Library Closed July 4th

Brown Library will be closed on Monday, July 4th, 2011, in observance of Independence Day.

We will resume normal operating hours on Tuesday, July 5th, at 10 a.m.

Have a fantastic July 4th weekend! Make sure you enjoy plenty of delicious grilled food and catch a fireworks show!

Summer Reading Program: Pirate Terry

Summer Reading Program

Pirate Terry!

Stories & Crafts

Wednesday, June 29th, @ 11 a.m. @ the Washington Civic Center

Yo ho ho! Brown Library's own children's librarian, Terry Rollins, will don his pirate garb to become a swashbuckling cutthroat as we set sail for high seas adventure in the Civic Center. Terry will share some of his favorite pirate legends, including Blackbeard, and provide children with lots of piratical information and trivia. Children will learn their own special pirate name, and create their own pirate flag. This event will serve as our big craft program for the summer, so don't miss it! Arr!

Teen Summer Reading Program: Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle
Friday, June 24th @ 4 p.m.!

Even though this is the first event for our Teen Summer Reading Program, all ages are invited to come and enjoy the film! Our film choice relates to the display currently up in the Young Adult section of the library: Steampunk.While not 100% Steampunk, this film, created by the revered Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli of Japan, is based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones, and definitely has a few nods of the head to Steampunk culture.

"Young Sophie Hatter is cursed by the Witch of the Waste, and turns into an old hag. Ashamed of how she looks, she flees into the hills where a moving castle roams the hills. It is said to belong to the young and handsome wizard Howl, who has a bad reputation. Within the castle, Sophie befriends the fire demon Calcifer, who promises to help her become young again. One catch: she must help Calcifer to be free of Howl, and Calcifer cannot tell her how. However, Sophie agrees to stay and try to find out about the contract through other ways. Still, Howl can see that Sophie is under a spell like Calcifer can, and he falls in love with her for who she is and not for what she looks like. Sophie manages to bring life to the moving castle, and she helps Howl to face his former tutor, Madam Suliman." (Luisa @ imdb.com)

There is no sign up to attend the movie, but we do encourage any teens signed up with the Summer Reading Program to attend! There is limited seating however, so make sure to arrive at least fifteen minutes early. This film is rated PG for frightening images and brief mild language.

(image from google image, summary from imdb.com)

Summer Reading Program Kick-Off: Priscilla Best, Storyteller

Summer Reading Program Kick-Off!

Priscilla Best, Storyteller

Friday, June 24th, @ 11 a.m. @ the First United Methodist Church

We kick-off our 2011 Summer Reading Program with a visit from storyteller Priscilla Best of Goldsboro. Priscilla is a retired school teacher and librarian who now travels the land sharing stories from the heart. She is a member of the North Carolina Storytelling Guild and a regional representative to that organization's board of directors. In 2004, she traveled to South Africa, sharing stories, as part of the USA delegation from the National Storytelling Network.

For more information on Priscilla Best, check out her website at http://www.priscillabest.com/!

Teen Summer Reading Program: Reading for Prizes

Teen Summer Reading Program: Reading for Prizes

This summer, Brown Library is offering teens ages 13 - 18 the opportunity to read for prizes in our very first Teen Summer Reading Program. If you were planning on reading this summer anyway, why not get rewarded for it?

We're keeping it simple this year, and there's no sign up to participate. Here are the guidelines:

1.) You must be 13 - 18 years of age to participate. All books read must be checked out from our Young Adult literature section.

 2.) When you’ve read the book, bring it back and fill out the form located at the front checkout desk. Write down the title and author; give the book a quick rating based on how much you enjoyed it; and leave us your name, phone number, and email. Make sure we have a way to contact you if you win!

3.) Fold it up, and drop it in the box at the front desk!

4.) Join us on Friday, August 5th, at 4 p.m. upstairs for the finale event! We’ll be drawing names for prizes, and enjoying some tasty treats.

5.) Each book you read is an entry, so Read, Read, Read!

Be sure to pick up a brochure at either the front desk or the Young Adult section!

Teen Summer Reading Program 2011 Schedule!

Teen Summer Reading Program 2011 Schedule

This year, we're trying something a little new. For the first time, Brown Library is offering a small Summer Reading Program, just for our teenage patrons, ages 13 - 18. Since this is the first year, we're keeping things simple, and making this easy on everyone. There is no official sign up this year, so anyone and everyone can participate this year. Look for a future post with more details about how you can read for prizes this summer!

Our teen program will only be featuring three events this summer, one in each month:

June 24, 2011: Steampunk film, "Howl's Moving Castle", @ 4 p.m., upstairs

July 15, 2011: film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1", @ 4 p.m. upstairs

August 5, 2011: Finale event! Prize drawing and snacks @ 4 p.m. upstairs

The library will also be teaming up with the bookstore downtown, I Can't Believe It's a Bookstore, in July for some magical Harry Potter fun. Keep an eye out for details!



June Young Adult Display: Steampunk

June Young Adult Display: Steampunk Edition

We've added a new feature to our Young Adult section at the library: a display area! Each month we'll be featuring a new theme, relating to all things literary. For our first month, we've started with something a little outside the box: Steampunk.

Steampunk started as a genre of fiction, mixing the Victorian era with steam-based and futuristic technology. Since it's early days, it's evolved into so much more. You can find the Steampunk influence in movies, video games, and even music.

Check out our display to learn more about this growing phenomenon, and to check out the books we have available for checkout featuring Steampunk.

Also, the display correlates with our new Teen Summer Reading Program. We'll be showing the Steampunk-influenced anime film "Howl's Moving Castle" on June 24th, 2011, at 4 p.m. in our upstairs meeting room. So, if you're interested in Steampunk, or the reading program, stop by to enjoy a fantastic movie, and snacks - all ages are welcome! Look for our upcoming posts about the Teen Summer Reading Program, with a schedule of events, and more details about the films we'll be showing.

Summer Reading Program 2011 Schedule!

Summer Reading Program 2011 Schedule

With the arrival of summer comes the arrival of the most exciting time at Brown Library, the Summer Reading Program! This year's theme is "One World, Many Stories", so we'll be showing movies about all different places in the world, and featuring some wonderful storytellers. Here's a quick look at what's coming this summer. Throughout the program, we'll be posting each event individually a couple of days beforehand, just as an extra reminder. Also, be sure to pick up a brochure at the front desk to put on your fridge!

6/1/11 - Registration begins today @ 10 a.m. @ Brown Library

6/24/11 - Kick-off event with Storyteller Priscilla Best @ 11 a.m. @ First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall

6/29/11 - Pirate Terry with stories and crafts @ 11 a.m. @ Washington Civic Center

7/6/11 - Children's Summer Movie, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" @ 2 p.m. @ Brown Library, upstairs

7/8/11 - Goose Creek Outdoor Activity @ 11 a.m. @ Brown Library, outdoors

7/13/11 - Children's Summer Movie, "Ratatouille" @ 2 p.m. @ Brown Library, upstairs

7/15/11 - Storyteller and Musician Ron Jones @ 11 a.m. @ First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall

7/20/11 - Children's Summer Movie, "Jungle Book" @ 2 p.m. @ Brown Library, upstairs

7/22/11 - Magic Show with Rob Westcott @ 11 a.m. @ First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall

7/27/11 - Children's Summer Movie, "Madagascar" @ 2 p.m. @ Brown Library, upstairs

7/29/11 - Appalachian Storyteller Dianne Hackworth @ 11 a.m. @ First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall

8/3/11 - Children's Summer Movie, "Surf's Up" @ 2 p.m. @ Brown Library, upstairs

8/5/11 - Grand Finale: Estuary Program @ 11 a.m. @ First United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall

*Note: Movies will be shown upstairs in the meeting room. Seating is limited to 40 people.

*Note 2: Staff may photograph or tape programs for use in promoting Brown Library programs and services through City of Washington publications, advertisements, websites, cable access channels, and other media. Please inform the library director of children's librarian if you would prefer not to have your image or that of your child used in Brown Library of City of Washington promotions.