Fri-Sat:
Sun:
9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m
2:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m
Wed:
Fri/Sat:
Sun:
Closed
9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m
*Russiaville is closed Wednesdays
Hours Today
Main & South:
Russiaville:
KHCPL News
KHCPL ANNOUNCES 2018 HOWARD COUNTY READS BOOK, TOP 15
Asking a roomful of librarians “What’s your favorite book?” can cause a riot. And it’s not an easy task to narrow a long list down to the top 15. But it’s done.
Frankenstein: Or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley is the 2018 Howard County Reads book. Written in 1818 as part of a challenge with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, Shelley’s book shows unflinching wit and a strong female voice in this cautionary tale of a scientist creating a living, thinking being. And 2018 marks Frankenstein’s 200th birthday.
We’ll be releasing our list of Howard County Reads programs at a later date, and you won’t want to miss it – especially the monstrous mystery dinner and a zombie prom.
Top 15 2018 Howard County Reads Books
Frankenstein, Or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Told in reverse, over the course of 15 days, this psychological suspense novel will keep you turning the pages to discover the truth of the missing girls.
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
Alternating between the present and the past, Thi Bui’s debut graphic novel is a beautifully illustrated memoir about her family’s immigration from Vietnam in the 1970s.
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, has written an engaging and humorous memoir recounting his years growing up as a mixed race child in Apartheid South Africa. His story is a tribute to his mother, who raised him to be independent and courageous.
Forgetting Time by Sharon Guskin
Janie can’t understand why her 4-year-old son, Noah, keeps asking to go home and see his other mother. Things really get weird when she seeks help from a psychologist who has become a laughingstock in his profession.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Starr’s life is already complex, living in the hood but attending a fancy suburban high school. Then, on the way home from a party, she watches as her best friend is shot by a white police officer and her life really starts spiraling out of control.
Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers
This first of a two-book series, chronicles the life of Marta Schneider who left her native Switzerland to travel to England, Canada, then to the California vineyards, to give her family a better life. Marta’s tough love for her oldest daughter, Hildie, is misunderstood, but along with faith, she holds hope for all of her family.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Gran
In the 1920s, a shocking series of crimes against the Osage people caused the newly formed FBI to investigate. Grann’s years of research uncovered startling new evidence revealed in this riveting non-fiction narrative.
Make Your Bed by William McRaven
Based on a commencement speech given in 2014 that went viral, Admiral McRaven shares ten principles he learned while training as a Navy seal that helped him overcome challenges not only in his training but throughout his life.
My Grandmother Told Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
Young Elsa shares a special closeness with her creative, story-telling Granny. When Granny passes, she leaves Elsa a treasure hunt to complete which will lead her to understand the support system that exists for her among the “fairytale” characters that inhabit her building.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
True to the ancient Nordic myths, Gaiman tells the stories of wise Odin, strong Thor and wily Loki, from the creation of the world to Ragnarok, the final destiny of the gods.
Nine Women One Dress by Jane Rosen
Aging designer Morris Siegel finally accomplishes his dream of creating “the” dress of the season. This creation takes on a life of its own, furthering the dreams of nine diverse New York women.
Small Great Things by Jodie Picoult
With a title relating to a Martin Luther King Jr. quote on fighting racism, Picoult deftly describes the trials of an African-American neonatal nurse who is charged with causing the death of the child of white supremacists.
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
Aza tries to be a good student, a good daughter and a good friend, all while struggling with debilitating thought spirals.
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women and the Food That Tells Their Stories by Laura Shapiro
Culinary historian Shapiro turns her focus to the relationship of food in the lives of six women, whose lives span over two centuries. This diverse group includes Dorothy Wordsworth, maiden sister of poet William, and feminist Helen Gurley Brown, author of Sex and the Single Girl.
About Howard County Reads
Inspired by the Washington Center for the Book’s “One Book” concept, the Howard County Reads (HCR) program was founded in 2004 to foster a sense of community through page-turning togetherness. It is an annual community-wide reading program sponsored by the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, the Greentown Public Library, and Indiana University Kokomo Library. Every year a committee of staff members from the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, the Greentown Public Library, and the Indiana University Kokomo Library as well as community members collaborate to select books and plan programs.
###
- Details
KHCPL BRANCH ASSISTANT NAMED LIBRARY MOVER & SHAKER
Discover Tech: Engineers Make a World of Difference. Banksy Booked @ KHCPL. Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom. Sew Much. If you enjoyed any of these, it’s because Trina Evans, KHCPL Branch Assistant, is an Innovator. She had the idea for the two exhibits, the outdoor classroom, and teaching sewing in the library.
And now all of North America will realize what the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library has known all along: She’s “Tenacious T” aka #persistentlibrarian. Library Journal selected her as one of 2018’s Movers & Shakers. She won in the Innovator category.
When nominating Evans, KHCPL Director Faith Brautigam wrote, “Trina Evans believes that public libraries have unlimited potential to have a positive impact on their communities. … [W]e have come to depend on her trademark style: think big, do your homework, then shoot for the moon.”
Evans began working part-time at KHCPL in 2014. “We didn’t realize it at the time, but she had applied several times over the years,” said Lisa Fipps, Director of Marketing. “She kept telling her family, ‘I love the library, but the library doesn’t love me.’ Boy are we glad we did eventually hire her! She heard about Discover Tech and pursued it. While being trained for Discover Tech, she learned about outdoor classrooms and worked to make it happen. As a native of Los Angeles, she grew up around street art and loved it. After watching the Saving Banksy documentary, she sought out the owner of Banksy’s Haight Street Rat to get the exhibit to KHCPL – making Kokomo home to the first library in the world to host a Banksy. She worked to find funding so that KHCPL could offer sewing programs, called Sew Much. All of this happened in 16 months. Oh, and did we mention she’s taking classes to finish her Master of Library Science degree at the same time. And has a very active family life?”
“We love it when Trina says, ‘I have an idea,’ ” Brautigam said. “She has so much energy and a true passion for libraries. She has played a key role in helping KHCPL create new opportunities for our community.” Brautigam noted that the library’s Galentine’s event is a brainchild of Trina’s, and she also came up with the idea of trying to lure former Colts player Pat McAfee to Kokomo for Guys on Tap. His schedule didn’t allow it, but she and KHCPL definitely ended up on his radar.
“I love working at KHCPL, where my boss, Lori Hugley, Head of the Branches, says, ‘Go for it!’ ” Evans said. “I love being empowered like that. It’s a sign of a great library. But I also like that staff members came along side me to make it all happen. Yes, I have the ideas and get the ball rolling, but those were all huge projects that took teamwork.” In fact, when staff found out about Evans’s award, she told them, “I really couldn’t have accomplished any of my ideas without the analytical thinking of those working at the library. I feel the work WE are doing really impacts our community! So congratulations to US! Our library is doing amazing things!”
Trina Evans, left, receives a certificate of appreciation from KHCPL Board of Trustees President Cathy Stover.
Library Journal (C) 2018, Media Source Inc.
###
- Details
Library Now Offering Experience Kits
Books, movies, magazines, and music are the typical checkouts at libraries. The Kokomo-Howard County Public Library is anything but typical.
You can now borrow Experience Kits. Here are three examples:
• Cake Decorating Experience Kit: letters and numbers non-stick bakeware set; cake decorating tips set with couplers and disposable icing bags; rotating cake stand; cake cutter/leveler; stainless steel icing spatulas; The Complete Photo Guide to Cake Decorating by Autumn Carpenter; and Cake Decorating for Beginners Guide by Wilton
• Glasses for the Colorblind Experience Kit: pair of Enchroma sunglasses; Schylling Classic Tin Kaleidoscope; and Life in Color: National Geographic Photographs by National Geographic
• Cat Lover’s Dementia Experience Kit: Joy for All Companion Pet Creamy White Cat; Adora PlayTime Baby Little Princess; 11-piece wooden jigsaw puzzle; set of 60 multicolored baby bear counting figurines with sorting cups; The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins; and Learning to Speak Alzheimer's: A Groundbreaking Approach for Everyone Dealing with the Disease by Joanne Koenig Coste
Photos of the Hiking Experience Kit in use courtesy Marinna Graham
“There are a lot of times when you want to try something new, but you don’t want to invest your money until you know if it’s something you’ll actually enjoy or need,” said Lisa Fipps, Director of Marketing. “An Experience Kit lets you check out an item – we also have several STEM-related kits for kids and families since the community enjoyed Discover Tech so much – for two weeks. You can decide if the items in the kit are something you’d like to own. If so, you know you’ll be happy with your purchase. If not, you have at least had a new experience. Because we expect a positive, popular response, you can only keep a kit for two weeks and not renew it immediately. After you return it, you can put a hold on it and check it out again, though. We’ve created 17 kits, providing two of most of them that we expect to be popular, such as cake decorating and hiking.”
To find out more about the kits, CLICK HERE for the online catalog.
A generous gift from the Friends of the Library allowed KHCPL to start the project. “We plan to add more Experience Kits after we test the system we’ve set up,” Fipps said. “We’d love some input on reusable items patrons would like to see in kits. If there are individuals, organizations, or businesses that would like to sponsor kits, we’d love to find more donors so we can provide even more kits.”
The Experience Kits are another tool KHCPL is using to change the community’s perception of libraries. “Libraries in general have had to fight their outdated image of being a warehouse for books. Today’s libraries are so different. For example, KHCPL was the first library in the world to host a Banksy. It brought it in patrons from 59 different Indiana towns, 17 states, and Ireland and England to see graffiti from the most famous street artist in the world. Talk about an experience! KHCPL loves providing new experiences to patrons.”
“2017 really has been a big year for KHCPL,” Fipps added. “We have offered a variety of events, programs, and exhibits that are making people take notice of our new vision and mission: The library is a vital component in an engaged and thriving community, and we create opportunities for our community to become its best. In doing so, we’ve received international attention and recognition from our library peers. The Experience Kits project is one more element to help us achieve our goals.”
For more information about Experience Kits or to donate, call Fipps at 765.626.0807 or email her at lfipps@KHCPL.org.
Photos (C) Tim Bath and the Kokomo Tribune
###
- Details
KHCPL TO HOST HUMAN LIBRARY
Have you ever checked out a book that made you change the way you look at the world? Well, on Friday, October 6, the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library hopes you do just that when it hosts the Human Library.
The Human Library is much like a regular library ꟷexcept the books are volunteers from all walks of life who have experienced discrimination based on race, religion, sexual preference, class, gender identity, sex, age, lifestyle choices, disability, and other aspects of their life.
During the October First Friday, from 5 to 8 p.m. at KHCPL Main, you’ll find a board listing all the books available for checkout. Titles include “Catholic Convert to Judaism,” “Trans Male College Student,” “Foster Child to Homeless Woman,” “From Child Mexican Immigrant to Small Business Owner,” and “Mother of Two Autistic Children.” You select the book you want to read. Then you sit down and talk.
“Just as we have rules about materials that we loan out, we’ll have rules for these books,” said Lisa Fipps, Director of Marketing. “The reader should return the book in the same mental and physical condition in which it was borrowed is a primary rule. In other words, you don’t check out a book to try to change it, judge it, or berate it. We’ll have staff stationed around the books to ensure that doesn’t happen, and the books will be trained to walk away if that happens. In essence, borrowing is based on mutual respect. This is a time to read the book to grow in understanding of what it’s like, for example, to leave the religion you were born into, raised in, for another religion. It’s not the time to proselytize.”
The Human Library started in Denmark, where it’s called “Menneskebiblioteket,” in 2000 at the Roskilde Festival. The organizer started it in response to a person being attacked for being different. It was open eight hours a day for four days straight and featured more than 50 books. The selection provided readers the ability ample to challenge their stereotypes. To date, the Human Library has been presented in more than 70 countries around the world.
- Details
Banksy enewsletter
- Details
Learn How to Get Started with Street Art
If seeing Banksy at the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library made you want to try your hand at street art but you don’t know where to begin, then call 626.0807 today to sign up for Beginning Street Art. It’s free, but registration is required.
Even Banksy had to start somewhere, right? Young adult author Shannon Lee Alexander will explain the basic terminology and techniques for getting started with street art. You’ll make some portable street art to display at the library and to take home. She’ll also have her two novels, Love and Other Unknown Variables and Life After Juliet, for sale and to autograph after the program.
The focus is for teens, but adults are welcome.
Beginning Street Art will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, at KHCPL Main, 220 N. Union St.
Alexander is a former middle school language arts teacher and mother of two who lives in Indianapolis. She was inspired to write her first novel based on the death of a dear friend. Oh, and she’s a book addict and a Harry Potter fangirl. Her work-in-progress features a street artist.
Love and Other Unknown Variables
Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover the solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswerable problems. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck. The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she’s counting on the present. She’s not impressed by the strange boy pawing at her until she learns he’s a student at Brighton, where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. And in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy. By the time he learns Charlotte is ill—and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte’s illness—Charlotte’s gravitational pull on Charlie is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he’s always relied on, or the girl he’s falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second).
Life After Juliet
Becca Hanson was never able to make sense of the real world. When her best friend Charlotte died, she gave up on it altogether. Fortunately, Becca can count on her books to escape—to other times, other places, other people ... until she meets Max Herrera. He’s experienced loss, too, and his gorgeous, dark eyes see Becca the way no one else in school can. As it turns out, kissing is a lot better in real life than on a page. But love and life are a lot more complicated in the real world...and happy endings aren't always guaranteed. The companion novel to Love and Other Unknown Variables is an exploration of loss and regret, of kissing and love, and most importantly, a celebration of hope and discovering a life worth living again.
- Details
KHCPL First Library in Indiana to Create a Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom
Community has its first Outdoor Classroom thanks to
memorial gifts, grants, donations, and volunteers
NEOC FAQs
Thanks for joining us! To ensure everyone has a safe, positive experience while here, please review the frequently asked questions and the answers.
Q. My dog would love it here. Can I bring it?
A. There certainly are a lot of fun things to do, but the facility is designed for children, not animals. Fortunately, the City of Kokomo has two parks just for dogs! Check them out: Mehlig Dog Park, 1701 W. Carter St., and Mohr Dog Park, 2302 Saratoga Ave.
Q. When is the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom open?
A. All the time! KHCPL Russiaville has wonderful neighbors, so we ask you do respect them as we do and keep the noise level down if you’re a night owl exploring this facility.
Q. I wish there were sand pails and insect catchers and other items available.
A. You’re in luck! We have backpacks and totes filled with a variety of items that you are welcome to check out when the library is open.
Q. This would be great for school visits. Do you offer those?
A. Yes! We’d love to host a visit for your classroom. Tours are FREE! We can prepare special activities to coordinate with your lesson plans on STEAM, the environment, and more. Just call 765.883.5112.
The Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom’s grand opening was on May 23, 2017, at KHCPL Russiaville, 315 Mesa Drive.
It’s made possible because of our generous donors:
Gene and Wilma Parks Endowment
In memory of Roberta Lineback
Howard County Commissioners
Duke Energy
Friends of the Kokomo-Howard County Library
Integrity EDM
Howard County Master Gardeners
Lowe’s Heroes
Kohl’s Cares
GM Cares
In 2016, after receiving a gift of nearly $13,000 from the Gene and Wilma Parks Endowment, with a stipulation the money be used for a project at KHCPL Russiaville, the library turned to crowd sourcing to get not only additional funding, but also support for the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom.
What's an Outdoor Classroom?
So what is an outdoor classroom? Just what its name suggests: an outdoor place where children can learn. Outdoor is the key word.
Child development research shows that children need and benefit from more time outdoors.
“The retention rate for learning by doing is 75 percent compared with just 5 percent for lecture-based learning,” according to a Bethel Learning Institute study. “When students are learning outdoors, they are using all of their senses and their abilities to absorb and take in information. They are also learning an appreciation for nature and developing active stewardship for the natural areas in their communities.”
“We want every child to succeed in school and at life,” said Faith Brautigam, Director of KHCPL. “In children, play creates the foundation for future learning. Our Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom encourages exploration and imaginative play in a natural environment that helps to develop physical abilities and cognitive skills. As a destination for families, school groups, early childhood students, and the conservation-minded, it’s an added attraction for Russiaville and Howard County.”
THE HOWARD COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION PROVIDED A $500 DONATION AND LABOR TO GET THE PROJECT STARTED.
More and more parents are realizing that kids today don’t play enough, get enough exercise, or spend time outdoors.
“Play isn’t a waste of time,” said Susan Bednarz, a KHCPL employee with more than 16 years of experience in early childhood education who helped get the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom up and running.
Just a few of the various benefits of play, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children, include the following:
• cognitive skills – like math and problem-solving in a pretend grocery store
• physical abilities – like balancing blocks and running on the playground
• new vocabulary – like the words they need to play with toy dinosaurs
• social skills – like playing together in a pretend car wash
• literacy skills – like creating a menu for a pretend restaurant
Think about all the skills you learned with outdoor play: problem-solving when building a fort, understanding the importance of preserving natural habitats when studying shells at the beach, and social skills when interacting with other kids in the neighborhood.
“Kids have to have calendars these days to keep track of all they’re involved in — all in an effort to learn more, do more,” said Lisa Fipps, Director of Marketing and Community Engagement at KHCPL. “We’ve forgotten how much they learn and grow through play. Plus play helps reduce stress and anxiety.”
“We were grateful for the Gene and Wilma Parks Endowment donation, and the patrons’ vision for the gift ties in with our long-term strategy of making each of our locations a destination spot and providing more outdoor programming,” Brautigam said.
Duke Energy Foundation Grant
THE DUKE ENERGY FOUNDATION WAS A BIG SUPPORTER OF THE NATURE EXPLORE OUTDOOR CLASSROOM.
As soon as the Howard County Master Gardener Association heard about the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom, the organization made a $500 donate and its members volunteered labor.
And then KHCPL received a nearly $10,000 grant from the Duke Energy Foundation.
“Duke Energy is committed to sustainability in all its operations,” said Kevin Johnston, government and community relations manager for Howard County. “Young children who learn important lessons about environmental responsibility and stewardship are more likely to carry those positive messages into adulthood to help maintain and improve the quality of life for the entire community.”
“Because of KHCPL Russiaville’s location being so close to Clinton, Tipton, and Carroll counties, we foresee it drawing in and benefitting not only those from Kokomo and Howard County, but also those communities,” Brautigam said. “With its focus on outdoor education, we believe it will offer new opportunities to partner with others and will be enjoyed by groups from schools and early childhood centers as well as families. It will also allow us to host more library events on-site at KHCPL Russiaville rather than using other Russiaville locations, as we’ve done in the past.”
“We know that the Duke Energy Foundation receives an overwhelming number of funding requests each year and are thrilled that they recognized this project’s potential.”
The momentum kept building.
KHCPL received another major gift for the project: a $15,000 anonymous gift in memory of Roberta Lineback.
In Memory of a Teaching Legend
ROBERTA LINEBACK
Roberta passed away on Nov. 17, 2016, after an extended illness. She was a long-time resident of Russiaville. She graduated from Northwestern High School in 1949 and received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in 1970 and 1975 from Indiana University Kokomo. She began teaching kindergarten privately in 1962 and continued until kindergarten classes were added at Western School Corp. She taught at Western Primary School from 1971 to 2000. Roberta was also a member of Bible Baptist Church for over 60 years.
“I was contacted by a person who wanted Roberta’s legacy to live on, and what a legacy it was, teaching kindergarten for 38 years,” said Fipps. “The donor wanted to help KHCPL Russiaville, but wasn’t quite sure how. The more I listened to the donor talk about Roberta, the more I knew just what to suggest. I told the donor about the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom at KHCPL Russiaville. The donor loved the idea.”
Roberta touched the lives of people from the library long before the donation. She was KHCPL Board of Trustees President Mary Baker’s kindergarten teacher. “I have fond memories of her,” Baker said. “She was always smiling! Mrs. Lineback was kind, patient, and expected the most from her students.”
“My son had her as a teacher,” Kim Johnson, a clerk in KHCPL’s Outreach Department said. “We loved her. She was a very caring and loving person.”
SANDY ALSPAUGH WITH THE STONE IN HER SISTER'S MEMORY DURING THE GRAND OPENING.
Karen Foster, a first-grade teacher at Western Primary School, has Roberta to thank for her 22-year teaching career. “She had both of my girls for kindergarten. She let me volunteer in her room every Friday. I did crafts and helped with lessons. I loved how she talked to the children. She didn’t talk down to them. She met them at their level. They knew what she expected of them. They behaved. They learned. I hadn’t gone back to school yet, but before volunteering I thought I’d be a nurse. After watching her with the children, I decided to be a teacher. She was amazing.”
One of Karen’s daughters, Tricia Harlow, also went on to be a teacher at Western. “I remember Mrs. Lineback teaching with a little doll name Astro. We had the best toys. She had a rice table in her room that was amazing. I either played with that or the stilts that she had made out of large cans and ropes. I always liked the assignment we had each week: to go through magazines and find words that started with the same letter of the week. That was always my favorite because I loved to cut and paste. She made learning fun. Sadly, she retired before I got to teach with her. The funny thing is when I smell white rice, I always think of kindergarten. That smell takes me back to that memory every time.”
“What I love about this donation is that the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom is an early childhood educational installation,” said Brautigam. “Just as she made school and learning fun, this whole project is about allowing young kids to learn in exciting ways. Outdoor classroom learning isn’t about standardized tests and the all the anxiety associated with it. It’s about curiosity, discovering things for yourself, and making learning fun. It sounds as if that’s exactly what kind of teacher Roberta was. There could be no better match in making this possible than with money that is linked to someone whose whole life was dedicated to teaching and helping children learn.”
Howard County Commissioners Give
COMMISSIONER PAUL WYMAN PRESENTED THE $10,000 DONATION DURING THE GRAND-OPENING CELEBRATION.
During the grand opening celebration for the Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom at KHCPL Russiaville, the Howard County Commissioners presented the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library with a $10,000 check.
“We are excited about this opportunity for our community,” said Paul Wyman, Howard County commissioner. “These projects add to our quality of life and educational opportunities for our children. This type of grant shows how government working in conjunction with other groups and organizations can make great things happen.”
“We are impressed with how the library continually works to be a leader in our community with these types of innovative programs,” said Howard County Commissioner Tyler Moore. “The library is an incredible resource, and this classroom will strengthen their positive impact on our children.”
“With this project, once again we show how strong partnerships continue to keep Howard County at the forefront,” said Brad Bray, Howard County commissioner. “Howard County continues to be a great place to live and raise your family.”
For more information about Nature Explore Outdoor Classrooms, click here.
###
- Details