Make a Snow Person

Hey Kids and Teens! We will make snowmen and snowwomen out of cans on Saturday, January 12, 2008. Join us for creating a decorative snow "person" or a pencil & pen holder, using buttons, pom poms and stickers for details. We will meet 10am-noon in the Children's area (ground floor) of the Library. Questions? Call 269.749.7387 or email jreiter@olivetcollege.edu. See you there!

Meals on Wheels in Eaton County

A big holiday THANK YOU to everyone who participated in decorating lunch bags for Meals on Wheels! We have 172 bags to donate to the Charlotte office--great work!!

Get Flaky!

Join us for a fun brown bag lunch on Wednesday December 12th--noon to 1:00pm--in the Library Lecture Room (main floor). We will eat and have fun making a snowflake ornament with beads and wire. All supplies and instruction provided free of charge. Remember, some of our best friends are flaky!

Holiday Break Hours Coming Up

Please note our change in hours, beginning December 14, 2007;

Dec. 14th 8am-5pm
Dec. 15 & 16th CLOSED
Dec. 17-20th 8am-5pm
Dec. 21st 8am-NOON
Dec. 22-Jan. 2nd CLOSED (Olivet College is closed)
Jan. 3 & 4th 8am-5pm
Jan. 5th CLOSED
Jan. 6th 4-9pm

Regular hours of operation resume for spring semester on January 7, 2008
Best Wishes from Burrage Library for a happy & healthy holiday season!

Kids Crafts on Saturday

December 1st from 10:00am-noon we will decorate lunch sacks for Eaton County MEALS ON WHEELS program. Help make the holiday season brighter and cheerier for homebound seniors in the Charlotte area. Burrage Library will donate our festive sacks for mealtime deliveries. We will draw, cut and paste to decorate plain brown lunch bags for MEALS ON WHEELS. Join in the crafty fun! Questions? Call 269.749.7387---see you there!

P.S. 17 of us decorated 90 sacks on Saturday--GOOD JOB! Thanks to all participants for their beautiful donations!

Book Group Meeting on December 6th

Join us in the Betsy Dole Womens Resource Center (269.749.6626) to discuss the novel, "Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks. We will meet at 3:00pm on Thursday, December 6th for interesting talk and treats. Even if you have not finished reading the book, join us for the discussion. Please let us know ahead of time if you will be able to attend--all are welcome! Questions? Call 269.749.7387.

Presentation on Blackwater Worldwide

Dustin Byrd, Adjunct Instructor in Humanities, will speak on the topic of Blackwater and its' presence in Iraq. We will meet in the Library Lecture Room (main floor) on MONDAY, DECEMBER 3rd at 1:30pm. Dustin will share his recent research and insights into Blackwater's presence in Iraq as a wartime contractor. Questions? Call 269.749.7387 or 269.749.7227.

Nick Adams Discussion--Part Two

Join Laura Barlond-Maas, Olivet College professor, to look at part two of "The Nick Adams Stories", in celebration of THE GREAT MICHIGAN READ. Laura will meet in the Library on November 26th at 5:15pm in the Lecture Room (main floor). She will also lead an exciting discussion on November 28th at 7:30am in the Insurance Room (ground floor). Questions? Call Laura at 749-7678.

Storytime for Pre-Schoolers!

Join us for stories about kitty cats and a simple craft on Tuesday the 27th at 11:30am. We will get together in the Children's Room, on the ground floor by the "browsing collection" and rest rooms. Questions? Call 269.749.7387. See you there!

Ernest Visits Burrage Library

Join us in the Library Lecture Room on the 14th at 1:30pm for a talk about Ernest Hemingway's writings. John Miller-Purrenhage will present fresh perspectives on this great American writer's works. John is offering his time and knowledge in celebration of the "Great Michigan Read" sponsored by the Michigan Humanities Council. See you there!

Beading Extravaganza!

About 35 enthusiastic beaders visited the Library on November 10th for Kids Crafts. We used beads, plastic lacing and memory wire to create beautiful bracelets and necklaces on Saturday morning. A Brownie troop from Marshall visited to join in the activities. WOW! We had a great time!

Come on Kids and Teens!!

Saturday morning, November 10th, from 10:00am-noon, we will meet in the Children's area to make bracelets & necklaces. Join us on the ground floor of the Library for some creative excitement with making simple bracelets and necklaces with plastic beads. Supplies and instruction offered free of charge. See you there!

Beowulf Revealed at the Library

Please join us on the 13th for Kirk Hendershott-Kraetzer's talk on Beowulf. Prepare yourself for viewing the newly released animated version of the epic poem, after hearing Kirk's insights into this classic tale. We will meet at 7:00pm in the Library Lecture Room (main floor). See you in the Library!

NOTE: Holiday Break Coming Up

Burrage Library will be closed Wednesday the 21st through Saturday the 24th. Regular fall semester hours resume at 2:00pm on Sunday the 25th. Best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday!

Library Invaded by Spiders

Halloween crafts on the 20th was a big hit with 7 kids and 11 adults. We made spooky cards, silly spiders, witches hats and scary necklaces! I saw a few Moms having as much fun as the younger set! It was the scene of much creativity--what a great way to begin the Halloween season!

Special Guest on October 23rd!

Hey--Join us on Tuesday morning at 11:30am for stories and a simple craft to celebrate the autumn season. Our special guest reader, Miss Kitty, will be in the Children's Room to share wonderful stories. The Children's Room is on the ground floor of the Library---near the browsing books and the rest rooms. See you there!

Halloween Theme Crafts on the 20th

Join us in the Children's Room area (basement) 10am-noon this Saturday! We will be creating Halloween cards for your fiends (I mean friends) along with making spiders with pipe cleaners. Participants will take home at least one completed card and spider. Supplies and instruction provided free of charge. Children under nine years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Questions? Call Jane at 269.749.7387---see you there!

Kids Crafts on October 6th

12 kids and 8 parents had fun creating their own bookmarks and calendars during Saturday morning craft time. Kids expressed themselves coloring in and decorating 2008 calendars -- what a variety! And many dynamic and exciting bookmarks appeared by the end of our session -- WOW!

Saturday Kids Crafts on October 6th!

Join us in the Children's area (ground floor) on Saturday, October 6th, 10am-noon. We will be making 2008 calendars and bookmarks--what fun! Instructions and supplies provided--program is free for kids of all ages. Children under nine must be accompanied by an adult. See you there!

Free People Read Freely

Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Begun in 1982, this American Library Association event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom lightly. "Not every book will be right for every person, but the right to choose what we read is a freedom we cannot afford to take for granted," states Judith Platt of the Association of American Publishers' Freedom to Read program. If you want to learn more about the American Library Association and book challenges in the United States, go to www.ala.org/bbooks. Judy Blume, a prolific author of books for youth and adults, has been frequently challenged on her content. Check out her web site, http://judyblume.com/censors.html, to get her perspective on banning books. Try reading a banned book this week and come into the Library for a handout too!

Ernest Hemingway in the Library

Join Laura Barlond-Maas in the Library on October 8 and 9 for discussion of The Nick Adams Stories. Laura is coordinating activities this year to support the Great Michigan Read. Come to the Hosford Room at 5:15pm on the 8th or the Insurance Room at 7:30am on the 9th for exciting and interesting discussion. She will focus on part one, "The Northern Woods." Contact her at 269.749.7678 for more information. See you there!

See Us in the "Olivet College Echo"

Many thanks to Nicki Babcock of "The Echo" newspaper for coverage in the September 28th issue--check out the article. She highlighted this blog and our library on page two--thank you!

Fall 2007 Service Day

P.S. We donated 31 scarves to the "Red Scarf Project"!!!

Burrage Library hosted four Service Day efforts for students and staff on Wednesday, September 26th. The Hosford Society on the second floor worked on a campus resource map and volunteers in the basement wrote cards and letters to our warfighters overseas. Janine Peters organized knitters for "Helping Hands" and folks also created scarves for the "Red Scarf Project." We had a grand time and lots of activity was going on around the entire library! Olivet College retiree, Julie Walker, provided instruction for anyone who needed it. We also had a few satellite knitters knitting their red scarves elsewhere on campus during the day. Those who chose not to work with yarn created handmade, unique cards to be included with the Valentine's Day packages sent by the Orphan Foundation of America. Many thanks to everyone who made this a fantastic Service Day!

Making Book Bags was a Blast

Saturday's book bag extravaganza was loads of fun--the creativity was flowing! Twelve kids and eight adults had a fantastic time making their own unique & creative book bags!

Olivet College Newspaper Highlights Library Programs!

Many thanks to Joanne Williams and the "Echo" staff for giving the Library excellent coverage last week! The "Echo" issue for September 14th included an article spotlighting Saturday crafts programs for kids and teens.

Check it out;
http://www.ocecho.com/node/16

Kids Crafts Saturdays

We will use recycled blue jeans to create a simple, practical book bag--decorated with ribbon or beads or buttons. Supplies and instructions provided. Kids under nine must be accompanied by an adult or very mature teenager.
Join us for a fun time on Saturday, September 22, 2007
10am-noon in the Children's area on the ground floor of the library--see you there!

Red Scarf Project at Olivet College

Join us in the Burrage Library on September 26th, 10:30am-3:00pm, for a Service Day event. We will be knitting and crocheting red scarves to donate to the Orphan Foundation of America.

OFA sends out Valentine's Day packages (including handmade scarves) to college students who were raised as foster children.

Yarn and needles supplied in a large part by the YARN GARDEN in Charlotte, Michigan. Check out the shop and their web site. Many thanks to Lindsay Harmon and the Yarn Garden!!!!

Help us out! and have a grand time! Refreshments served--everyone welcome! Questions? Call 269.749.7387 or email jreiter@olivetcollege.edu.

Library Orientation Sessions--WOW!

Join us in the Library for a 50 minute session on library resources

Monday, September 17th, noon-1pm
Friday, September 21st, noon-1pm
Tuesday, September 25th, 5-6pm

Get an overview of online library resources and how to find materials in the library. Meet in the Library Lecture Room on the main floor of the library. We will also have a brief tour of the main floor and the reference area. Questions? Call 269.749.7608 or 269.749.7387. See you there!