#Readfor15Sylvan

There's a reading challenge coming to a community near you! We want Sylvan Lake to win - and you do too!

#Readfor15Sylvan is a province-wide challenge to bring awareness to literacy. Libraries will compete to see which community reads the most based on population.

ANYONE can participate: moms, dads, neighbours, teachers, business people, and even young children being read to.

From midnight to midnight on Wednesday, January 27th, read for 15 minutes and then report your participation to the Sylvan Lake Municipal Library in one of the following ways:
- Use #Readfor15Sylvan on Twitter or Instagram (we’d love to see photos of you reading as well!)
- Show your civic pride by posting your participation on the Sylvan Lake Municipal Library’s Facebook page
- Go to http://sylvanlibrary.prl.ab.ca/ and complete the web form, available on January 27th only!
- Come to the Library and tell us in person—we’ll have cookies!
- Email us at sylvan.library@prl.ab.ca
- Call us at 403-887-2130

Help Sylvan Lake win this trophy and bragging rights of being the best-read community in Alberta!

Community Reading Challenge 2015 Nearing Its End

There's only a handful of days left in 2015, and so, only a couple weeks left to complete our Community Reading Challenge. 

Check out our website for the full list of items on the checklist here!

Thanks to Shoppers Drug Mart, Lokal's Kitchen, and the Town of Sylvan Lake, we have some very exciting prizes to be won! 

Haven't completed the challenge yet? That's okay! Just turn in what you have before January 5th, 2016 to be entered in to win a prize! 

Struggling for titles to read? Try some of these: 

Sweetland, by Michael Crummey

The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx

Creatures of the Rock, by Andrew Peacock

Singily Skipping Along, by Sheree Fitch

Alligator Pie, by Dennis Lee

Dance Me to the End of Love, by Leonard Cohen

Nice Day for Murder, by Kimmy Beach

Kicking the Sky, by Antony De Sa

All My Friends Are Superheroes, by Andrew Jaufman

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust, by Alan Bradley

Find these books and more at your library! (Follow the links on the titles to request your copy now!) 

Keep up the good reading!

Inside Out Movie Day

Fun for the whole family! 

Join us Monday, October 21st for an Inside Out Movie Day! We'll watch the movie, eat some snacks, then play some games and do some crafts, all based on Disney Pixar's Inside Out! 

Movie starts at 2:00, craft/game stations will be set up during and after the movie. If your child is fidgety, or tired of the movie, feel free to check out the stuff outside of the room. Take home anything you make! 

If your child is under 6 years old, parental supervision is required. Older than 6 may stay on their own; please make sure child is able to contact you in case of an emergency.

See you there! Can't wait to start the fun!

Famous First Lines - Judging a Book By More Than Its Cover

We're all guilty of pulling a book off a shelf because it has an interesting cover. Or because it's a well-known author. Or maybe it's the next book in a beloved series. But what about when we can't see the cover at all? No names, no back-stories ... what if we had to judge based on nothing but the writing? 

We've pulled some books with interesting, eye-grabbing, or even just confusing opening lines, and we want you to check them out! 

The only hint we'll give you about these books, is that they're ALL Young Adult books. 

Can you identify these books based on their first line? Which one jumps out at you and makes you want to take it home RIGHT NOW? 

Come down to the Library and check out from our new Famous First Lines display!

What's In a Name? Check out these YA Titles @ Your Library!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet." - William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.” - L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

A name can tell you all you need to know about a story. In the case of Shakespeare, you didn't want to get attached to the character whose name was in the title of the play. Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, the Scottish play ... 

Check out some of these titles inspired by the characters within them:

Alice in the Know, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Alice on Her Way, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Ali's Pretty Little Lies, by Sara Shepard

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green

Anna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare Blake

Dracula, by Bram Stoker

Forever Julia, by Jodi Carmichael

I, Coriander, by Sally Gardner

Jake, Reinvented, by Gordon Korman

Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron, by Stephanie Barron

Luna, by Julie Anne Peters

Plain Kate, by Erin Bow

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare

Snow, by Tracy Lynn

Waiting for Sarah, by Bruce McBay and James Heneghan

Whatever Happened to Janie? by Caroline B. Cooney

Zack, by William Bell

 Did we miss your favourite book? Let us know!

YouthWrite and Your Library

Thanks to your generous donations and sponsorship of Corrie's Polar Bear Dip, we have raised enough money to send a local youth (age 14-19) to YouthWrite, a summer camp for the arts. 

YouthWrite, while primarily a camp for young writers, explores and celebrates all art forms. Whether you sing, dance, play an instrument, do yoga, love to act, or write, YouthWrite is the camp for you. 

The Library is holding a contest, similar to how YouthWrite takes their applications. You will need to provide:          
a) What school courses have you completed in English/ Language Arts?
b) What extra-curricular creative writing courses/ workshops/ activities have you previously participated in? 
c) Has your writing been published?  If so, where? 
d) What are your reasons for wanting to attend YouthWrite?
e) Your name and contact information, including your parent(s) name(s), phone number and email. 

Library staff will review each entry and select 1 winner. That lucky youth will have their registration fee and t-shirt paid for, and will be guaranteed a spot at the Peak Experience, which runs overnight from June 28 - July 3, 2015. 

For information about YouthWrite, click on the picture above. For questions or concerns, please contact Corrie at corrie.brown@prl.ab.ca or 403-887-2130. 

All entries must be delivered to the Library or emailed to Corrie no later than May 15th. Winner will be selected by the end of May. 

Good luck!

Poetry Writing Contest at the Library

April is Poetry Month! 

For the month of April, the Library is holding an all-ages poetry writing contest! Submit an original piece of poetry for your chance to win 1 of 3 fabulous prizes, including a FREE membership to the Library! 

Submissions can be dropped off at the Library while we're open (see website for hours of operation), or in the book drop in a sturdy envelope, or you can email them to corrie.brown@prl.ab.ca  
Include your name and contact information. Library staff will review the submissions and select three winners during the first week of May. 

If you have any questions, please call Corrie at 403-887-2130 or email corrie.brown@prl.ab.ca 

Good luck, and happy writing! 

Film Society - Nearing the end of the Winter Season

Film Society shows its films the last Monday of the month, September, October, January, February, March, and April. Films start at 7:00 at Landmark Cinemas, located at 9 Beju Industrial Drive, Sylvan Lake, AB. 

Tickets are $8.00, available at the Library for pre-sale until 5:00 the night of the showing, or at the theater at 6:30. 

Proceeds from ticket sales go towards the Sylvan Lake Municipal Library.


We only have two more films for the Winter 2015 Season of Film Society! 

Tonight we will be showing Princess Grace! 

"Movie star, princess, icon: Grace Kelly was one of the most glamorous public figures of the twentieth century, her journey from a Philadelphia childhood to Hollywood stardom to Monaco’s royal palace the very embodiment of the modern-day fairy tale. Taking place in the years shortly after her 1956 marriage to Prince Rainier III, Princess Grace — which opened the 2014 Cannes Film Festival — goes behind the gilded palace doors to offer a revealing glimpse inside the private realm of this legendary woman. As a political dispute between Prince Rainier and French president Charles de Gaulle in the early 1960s threatens to spark a French military invasion of the tiny principality, the recently crowned Princess Grace was confronting her own private crises. Beloved by her subjects and idolized by millions around the world, she nevertheless finds herself questioning both her marriage and her very identity. As Hollywood royalty herself, Nicole Kidman (The Railway Man, Stoker) is pitch- and picture perfect as the late princess, bringing sophistication, glamour, and an intimate understanding of the weight of fame to her portrait of this enigmatic icon. Featuring a remarkable supporting cast — including Tim Roth as Rainier, as well as Parker Posey, Frank Langella and Derek Jacobi — under the direction of veteran filmmaker Olivier Dahan (La Vie en Rose), and shot on the grandest scale by cinematographer Eric Gautier (The Motorcycle Diaries, Into the Wild), Princess Grace reveals the humanity and vulnerability of a woman who always seemed to be larger than life." - Mongrel Media

April 27, 2015, we will be showing Boychoir. 

"From acclaimed Canadian director François Girard (Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould, The Red Violin) comes a drama that the entire family can enjoy. Boychoir is the story of a talented youngster struggling against the odds to find his voice.
Stet (Garrett Wareing) is an angry eleven-year-old who can sing like an angel. Left an orphan after his mother is killed in a car accident, Stet ends up in an East Coast musical boarding school — a place about as different from his small Texas town as can be. Feeling misunderstood, out of place, and frustrated with the cards life has dealt him, Stet finds himself at odds with Choirmaster Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman, also appearing at the Festival in The Cobbler), a disciplinarian of the old school. But Carvelle recognizes something in Stet's voice, and pushes the boy to put his troubled young soul into the music.
Boychoir will have you swooning as voices converge in hymns — and cracking a smile when a joyous rap breaks out in the bathroom. Supported by a star-studded cast that includes Josh Lucas, Eddie Izzard, Debra Winger, and Kathy Bates (who nearly steals her every scene as the school's headmistress), Wareing makes a marvellous debut as a kid who's been through hell but has been granted a heavenly gift.
Boychoir is about the way that music can touch our lives — if only it's given enough encouragement to come out and play." - tiff.net

Don't miss your chance to see this great films on the big screen!  

Outreach Services - Books to Bethany

Those funky paw chairs aren't just for kids!

We had a wonderful tour today with some lovely Bethany residents, which brought about discussion of one of our fabulous outreach programs!

Did you know we bring books to Bethany and the Lodge? If you have a loved one in care who loves books, call us at 403-887-2130, or check in with us Tuesday mornings when we visit the Lodge and Bethany.

This outreach program is run by dedicated volunteers with Library staff assistance, who take the time to get to know each resident and their reading interests. They bring in books and audiobooks, large print and regular print, and even magazines! Anything you can sign out from the Library, we can bring to Bethany and the Lodge!

This program is completely free, and doesn't even require the resident to have a current library card.

So, what are you waiting for? Check us out!

Do You Accept the Challenge?

We're only three months into the year - there's still time to start our 2015 Community Reading Challenge! 

Check it out on our website here!  

This reading challenge is all about Canadian Literature! The checklist is as follows: 

2015 Community Reading Challenge Checklist

¨ A Scotiabank Giller Prize nominated novel
¨ A book set on the east coast
¨ A Canada Reads nominated book
¨ A book of poetry by a Canadian poet
¨ A book that was featured on Canada AM
¨ A Scotiabank Giller Prize winning novel
¨ A book set in the prairies
¨ A work of non-fiction by a Canadian author
¨ A book about a Canadian sports team
¨ A biography or autobiography of a Canadian celebrity
¨ A book by a Canadian author (but NOT Margaret Atwood)
¨ A book set in Toronto
¨ A book by Alice Munro
¨ A book by your favourite author
¨ A book by Margaret Atwood
¨ A book by an aboriginal author
¨ A Governor General’s Literary Award nominated novel
¨ A Canadian novel that was adapted for screen (TV/movie)
¨ A book with snow on the cover picture
¨ A book set in Alberta
¨ A book recommended by CBC
¨ A mystery or thriller by a Canadian author
¨ A book with a red & white cover
¨ A book by L.M. Montgomery

How does it work? SO SIMPLE! If you've already read a book with the above criteria this year, just check it off on the sheet provided on the website (or you can pick one up from the Library) and write the title in the space underneath. Once you've checked off four from the list, come in to pick a prize! When you fill the sheet, you get entered for the Grand Prize! Last year we had Sony Readers donated by Shoppers Drug Mart, Chapters Gift Cards, and more! 

This Community Reading Challenge is open to EVERYONE! That means YOU! Win prizes for reading, what would be better?

OneClickDigital - Your One-Stop eAudio Resource!

If you like listening to eAudiobooks, then One-Click Digital is the program for you!

First things first, sign up for your FREE account! 

Much like Freading, if you are reading on a computer, you'll need to install Adobe Digital Editions. Regardless of whether you are on a computer or a mobile device, you will need to create an Adobe ID.

Below are the different devices you can download your eAudio and eBooks on. OneClickDigital does have a small collection of eBooks, but the main focus on this site is eAudio. 

The website is very user-friendly, and has a great Frequently Asked Questions page that will solve almost any issues you might be having. Check it out here! 

Let's have a look at some of the awesome titles you can get from OneClickDigital! 

These titles and more await! 

The download process is very similar to Freading, both on computers and mobile devices. Once again, you will need to have an Adobe ID; if you don't already have one, create it now here!

Check out OneClickDigital now! 

Ask our highly knowledgeable staff if you have any questions!

What's All the Hoopla About?

If you've been in the Library lately, you've probably seen our lovely front desk staff sporting our new Hoopla shirts! 

What is all this Hoopla about anyway?

Well, if you're familiar with Netflix, you're going to LOVE Hoopla! All you need is a Library card, and you can stream or download movies, TV series, music, and eAudiobooks on your computer, iPhone, or tablet! No extra cost!

If you like these titles/authors/musicians, check out Hoopla! 

Signing up is easy! Go to Hoopla and Sign Up - make sure you sign up BEFORE you start browsing, because some of the titles are only available in the United States. What's available in Canada is still REALLY awesome! 

Here are some examples: 

Movies!  

TV Shows! 

Music!

 

Audiobooks!

 

 

 And so much more! 

If you have an iPhone/iPad, or Android Tablet, go to your app store and download the FREE Hoopla app! It's quick and easy! 
If you have a Windows Tablet, or a computer, go to www.hoopladigital.com and sign up now! 

Once you agree to the terms and services, select your Library. Note: if you are a Sylvan Lake Library patron, select Parkland Regional Library from the list. 

Next, enter your Library barcode number (that's the 14-digit barcode number on your Library card), and your PIN number, which is the last 4 digits of your phone number. 

Next, you will need to enter a valid email address, and password for your Hoopla account. 

Once you've signed in, start browsing for titles! If you are using the Hoopla app, items you borrow will be downloaded, and you can watch them or listen to them at any time, even if you don't have WiFi access. If you are using a computer or Windows tablet, you will need to be connected to the Internet to stream your music/movie/audiobook. 

Once you find an item, select "Borrow". The item will then be "signed out" to you, similar to a Library book. When you borrow an item, you will be given a "return" date. At the end of that time, you will no longer be able to access that item.

You can borrow up to 20 items per month on Hoopla! Get started now! Why wait? It's completely FREE!