August 2010

There will be no story time during August.

Splish Splash summer reading closing party will be held in the library parking lot on Monday August 2 at 11:00. All ages, preschoolers through teens are invited to attend for a fun filled water activity based finale. Final reading hour tallies and prize tickets will be recorded. The prize drawing for first through sixth graders will be held. Winners don’t have to be present to win but will have fewer prize choices. Adult prizes will be drawn later in the week.

One thousand and fifty-four hours have been tallied so far. The library was raided by pirates (twice!) brandishing hooks and searching for treasures. Underwater trips were made in the bubble room. Fun was had by all and many books were read.

Teen Night entertained half a dozen teens with food and games. The party might count as a partial thank you for some of our hard working summer reading volunteers. Thank you Nikki and Bailey Lucas, Megan Burns, and David Layman. Helping set up and keeping all those reading records up to date is an essential part of the program.

Summer reading statistics - sign up 118, hours read 1063; teens signed up 46; story time participants 41 with 39 Read with Me sign ups.

Thanks to all who made summer reading programs possible: The Wilds, Joe's Crabshack, CAPA, Magic Mountain Polaris, Target, Meijer's, Layman Family, Kauble Family, Walmart, Richland Carousel Park, Longbranch Pizza, Ohio State Fair, Ohio State Parks, McDonald's Delaware/Sunbury, Columbus Crew, Columbus Museum of Art, Rocky's Italian Ice, Cameron Mitchell Restaurant, Franklin Park Conservatory, Marengo Country Market/Subway, everyone who donated items on our story time wish list, library staff, and especially to the Community Foundation of Delaware County.

Buckeye Valley School starts Wednesday Sept. 1.

Fresh Foods Nutrition and Preparation will be presented Tuesday, August 17 at 6:30 by Diane Mays of the Delaware County OSU Extension Service. This program is part of the Growing Community grant.

Canning and Food Preservation was presented by OSU certified Cora French-Robinson who came all the way from Lancaster to discuss techniques and new standards with sixteen attendees. A variety of fact sheets are available. The current revised USDA Complete Guide to Canning is available online at www.uga.edu/nchfp tab Publications.

The Food Pantry at Buckeye Valley East is currently open on Thursday afternoon from 1:30 - 3:30. Thank you for volunteering, Robert and Twana Smith. Volunteers are needed for Tuesday mornings 9:30 - 11:30. Call Shelly Stewart (937-594-0859) or Smiths (614-593-6872) if you are interested. The Food Pantry has been serving close to 80 persons. Gardens at the library and one maintained by the local Brownie group have contributed produce to the food pantry. Anyone can donate extra produce.

The Ashley Corn Show is set for August 4, 5, and 6. Games, rides, music, barbecued chicken and corn on the cob are highlights of this traditional local festival and home-coming.

Ashley on the main route. Ashley has been host to the man walking across the United States, the bicyclist from out west and one morning in late July a group of bicyclists riding a mission fund raising trip from Pigeon, Michigan to Columbus, Ohio. They stopped for a break at the Wesleyan Church .

http://www.ohioheretohelp.com/ connects to public and private entities for job searches, education, training, etc. Search the web at the library or bring in your computer and take advantage of wi-fi which is fast and FREE.

The Bookmark Society meets on Thursday August 26, 6:30 - 7:30. The book selected for reading is The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford, the reflections of an elderly Chinese American who when quite young had loved a Japanese girl who was interred during World War II. All book readers are invited to join these discussions.

Used ink cartridges help us save money on office supplies. We appreciate your donations. There is a box for deposit beside the copier.

Fall Planting and Garden Cleanup presented by Master Gardeners is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 11, Saturday, at 1:00. This will be the final program in our Growing Community : the Library Food Garden grant funded program. It has been an interesting experience so far with many thoughts on how it could have been done better. We were very excited with the initial community response. Progress was a little sidetracked by grant terms, our levy campaign, and the weather. Tree plantings which should have been done in the spring will be done in late August at Ashley Villa, the Ashley Village Park, Buckeye Valley East Elementary, and Delaware Manor. There are still books and DVDs to come - and more vegetables. Thank you to the Brownies, SACC, Ashley Manor, and those busy Master Gardeners.

Mother Earth News Aug./Sept. 2010 has two interesting graphs. Where does the money go? from Consumer Expenditures April 2009 shows average annual household expenditures with percentages.

U. S. food system energy use (not cited) shows percentages of energy used from farm production through consumption.

July 2010

Make a Splash summer reading
Programs for first through sixth graders continue through July with a closing party on August 2.
Captain Dan’s Cartoon Adventure July 12
Pirates Ahoy ! July 19
Oceans of Fun July 26
All programs are held on Monday morning at 11:00 and last approximately 1 hour. Reading tallies can be done at the beginning of the program or at any other time. Children do not have to attend the programs to participate in the reading program and qualify for incentives and prizes. Nor are children required to read in order to attend the programs.
Storytime programs for preschoolers and kindergartners are held on Thursday mornings at 10:00. Themes are related to summer reading topics. Everyone is invited to the closing party on Monday August 2 at 11:00.

Read with Me encourages reading to young children. Eight out of ten reading activities can be chosen and completed for appropriate McDonald coupons for both child and reader. The activity sheet also includes information on developing skills necessary for reading.

Teen Night is set for July 20 from 6:30 - 800. Join us for food, fun and games. All teens are welcome. There’s still time to sign up for Catch the Wave READ and be eligible for prizes.
Adults receive a reduced state camping fee certificate when they sign up, and participate in a prize drawing when they rate books they read.

Books are for the mind what exercise is for the body.

The Bookmark Society will meet on Thursday evening July 29 at 6:30. The reading selection is Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. All book lovers are invited for an evening of socializing with food.

It’s Canning Time A canning and food preservation workshop will be presented by Cora French-Robinson from the OSU Extension Service at the library on Tuesday July 27, 6:30 - 8:00.
Growing Communities: The Library Food Garden grant sponsors the canning program. Other results of the grant include the following.

Our sample square foot garden and garden-in-a-bag are on display on the library lawn. Three families plus the Brownies have planted gardens at the community garden area. Soil and plants were provided for Ashley Manor planters. Anyone’s excess produce can be given to BVEE Food Pantry.

A large number of books were donated by master gardeners and video recordings and books are being reviewed for addition to the library collection.

We are in the process or arranging the planting of various fruit and nut trees and berry bushes at Buckeye Valley East Elementary, Ashley Villa, Ashley Newman Park complex, and Delaware Manor.

Food gardens encourage local growing of produce and its use and engage all ages and abilities in learning about plant life, gardening practices, life cycles, ecology, nutrition, hunger, and more.

New books related to the Growing Community grant include Grocery Gardening, Preserve It!, and You Can Can. Made by Hand by Mark Frauenfelder sounds like interesting supplemental material.

Non-fiction reading both adult and juvenile is lower than lat year. Broke, USA by Gary Rivlin, Every Other Monday by John Kasich, Elsie and Mari Go To War by Diane Atkinson, The Great Silence by Juliet Nicholson, God is Not One by Stephen Prothero, Russia Against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven, Sandhill Boy by Elmer Kelton or The Most Powerful Idea in the World by William Rosen might up those statistics.

Lighter reading (thanks to the means to order new fiction) includes Dean Koontz’s latest Frankenstein book, two Covington Ladies updates, a Discworld novel, a new Honor Harrington, Janet Evanovich’s number 16, an “adult” Darren Shan, more Amish romances, the last Robert Parker, Danielle Steel and James Patterson…and more. Enjoy.

The Summer Letterbox Adventure is offered by Delaware County Preservation Parks in conjunction with area library summer reading programs. Follow nature clues and find Letterboxes hidden in seven Preservation Parks. This free, award winning program continues through August and is a great way to visit all the parks along with introducing your family to letterboxing and some nature facts.. Pick up a flier on summer park activities. Mt. Gilead and Delaware State Parks, Highbanks, and Stratford Ecological Center provide additional nature programs and opportunities. Check the library for identification guides and books that provide even more natural history information and activities.

The library needs a new board member. Members should represent the community and have experience or knowledge applicable to their roll. Five board members establish general library policy and advise and make judgments on subjects ranging from personnel and public relations to financial and legal matters Regular meetings are held once a month at 7:30 pm on the second Monday of the month. Occasional special meetings are held. Applicants must live in either Ashley village or Oxford Township. Current members are Shirley Thurston, George Patterson, Lisa Kimble, and Michael Wion. Persons interested in serving on the library board should contact the library (7470-747-2085) or send a brief statement of interest and qualifications to Wornstaff Library, Box 358, Ashley, OH 43003. For additional information contact any of the board members or the library. The next board meeting is July 12.

June 2010

Summer Reading : Make a Splash
(1st - 6th grades Monday at 11:00)
(preschool story time Thursday at 10:00)
Dive in to ..Summer Reading June 14
Sign-up activities
Fishing Worm Race June 21
(bring your own worm)
WOW ! The Wonders Of Water June 28
Library closed July 5
Captain Dan’s July 12
Cartoon Adventure
Pirates Ahoy ! July 19
Oceans of Fun July 26
Closing Program Splish Splash Aug. 2
Activities, games, reading, and prizes! Join the summer fun at the Ashley Wornstaff Library. First through sixth graders meet Monday mornings at 11:00. Storytime for preschoolers and kindergarten continues on Thursday mornings at 10:00. The programs listed above are for 1st - 6th graders. Storytime programs will have similar themes
READ READ READ 1st - 6th graders who keep track of the time spent reading will receive prizes and incentives. “Read with Me” provides incentives for younger children and their caregivers.
Teen Make Waves @Your Library provides a prize for signing up and a prize-drawing ticket for each two hours of reading time. Teen Night on July 20 6:30 - 8:00 features food, fun, and games.
Adults can Water their Minds by reading and get an Ohio State Park certificate good for 50% off camping or getaway rentals plus other prizes by contributing a book review. Adults may also sign up for a weekly drawing for passes and prizes.

The library levy passed by 80% in Ashley village and 69% in Oxford Township. This was one of the three largest margins of victory in the state. Twenty-five out of 29 library levies passes. While we are concerned that the days of stable, equitable funding for Ohio libraries may be over, we are very pleased that local residents feel that the library is an essential community service. Special thanks to everyone on the levy committee, Shirley Thurston, Gary Buechel and the Bell family. Thank you Ashley Village and Oxford Township.
Levy money will not be received until March 2011. The library has contracts with the village of Ashley and Oxford Township for the collection and distribution to the library of the levy funds. Any other use of those funds is not permitted and would be an illegal breach of contract.
Library services can be restored immediately because the library still has reserves and that levy money is forthcoming. The library is now open on Wednesdays. Staff hours have been restored. There is a budget of $17,000 for materials for 2010. Books have been ordered and magazine subscriptions renewed. Individual magazines were renewed prior to the levy by Kathleen Layman, Sue Dicke, Donna Swisher, Shirley Thurston, Barbara Nibert, Elizabeth Barker, Ohio Fish and Game Association, People’s Fund, and the Growing Community grant.
Summer Reading funded by the Community Foundation of Delaware County.
Staff Picks :
While preparing for the Summer Reading program Vicky Collins enjoyed three books among others : Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer by Carol Bendler, Bird, Butterfly, and Eel by James Prosek, and Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock.
Jane Horn has been enjoying children’s audio books - especially A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.
Whiter than Snow by Sandra Dallas is Karen Stein-Pendleton’s pick. An avalanche in the 1920ssweeps away nine children and four survive. Which four have survived in this tale of before and after events?
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke is Liz Barker’s choice. This story of a revival of English magic in the early 1800s is a 780 page turning commitment that was worth the effort.
Susan Bussard recommends Brava, Valentine by Adriana Trigiani. This second book of a trilogy is a great read with an always winning combination of Italian shoes, family life and finding love.
Delaware This Week is available at the library thanks to the Delaware County District Library which sends them via the interlibrary loan delivery service. Extra copies are at the post office.
Megan Burns presented the Pet story time to a full house of 14 children who made cat hats and snacked on puppy chow. Megan is the library page and a regular storytime helper. She’s a welcome fill-in for Miss Vicky who had an opportunity to attend the National Book Exposition in New York.
Hand whittled nursery rhyme illustrations are on display in the children’s room. They are the work of Ed Schuler, a resident of Ashley Manor. He could be Olive Green’s Elijah Pearce.
Father’s Day is June 20. Give Dad his due.
Growing Community has suffered some from cold weather and lots of rain but should be back on track. The Boy Scouts helped fill the planters at Ashley Manor. Master gardeners John Kerr and Connie Yugo offered beginning gardening advice to those attending the Starter Garden meeting. Ten starter garden baskets complete with plants were distributed. Baskets were filled by The Jolly Rangers. It’s not too late to grow some greens and more.
The library gardens are a good (belated??) example. Two samples on the front lawn made the May deadline. One is a square foot garden with specific sol composition. The other is simplicity itself - bags of topsoil laid on the sod with a large window cut in the top and holes punched in the bottom. Watch our plants grow.
There are still plants, seeds, and garden space available -fresh cheap food and exercise. Garden tools can be checked out at the library. It could be the “greening of Ashley” with Farmers’ Market proceeds donated to the village.
Ashley village financial statements can be viewed at the library. Copies are available for the usual fee.
The current water bill included a cash summary by fund for 2010. Council meetings are the first Tuesday of the month. Committee meetings are listed on Ashley water bills. Be part of the solution.
The Bookmark Society will meet Thursday evening June 24 at 6:30. June’s selection is Sarah’s Key by Tatiana Rosnay. A woman journalist is assigned a review of the 1942 roundup of Jews in Paris and discovers a connection with the event and much about her husband’s family and herself.
The perpetual book sale has received many, many romance novels and a large collection of contemporary hardback fiction plus miscellaneous items - all for that fabulous price of 10 cents or $1.00 a bag. Stock up on worry free vacation reading while the selection is good.