Join us Monday April 23rd for our fifth annual family night. “Under the Big Top”, a circus themed event promoting the value of early education, literacy, and the strength of the family, is under production and will feature fun for everyone. Come see the miniature ponies, try your luck at the circus centers, catch a ring side seat for the three ring acts, and enjoy yourself with many more activities. This event is free to the public. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Families are encouraged to attend. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Five World Book Online databases are now available at the library. Early World of Learning developed for preschoolers and children in early elementary grades offers three interactive learning environments to assist with early learning of shapes, colors, numbers, phonics, vocabulary and reading success. World Book Online for Kids, geared for primary school aged patrons, features easy-to-read articles, interactive maps, science projects, videos, and a wealth of additional interactive tools and activities. World Book Online Info Finder, a great resource for elementary and middle school students, includes all the articles from the print version of World Book along with an extensive dictionary, atlas, interactive maps, outline maps and flags as well as comprehensive multimedia collections,thousands of internet links, over 10,000 biographies,science projects and experiments, world newspapers, current events, and various research tools. World Book Online Reference Center, a powerful reference tool for advanced researchers and information seekers, features thousands of e-books, tens of thousands of articles, and hundreds of thousands of primary source documents, a life skills help section, computer and web tutorials, government resource links, and more features developed especially for public library patrons. Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos offers World Book’s content in Spanish providing dozens of hands-on activities to engage different learning styles, a visual Spanish dictionary, and bilingual features.

What does “Kansas” mean to American popular culture? Any Kansan traveling outside the state’s borders knows that sooner or later, he or she will be asked “Where’s Dorothy?” or told “You’re not in Kansas anymore.” The iconic film adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz has influenced popular conceptions of the state. But Kansas history and themes have also figured significantly in other fictional films produced in Hollywood.  Celebrate Kansas Day with us as Thomas Prasch presents Beyond the Yellow Brick Road: Kansas on the Silver Screen.  Prasch will discuss what “Kansas” means to American popular culture using excerpts from films for examples. The free program sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council and hosted by the library and Rice County Historical Society will be held Monday January 30th at 7:00 pm at Celebration Centre, 1145 East Hwy 56 in Lyons.

The beginning of September marks the start of storytime at the library. Weekly storytime sessions begin Thursday, September 1st from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m. and continue through the school year. Preschool age children are invited to attend the Thursday sessions each week. Children may enroll in storytime anytime after their third birthday. Those joining at five years of age, may continue throughout the school year, even after turning six. The new Storytime Coordinator will be incorporating reading, games, crafts and so much more into the weekly themed sessions. Story times for September will center on outdoor adventures and fun with bears. Storytime provides many benefits exposing participants to good literature and library resources while helping them grow in school readiness skills such as listening, observation, reasoning, familiarity with the flow of written language, vocabulary, and social skills, all in a fun, non-threatening environment. For those enrolled in preschool, outreach sessions will be held at Headstart, Cornerstone Day Care, and Park School. For more information or to enroll your child in storytime held at the library, simply stop by the circulation desk at the library or call 257-2961.

Learn more about Sweden as Anki Apel shares from her unique life experiences. Anki was born and reared in Sweden, and later became a missionary to Kenya. She has lived in Kansas the past seven years. She will share her love of the Swedish culture from customs, to clothing, to food, to music and of course stories. Join us at 6:00 pm for an evening focusing on her native home, Sweden. There will be plenty of time to ask questions following the presentation.  All ages are welcome to attend this program.  Children should be accompanied by an adult, but adults need not have children to come.