Library closed Sunday, Monday for holiday

The library will be closed Sunday and Monday, May 25 and 26, for Memorial Day.
Normal hours resume Tuesday, May 27, at 10 a.m.
The Friends of the Library will meet at 10:30 a.m. in the Gozzer Room on the lower level of the library. The meeting is open to anyone interested in the library or Second Story Books, the Friends bookstore.

Eclectics perform for library’s ‘Tea & Tunes’

Music from the “Great American Songbook” will be featured Wednesday, May 28, 2-4, as the Eclectics take the stage at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library, 702 E. Front Ave.
The free musical program will be offered in the Community Room on the lower level of the library and will include refreshments and sing-alongs of some of America’s favorite tunes.
The Eclectics include local musicians Ruth Pratt, J.J. Dion and Ray Clemons. Pratt also serves as Executive Director for the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Foundation.
The program is sponsored by the Library Foundation and the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library. Free-will donations will be accepted in support of future cultural activities at the library.
For more information about the program contact Pratt at 208/769-2380. More news and information about the library can be found online at www.cdalibrary.org.

Library Writers Competition winners named

Front Row, left to right, Brooke Mayberry, Elijah Claybaugh, Melia Hannigan-Luther, Annelise Helbling, Maya Fooe, Hannah Rose Daniels, Abigail Hochberger, Emma Ployhar. Second Row, Justin Smith, Kristian Hunter Kennedy, Sasha Logan, Jeffrey Meads, Emily Morgan, Krystall Uzzi, Adelle Drapeau, Joseph Peters, Brian Pfau, Magan Pearl Daniels. Third Row, Danielle Curson, Ashley Cleremont, Carissa Hale, Harrison Lemke, Lindsay Moore, Christiana Hale. Back Row, Patricia L. Huffman, N. Chrystine Olson, Ernest Ewing, Erik L. Johnson (in photo held by his mother), and Judy Edwards, president of the Friends of the Library. Not pictured, Darcia Coons,Tessa Lauer, Angela Gates, Jennifer Rova and Carole Lynn.

The winners of the 20th annual Writers Competition at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library received their awards Saturday, May 17, in a ceremony in the library’s Community Room.
The winners in the competition – for fiction and nonfiction prose of 2,000 words or less – received cash prizes made possible through a $1,500 grant from the Coeur d’Alene Kiwanis Club to the Friends of the Library, the contest’s sponsor. Prizes are $100 for first, $50 for second and $25 for third. In case of a tie duplicate prizes are awarded. First-place may not be awarded in all categories if entries do not meet the scoring criteria.
The 2008 winners are:
* Nonfiction 6-8: No first place,. Second, Melia Hannigan-Luther, Coeur d’Alene, “Crunchy the Bear: A True Story, Third (tie) Brooke Mayberry, Rathdrum, “My Dog Jakoby,” and Elijah Claybaugh, Post Falls, “Hawaiian Vacation.”
* Nonfiction 9-11: No first place. Second, Emma Ployhar, Coeur d’Alene, “A Night to Remember,” Third, Abigail Hochberger, Coeur d’Alene, “Up a Tree Without a Ladder.”
* Nonfiction 12-14: First, Kristian Hunter Kennedy, Coeur d’Alene, “My Hike,” Second, Justin Smith, Coeur d’Alene, “Sunnis and Shiites: The Untold Story,” Third, Tessa Lauer, Harrison, “Dreams Come True.”
* Nonfiction 15-18: No First place. Second, Danielle Curson, Coeur d’Alene, “The Troublesome Truth of Poetry,” Third, Darcia Coons, Rathdrum, “Running in the Rain.”
* Nonfiction 19-Plus: First, Ernest Ewing, Spokane, “Moments Here and Gone,” Second, N. Chrystine Olson, Rathdrum, “Imbali and the Cheshire Cat Moon,” Third (tie), Jennifer Rova, Hayden Lake, “Stuck Between a Kayak and a Cold Place” and Patricia L. Huffman, Spokane Valley, “The Sign.”
* Fiction 6-8: First, Hannah Rose Daniels, Hayden, “Just Annie,” Second, Maya Fooe, Coeur d’Alene, “Spritetonia,” Third, Annelise Helbling, Rathdrum, “Haley and Gracie.”
* Fiction 9-11: First, Magan Pearl Daniels, Hayden, “Katie’s Surprise,” Second, Brian Pfau, Hayden, “Mirrasia,” Third (tie) Adelle Drapeau, Hauser, “Lifeguard Summer” and Joseph Peters, Rathdrum, “Escape From Seaworld.”
* Fiction 12-14: First, Krystall Uzzi, Post Falls, “Allegiance,” Second, Emily Morgan, Coeur d’Alene, “Narrative of a Teenage Superhero,” Third (tie), Sasha Logan, Spokane, “The Night Adventure,” Jeffrey Meads, Athol, “Starship Goliath.”
* Fiction 15-18: First, Christiana Hale, Post Falls, “Summer Adventure,” Second (tie), Harrison Lemke, Coeur d’Alene, “The Traveling Salesman” and Lindsay Moore, Coeur d’Alene, “The Storm,” Third (tie), Carissa Hale, Post Falls, “The Triumph,” Ashley Cleremont, Coeur d’Alene, “The Day I Shot Bess.”
* Fiction 19-Plus: First, Carole Lynn, Rathdrum, “Two Peas in a Pod, ”Second, Angela Gates, Hayden, “When the Sea Calls,” Third, Erik L. Johnson, Hayden, “Eggs Benedict.”
All entries, not just those of the winners, in the Writers Competition are included in bound volumes added to the non-circulating collection at the library. The volumes for past years can be seen in the Nelson Memorial Room. The 2008 volumes will be added later this summer. (These volumes are one-of-a-kind editions and are not available for sale.)
The Writers Competition was the brainchild of former Library Director Julie Meier, who wanted to encourage writing excellence in the community and to possibly discover great authors living in the region. Prize money was originally provided by the Hecla Mining Co. before that role was taken over by the Kiwanis Club.
The 21st annual competition begins at the end of January 2009.

Library’s 2008 LEGOrama winners named

More than 200 people filled the Community Hall at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library recently to participate in the third annual LEGOrama or just to see what kind of ideas would spring from the minds of enthusiastic young builders.
“This is obviously a program our patrons can get excited about,” said David Townsend, Library Communications Coordinator and self-appointed LEGO Leader for the event. “It was very satisfying to see that big room filled with kids and adults.”
LEGOrama is sponsored by the Friends of the Coeur d’Alene Public Library and is a showcase and competition for young people’s designs using LEGOs and compatible building toys. The event was started at the library in 2006 as a companion activity for the library’s popular American Girl Tea Party.
“Our goal with this program is to encourage the participants to stretch their creative muscles and to demonstrate that it is a good thing to be a builder and tinkerer,” Townsend said. “Kids who are looking for building resources can find them at the library.”
This year a “Best of Show” award was added to the competition based on audience and organizer voting. The winner was Josiah Hummel, who was also the 5-6 year-old category winner.
The other winners were:
* 5-6 Years: Cade McConnachie, Second, and Riley Tenney, Third.
* 7-8 Years: Landon Moulding, First; Bridger Roger, Second; and (tie) Hunter Bell and Damon Schafer, Third.
* 9-10 Years: Philip McDaniel, First; Garett Oetkin, Second; and (tie) Andy Jakubek and Ben Macomber, Third.
* 11-12 Years: Vanya Hummel, First; Chris Gibbons and Jackson Hightower (joint project), Second; and Sam Hourland, Third.
* 13-14 Years: Elijah Ghodsee, First, and Andrew Hoskings, Second.
Some of the winning entries are on display in the glass cases in the Seagrave Children’s Library on the Parkside Level.

Paws to Read to help collar literacy

Children can read to dog in Cd’A library program
The latest volunteer at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library is a retired showgirl – dog shows, that is.
Ginger, a 9-year-old Australian shepherd with a sweet face and a sweeter disposition is coming to the Seagraves Children’s Library to help children learn to read by being a good listener.
Ginger and her human companion, Sheila Darsie of Coeur d’Alene are part of a new program at the library – Paws to Read – to be offered this fall in conjunction with the Extreme Readers program for ages 5-8. Starting Wednesday, Oct. 17 the sessions will begin at 4 p.m. and 4:30-5:30 p.m. parents and guardians can schedule one-on-one time in 20-minute increments with Ginger for a child to practice reading to the dog.
Darsie and Ginger have been trained through the Delta Society’s Pet Partners program for Ginger to serve as a companion animal. Darsie said Ginger has been trained to be “off lead” and to respond to obey commands to sit, stay, and “leave it” – not to pick up items of food that have been dropped, for example.
She said Ginger has also been trained not to respond to loud noises or sudden movements. The dog is eager to enjoy human contact, Darsie said, and has been groomed with short hair to avoid the potential for children to pull her fur.
Ginger has lived with Darsie for since she was three when she was retired from the dog show circuit.
The Delta Society was founded in 1977 by a medical doctor and a veterinarian with the goal of improving human health through service and therapy animals. The society has trained more than 9,000 volunteers in the Pet Partners Program and provides a variety of related resources and referrals.
According to the Delta Society interaction with animals tends to lower blood pressure and anxiety levels and stimulates the release of endorphins that help people to feel good.
Literature from the Reading Education Assistance Dogs program – launched in 1999 by Intermountain Therapy Animals, a nonprofit organization – says children reading to dogs has been successful in encouraging literacy.
Animals can be ideal reading partners because they:
* Help increase relaxation.
* Listen attentively.
* Do not judge, laugh or criticize.
* Allow children to proceed at their own pace.
* Are less intimidating than peers.
To schedule reading time with Ginger during the Wednesday programs, contact Youth Services at the library by calling 208/769-2315 Ext. 438 or e-mail to info@cdalibrary.org.

Audiobooks available for free downloads at website

State library sponsors one-year eAudiobook, eBook project
Digital and audio copies of books are now available to be downloaded free from the Coeur d’Alene Public Library’s website, www.cdalibrary.org.
eBooks and eAudiobooks are available locally from the Idaho Commission for Libraries as part of a one-year demonstration project in cooperation with Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) West and NetLibrary.
The collection of downloadable books includes best sellers, book club favorites, timeless classics, CEV Holy Bible Collection, children's and young adult titles, and the Pimsleur Language Series.
In the collection are 3, 457 eBook titles – digital versions of books in a PDF format that can be read from a computer screen – and 2,162 eAudiobook titles downloadable to home computers and to many kinds of MP3 music devices. Idaho residents may access these collections from home 24-hours a day or from public computers at the library.
At www.cdalibrary.org click the LiLI link. New users should visit the library – 702 E. Front Ave. – or call the library at 208-769-2315 to receive the user name and password needed to access LiLI databases. Users will then create a Netlibrary account with a personal user name and password.
“Audiobooks, in the form of cassettes and CDs, have been popular in libraries for many years,” said Library Director Bette Ammon. “The ability to download eAudiobooks from the Web is being embraced by longtime listeners as well as new listeners who want material for their portable media devices.”
Users may check out up to 10 eAudiobooks at a time. Downloads can be accessed by the users for 21 days. eAudiobooks can be downloaded or played on any desktop, laptop or portable device that supports Windows Media Player version 9 and above. Users can also transfer favorite titles to a wide range of portable devices, including portable music players, portable media centers, and more.
MP3 players should have a capacity of at least 512 megabytes to use the downloads successfully. (Ipods and Zunes are not compatible due to differences in operating systems.)
eBooks are full-text, electronic versions of published books that library users can search, borrow, read, and return via the Internet.
“We are excited to offer eBooks as a new resource for the library patrons of Coeur d’Alene,” said Ammon. “Because eBooks are accessible anytime of the day or night from the Internet, people who can’t visit the library during open hours will still be able to gain access to these resources.”
OCLC NetLibrary provides content and technical delivery solutions to institutional libraries, corporations and government agencies that facilitate the purchase, management and distribution of research, reference, digital learning and general interest content via Web-based technologies. NetLibrary’s eContent solution is the most broadly adopted in the market, making the content of more than 400 publishers and eContent providers available through more than 15,000 libraries worldwide.