for free access to eBooks and digital audiobooks. Download and enjoy digital books on your computer, smartphone, iPod, or eBook reader anytime, anywhere.

Go to www.parklandlibrary.org and click on the OverDrive icon, or go to http://cldl.lib.overdrive.com

At this website you can checkout and download…

•Kindle Books
•Adobe EPUB eBooks
•Adobe PDF eBooks
•OverDrive WMA Audiobooks
•OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks

To checkout and download you need…

•A valid library card
•Internet access
•A computer or device that meets the system requirements for the type(s) of materials you wish to download
•Free software for the computer or device on which you wish to use the materials available at this site

Need assistance? There is online help and guides, or contact a librarian.