The 400s are where you will find books about languages. This is where you’ll find dictionaries, thesauri and books about parts of speech. If you’ve forgotten what a noun is you might pick up A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What is a Noun. Can’t decide whether to use a comma or a semi-colon? Try The Perfect Pop-Up Punctuation Book.

This is also the section for you if you want to learn a foreign language. You’ll find books to teach you Sign Language, Spanish, Italian, French and many others. There are even books about hieroglyphs!

Explore the world of languages the next time you stop by the library!

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Our 2008 Summer Reading Club has officially come to an end.  Nearly 6000 children received summer reading folders this year.  That’s more than ever before!  We hope you will all take your reading folders to school and show your teachers all the great books you read over the summer.

Our grand finale was held on Saturday, August 16, at Olathe East High School.  More than 350 kids and adults came to celebrate and join in the fun.  Magician Devin Henderson kept everyone mesmerized with his amazing magic and in stitches with his hilarious humor. 

Craig Toungate from Austin, Texas, entertained the crowd with his lively renditions of Disney tunes and other fun songs.  Some kids just couldn’t resist getting up to dance!

We hope you all had as much fun with “Catch the Reading Bug!” as we did.  It’s been a great summer! 

Did you know August 13th is Left-Handers Day?
Are you left-handed?  If so, you are in good company.  According to the Famous Left-Handers website, 4 out of the 5 last U.S. Presidents were left-handed:  Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.  And the next president is also likely to be left-handed, as both Barack Obama and John McCain are southpaws.  Other famous left-handers include Alexander the Great, Michelangelo, Helen Keller, Babe Ruth, Mark Twain, Paul McCartney, Jay Leno, and Angelina Jolie, just to name a few.  Let’s hear it for lefties!

It’s been a great summer of buggy fun with “Catch the Reading Bug!” and the library has been one happening place.  June was a record-breaking month with more items checked out in a single month than ever before.  But guess what!  June’s record didn’t last long because July was an even bigger month!  That means this summer we had our two busiest months in the library’s history!  277,611 items were checked out from the two Olathe libraries during June and July.  Apparently, a lot of Olatheans caught the reading bug this summer.

Well, the fun isn’t over quite yet.  We have one big final event left.  Our Summer Reading Finale will be held on Saturday, August 16, 10:00 a.m.-12:00 noon, at Olathe East High School.  Magician Devin Henderson will be performing his amazing feats of magic, and Craig Toungate, a featured singer on recordings released by Disney, will be performing music for the whole family.  Everyone is invited to this fun, free program.  It will be a great way to celebrate all the reading you did this summer!

Would you like a FREE book?  All you have to do is return your summer reading folder to the library between August 1-17.  Just bring your folder in to either Olathe library, show us what you read this summer, and pick out a free paperback book.  Come early for the best selection.  You will also be entered into a drawing for the chance to win a $50 gift certificate for Borders Books!  And if you don’t have a reading club folder, it’s not too late.  You can still pick one up at the library and write down the books you’ve been reading.  If you still need some stickers for the back of your folder, we can fix you up with those, too, while supplies last.

Congratulations on all of the reading you’ve been doing.  We suggest you take your folder with you when you return to school this fall.  Your teacher is sure to be impressed with all the books you read over the summer.  Great job!!

Hello!  My name is Stacey and I am a Children’s Librarian at the Main Library.  I have worked for the Olathe Public Library for over 10 years!  I started as a clerk in the Circulation Department.  I enjoyed checking books out to customers and seeing all the books when they got returned.  However, I really wanted to work with kids.  So, when there was a job open in the Children’s Department, I decided that it was the perfect opportunity.  Some of my favorite duties as a librarian are planning and presenting programs for kids of all ages and choosing books to buy for the library.  I choose the books for the J200s, J300s, J600s, J800s, and the Scouts and Comics sections.

I wasn’t a huge reader when I was younger.   When I did read, it was usually a Babysitters Club book or a Choose Your Own Adventure.   I loved it when my 4^th grade teacher would read to my class.  I remember her reading The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell and The Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls.  I really started reading after I graduated from high school.  I enjoy reading things that I want to read, instead of reading things that my teachers told me I had to.  Some of my favorite children’s books are:  The Giver by Lois Lowry, Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs  by Judi Barrett, Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, Charlie and Lola books by Lauren Child, Mr. Putter and Tabby books by Cynthia Rylant…I could go on and on.

I live in Shawnee with my husband and our four cats; Sade, Egypt, Gus and Milo.  My husband and I actually met in the cat food section of a grocery store.  In my spare time I like to watch movies, listen to music, play computer games and spend time with my family.  I love it when my mother-in-law invites us over for dinner.  My husband and his family are from Syria (which is near Jordan and Iraq), and she makes wonderful Arabic foods like kibbeh (a dumpling stuffed with meat and spices), yerbak (stuffed grape leaves), and, my favorite, kousa mehshi (stuffed zucchini).  We end every meal with a very strong Arabic coffee.  I love it!

So, that’s a little bit about me.  Next time you are in the library, stop by and say “Marhaba.”  That’s Arabic for hello!

First Grade

1st Place - Valerie Bolton
2nd Place - Elizabeth Gritton
3rd Place - Rachel Deng

Second Grade

1st Place - Sam Rinke
2nd Place - Olivia Markey
3rd Place - Anna Flucke

Third Grade

1st Place - Ellie Miller
2nd Place - Evelyn Change
3rd Place - Kavian Kalantari

Fourth Grade

1st Place - Katherine McCormack
2nd Place - Nathan Lucas
3rd Place - Naomi Mendoza

Fifth Grade

1st Place - Isabella Jaen-Maisonet
2nd Place - Rachel Li
3rd Place - Shae Delancy

Sixth Grade

1st Place - Taber Fisher
2nd Place - Erica Change
3rd Place - Zoey Sweeny

Congratulations to our winners!

The 300s section in the Dewey Decimal System includes many different topics, all under the general subject of Social Sciences. Here is a breakdown of what you will find:

300 - Social Issues (Immigration, Bullies, Divorce, Families)
310 - General Statistics
320 - Goverment (Citizenship, Elections, Congress)
330 - Economics (Careers, Money)
340 - Law (Constitution, Famous Trials)
350 - Military Equipment
360 - Social Services (Police, Firefighters, Recycling)
370 - Education (History of Schools, Homework Help)
380 - Commerce, Communications, Transport (Airports, Mail Carriers, Truck Drivers)
390 - Customs, Etiquette, Folklore (Cultures, Holidays, Fairy Tales)

That’s a lot of information in one section isn’t it! Everything from
Coming to America: The Story of Immigration (J 304.8) to
 Cinderella’s Dress (J 398.2). Take a look at the 300s the next time you stop by the library. With this kind of variety you’re bound to find something you like!

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Calling all artists going into grades 1st-6th!  Get out your paper, pencils, markers, and crayons, and get busy working on that beautiful masterpiece.  The deadline for entering our Summer Drawing Contest is Sunday, July 20.  Drawings can be no larger than 9″ x 12″.  The artwork must be done on your own (no help from parents or siblings!) and drawn by hand.  Your drawing must include the theme of libraries, books, reading or insects.  One entry per person.  You may pick up an entry form at either Olathe library or download it here.  You may also click here to see some of the drawings already submitted to the contest.

Entries will be judged by grade, and the winners will be announced on July 28.  Winning drawings will be displayed at the Main Library August 1-15 and at the Indian Creek Branch August 18-31.  If you have any questions, call (913) 971-6874.

Hi, my name is Robin and I am the newest face in the Children’s Department at the Main Library.  I have been working here just over two months.  I worked in an elementary school library before and taught preschool for many years so this job includes all the things I enjoy:  books and working with children.  I have always loved reading and books since I can remember and always have a book I am reading. 

I have 3 sons, all grown and on their own now, and I loved to read to and with them as they were growing up.  We read together every day.  We enjoyed books together so much they even named some of their pets after book characters.  We had a dog named Ribsy just like in the Beverly Cleary books and a rat named Templeton like in Charlotte’s Web.  We traveled through history and on many adventures through the Little House books, the Narnia series, and many more. 

I still love reading and it is my favorite pastime outside the library.  I also love being outside, quilting and embroidery.  The most exciting thing now is that my oldest son and his wife are expecting our first grandchild this fall and we are anxiously waiting for her to be born.  Can you guess what I am buying for her?  If you guessed books you are right.  She already has a library of her own and she won’t be born until October.  Come by the desk and share with me your favorite book so I might include it in my granddaughter’s library.