Happy New Year!

Have a very happy
(and safe)
New Year's Eve
and New Year's Day!

We'll see you at the library...in 2014!

Staff Picks: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
2012

This heartbreaking yet hilarious novel tells the story of Hazel Lancaster, an Indianapolis teenager and medical miracle living with cancer. Preferring to stay at home and watch episodes of America's Next Top Model, she's less than thrilled when her mom suggests that she attend a Cancer Kid Support Group. But it's there that she meets the handsome and wonderfully unique Augustus Waters—and her life changes forever.

Exploring the themes of life and death, living and dying, friendship and family, and young love, fans of John Green (author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, etc.) will devour The Fault in Our Stars. Full of unforgettable characters, this novel is a brilliant, hilarious, tragic, painful, and inspiring read! Two thumbs up!

And make sure to check out the book before the movie it inspired comes out in June of 2014!

Sarah 
Librarian
Martinsburg Public Library

CALL NUMBER: YA FIC Gree.J

2014: Change Your History

In the year 2013, the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries based our activities on history, with an emphasis on West Virginia's 150th birthday.

For the 2014 calendar year, the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries' theme will be NEW YEAR, NEW YOU, based on changing your history, whether that means you make goals to improve your life financially, physically, or in any other way you want to make a change for your future.

Be on the lookout for another post with more details, as well as programs and activities throughout the year based on this theme!

Wishing you very happy, happy holidays...

...from all of us at MBCPL!

We've got all your holiday favorites! Come check them out!

Looking for a great book to read this holiday season? Check out some of these holiday favorites!

 

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens

JF D548ch

 

 

 

 

How the Grinch Stole Christmas
by Dr. Seuss

JP Geis.T or JP Seuss

 

 

 

 

The Polar Express
by Chris van Allsburg

JP Vana.C

 

 

Skipping Christmas
by John Grisham

F G869sk or FIC Gris.J

The Christmas Box
by Richard Paul Evans

F E92ch

 

 

 

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor
by Lisa Kleypas

FIC Kley.L or LT FIC Kley.L

 

 

 

 

The Christmas Train
by David Baldacci

F B175ch

The Stupidest Angel
by Christopher Moore

F M821st

 

 

 

Merry Christmas, Cowboy

by Janet Dailey

FIC Dail.J (NEW)

Janet Dailey, we'll miss you!

www.earlyword.com

Beloved romance author Janet Dailey passed away over the weekend due to complications from heart surgery.

Dailey wrote over 150 novels and found herself on the bestsellers list many times. She will certainly be missed in the world of books!

For a full list of Janet Dailey's books, click here. If you would like to find out what titles we offer at our libraries, simply go to our online catalog and type author:(Dailey, Janet) in the search box.

You can find her newest book, Merry Christmas, Cowboy in our new section under the call number FIC Dail.J. You'll find most of her older titles in our regular fiction section.

For more information about the life and writing career of Janet Dailey, visit her website.

Holiday Reception at MPL

The Martinsburg Public Library will host a Holiday Reception tomorrow, Thursday, December 12.

Stop by the library and select a cookie cutter from our Christmas tree!

Image borrowed from ndrichardson.com.

Thank you!

 

It is that time of year when we reflect on what we are thankful about and who we are thankful for.

This year, the Library Foundation of Berkeley County is thankful for the many donations received from the residents of Berkeley County. We are thankful that the service provided to the community by the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries (MBCPL) has been recognized and appreciated.

The MBCPL continues to offer free services to the community, even with the increased cost of books, computers, and other technologies.

As you are making your charitable donations this year, we hope that you will think again (or for the first time) to donate to your local Berkeley County library.

Visit www.librarygiving.com to donate online!

Local Author Book-Signing

Local author James Droegemeyer will visit the Martinsburg Public Library on Saturday, December 14, 2013 from 1:00-4:00 pm for a book-signing in honor of his new book.

His new book is entitled Robbing the Ambassador: "For the Jazz" and is a historical account of the great train robbery of Martinsburg!

Join us and speak with the author as he tells about who he spoke with while researching for his newest book. 

Tis the Season

As the days grow shorted and the weather becomes colder, thoughts turn to the approaching holiday season. Thanksgiving is barely over but plans for the BIG holiday, be it Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, are already well on the way to making this holiday the best ever. People are getting into the spirit!

As December begins, the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries (MBCPL) is contemplating the holiday season. By the end of November, the area garden clubs transformed the library into a holiday delight to rival the likes of many a store. Our Christmas panels, painted by staff member and artist Wayne Hilliard will again adorn the Queen Street windows throughout the month of December.

Stop by the Children's Department on Saturday, December 14 at 10:30 am for a special holiday Book-to-Movie program featuring the film The Muppets Christmas Carol.

The Martinsburg Public Library will also host a Holiday Reception on Thursday, December 12. Stop by the library and select a cookie cutter from our Christmas tree!

MBCPL promotes the gift of reading. For the month of December, the adult library will feature a Bag Sale. Fill a bag (which the library provides) for just $1.00! The Children's Department will also sponsor a book sale this month. This is the perfect time to select those favorite titles and share the gift of reading with others.

This year all Martinsburg-Berkeley County Public Libraries will be closed on the following dates...

Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 (at 1:00 pm)
Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Wishing you a happy holiday season!

What's happening at NBL in December?

Join us at North Berkeley Library on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:00 pm for...

December 3
Lego Freeplay

mariloustrait.wordpress.com

December 10
Game night with special Christmas craft (We'll be making Christmas trees out of old books!)

There will also be special craft days on Mondays, December 9, 16, 23, and 30. Craft supplies will be available throughout the day and patrons of all ages are welcome to come and create!

And join us for Story and Craft Time for preschoolers on Thursdays, December 5, 12, and 19 at 10:30 am. The focus this month will be on holiday stories and crafts.

December 2013: From the Director's Chair



kingstonpubliclibrary.org

As the holiday season approaches, many people will be receiving an e-reader as a gift or they may be upgrading their existing device. This will mean an increase in demand for e-materials, including e-books, e-magazines, and e-audios, for all ages and for all subject areas. As much as the library wants to exceed your expectations, there are some challenges currently involved with the purchase of e-materials for libraries. 
First and foremost, some publishers do not allow libraries to buy e-materials. Although you might search Amazon and find a bestseller available for your Kindle, this same title may not be available for the library to purchase. We do our best to search all available vendors, but often publishers make decisions to not allow libraries to purchase particular titles.
 
Secondly, costs and usage play large parts in the e-materials challenge. For example, many popular titles, such as Inferno by Dan Brown, may cost the library $15-$20 for a traditional hardback, but may cost almost $85 in e-book format. In other cases, the library may purchase an e-book with the stipulation that it may only check out twenty-six times. For the twenty-seventh patron, that item no longer exists in our system. In still other cases, such as the Harry Potter series, e-books may be checked out for up to five years before disappearing from our system. We continue to increase our budget in this area to meet the demand of patrons as well as increasing e-materials costs.
 
Third, finding e-materials in our library catalog can be rather difficult and inconvenient. Currently our online catalog vendor is developing a method of integrating our e-materials with our traditional library materials. But until then, you as a patron may have to search three separate vendors (Overdrive, Axis 360, One Click Digital) to find a e-materials title that interests you. Our goal is to make your searching experience more streamlined and convenient.
 
All three of the above mentioned vendors are located on our webpage (http://martinsburg.lib.wv.us) under the Electronic Resources tab.
 
We have also added Zinio to our list of electronic resources. With this site you an access and download digital magazines to your e-reader or device. You can select from over 270 titles which cover a variety of topics.
 
We appreciate the patron who understands the cost of ordering e-materials and donated $250.00 for this purpose. Any similar help would be welcomed!