Movie Day

Starting this July the Brooks Public Library is going to be holding free movie days for everyone to come and enjoy. This month’s movie will be Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001): Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Movie Day runs Sunday July 10th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. We hope to see you at what is sure to be a fun event for all ages.

Super Saturday: Harry Potter Day

Have you ever wondered if you had the talent to be a witch or wizard? Well, now is your chance to find out at Harry Potter Day! Muggle children ages 7 to 12 are invited to come be a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on Saturday July 9th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. This fun afternoon of Hogwarts classes will include magical games, crafts, and more. This event is FREE but preregistration is required as space is limited.

Bibliocommons

The Brooks Public Library and the Shortgrass Library System are proud to present our new online catalogue - Bibliocommons!

The Bibliocommons catalogue allows library users, like yourself, to locate what they are looking for in an easy to navigate environment. You'll be able to explore Bibliocommons by simply clicking on the catalogue link on our website or by visiting http://brooks.bibliocommons.com

With Bibliocommons you will have the ability to:

- Explore bestsellers, award winners and new library items
- Comment and rate library books, albums, and movies
- Create lists to share with other users about favourite authors or to privately keep track of what you have read
- Find reviews and follow reviewers to receive personalized book recommendations

On your first visit to Bibliocommons you will be required to create a username to access your library account, place holds and more. Your current library barcode and PIN will be required, as well as a valid email address. All your information is protected. Registration is not required for basic searches.

If you have questions about Bibliocommons please feel free to call or come into the library and speak to one of the Library Assistants at the Circulation Desk.

Splash! Celebrate Summer

Celebrate summer at the Brooks Public Library. Lively scenes of children playing in and around water are brought to mind with this year's Summer Reading Program theme: Splash! Celebrate Summer. Join us this July and August for a summer filled with stories, crafts, games, and much more. The cost is $10.00 per session with a library membership, and parents can register at the Library. If you don’t have a membership, please come into the library to sign up for one or more of these great sessions.

Starting on July 5th, we will be hosting our six great sessions for the summer:

SPLOOSH! (July 5-14, 10:15- 11:45am
Beach, Beach, Beach (July 5-14, 1:30- 3:00pm)
Under Water (July 19-28, 10:15- 11:45am)
Class of the Titans (July 19-28, 1:30- 3:00pm)
MUD! (August 2-11, 10:15- 11:45am)
Pirates (August 2- 11, 1:30- 3:00pm)

These programs fill up quickly, so be sure to register early!

The Gallery

In cooperation with the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat, the Brooks Public Library is proud to present The Gallery, a series of rotating collections of art that will be displayed in the library and are available for public viewing. This month the Brooks Public Library is proud to present David Thompson - Highway. Named in honour of one of North America's great explorers and map maker, the David Thompson Highway (highway 11) stretches from just east of Red Deer, Alberta to the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93). Contributors to the David Thompson Highway exhibition are artists Margreet Beekman of Rimbey, Sandra Bingeman of Ponoka, Cindy Brown of Calgary, Colleen Mcginnis of Wetaskiwin, Dee Poisson of Didsbury, and Sonja Zacharias of Clive. The Gallery is open every day, so come in and check it out!

Millennium: the story

Watch free movies at the Library! Showing this Saturday, June 18th, is Millennium: The Story from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Stieg Larsson is one of the literary phenomenon of the last decade, with 15 million books sold worldwide. This documentary reveals the story of an outstanding author who died from a sudden heart attack before his first novel was published. This planetary triumph is analyzed by Larsson’s close friends and relatives, his publisher, and his journalist colleagues. This is a free event and everyone is welcome to attend.

Definitely Not Plato Book Club

Have you read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? Join us on June 22nd from 7:00pm to 9:00pm for the Definitely Not Plato Book Club videoconference. We will be discussing this month’s books - The Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.) This videoconference book club is FREE and everyone is welcome!

Splash! Celebrate Summer

This summer it is all about water and summer fun with our Splash! inspired Summer Reading Program. Kids ages 7 to 12 (or kids who have completed grade one) are invited to join us for:

Session 1: Sploosh! - July 5 - 7, 12 - 14, 10:15 am to 11:45 am
Session 2: Beach, Beach, Beach - July 5 - 7, 12 - 14, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Session 3: Under Water - July 19 - 21, 26 - 28, 10:15 am to 11:45 am
Session 4: Class of the Titans - July 19 - 21, 26 - 28, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Session 5: Mud! - August 2 - 4, 9 - 11, 10:15 am to 11:45 am
Session 6: Pirates - August 2 - 4, 9 - 11, 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

The cost is $10.00 per session with a library membership, and parents can register at the Library. If you don’t have a membership please come into the library to sign up for one or more of these great sessions. These programs fill up quickly, so be sure to register early!

The Girl with Dragon Tattoo Trailer (2011)

Celebrate Stieg Larsson this June @ BPL! Have you seen the trailer for the US version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? The film starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, and Christopher Plummer is slated to open December 21, 2011.



Of course, if you can't wait until December you can always rent the Swedish version of the trilogy. How excited are you to see this film?

Learn to Speak Pirate!

Ahoy! I'll let you in on a little secret - the Brooks Public Library and the Shortgrass Library System will once again will be offering a free language learning program through our databases called Mango Languages. Mango teaches practical conversation and cultural awareness for the world’s most popular languages.

In celebration of Mango, I wanted to share with you one of the coolest languages that you can learn from Mango: Pirate! Aye me hearties, you too can learn to parley with any and all the gentlemen o' fortune that you meet. (Note: "Gentlemen of Fortune" Pirate for "Pirate". Arr, isn't learning fun?)

According to Mango's website, in just a few minutes, you'll learn:
•A few choice names to call your lazy excuse of a crew.
•The finer points of swashbuckling.
•A bit about Pirate history, and the part it played in forming modern democracy.
•All sorts of practical Pirate lingo!


To begin Mango's Pirate Language Course click here.

Wii Game Day

Wii Game day continues on Thursdays from 3:30pm to 5:00pm until the end of June. Preteens and teens ages 7 to 18 are welcome to come in and see if they can beat the best! We supply snacks and drinks, so come out for some exciting gamer action!

And remember - Wii Game Day will be switching to Friday afternoons in July and August. Join our Summer Reading Program Coordinator Rachel for all the fun and excitement all summer long. Each we we'll select two games to face off for game day play. Vote all week long for the game you want to play on Friday. The game with the most votes wins!

6th Annual Cowboy Poetry

Ready for some Cowboy fun on Wednesday June 8th? Rustle up the family and come on down to the Brooks Public Library's 6th Annual Cowboy Poetry event. Help us to celebrate Rodeo Week with a Free BBQ Lunch starting at 11:30am and then entertainment at High Noon.

Gather 'round and enjoy performances from our featured artist, Bud Edgar the Comedy Cowboy, and special guests Mayor Martin Shields, Griffin Park School Grade 3 classes, and Holy Family Academy’s Grade 5 class. So grab your hats and boots and come on down, this is an event you won’t want to miss!

Toddler Time and Story Time

At the library, we want to do what we can to encourage younger children to start enjoying books at an early age. On Mondays we begin our next sessions of Toddler Time and Story Time. It’s a great way to start younger children headed on a path towards reading. Toddler Time is for children ages 3 and under and runs from 10:15am to 11:00am. Story Time is for the children ages 4 to 6 and runs from 2:00pm to 2:45pm. Toddler Time and Story Time run in six week sessions at a cost of only $6 per child per session. Both programs fill up quickly, so be sure to register early.

Celebrate Stieg Larsson this June @ BPL

This month we're celebrating Stieg Larsson, the international bestselling author of the Millennium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest). Join us this month for:

* Millennium: the story
Saturday June 18, 2:00pm to 4:00pm

The Millennium trilogy by Swedish author Stieg Larsson is THE literary phenomenon of the last decade, with 15 million books sold worldwide, 25 translations in over 40 countries, and a movie that is blasting box-office records in Scandinavia and several European countries. And the Millennium saga has only just begun. This portrait of Stieg Larsson reveals the story of an outstanding success – a worldwide phenomenon who at the age of 50, died from a sudden heart attack before his first novel was even published. This planetary triumph is analyzed by close friends and relatives of Stieg Larsson; by his publisher, his journalist colleagues and by various professionals who have worked on the Swedish film versions of the series.

*Definitely Not Plato Book Club
Wednesday June 22, 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Join us as we discuss this month’s books - The Millennium Trilogy: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson.

* Go Online
Follow us on our Facebook page ,Twitter feed, and MySpace page. We'll have daily trivia and questions about author Stieg Larsson and his books all month long.

* Read the Books
Check out the eBooks from Library to Go, or come on down to the Brooks Public Library and check out the books today.