just a little break...

Children's programs will take a little break for the next few weeks.
We will start up again the 2nd week of September, with Babies & Books on Wednesday September 10 at 11:05 and Story time on Friday September 11 at 11:05.See you all then!!

Evening Program Tours the Bank

At the final program of Our Community Reads, Joe Dahinden, president of Valley Bank, took us on an after-hours tour of the bank, showing the vault, the computers, and explaining how the bank keeps money safe. After touring the bank we returned to the library to hear Joe read the book Elephants can paint, too! We learned that elephants eat three hundred pounds of food a day and they spray water out of their trunks. Even so, they are a lot like people. They like to eat cookies and hang out with their friends. They even like to paint pictures!

Winefest 2009

On Friday, September 25th at 6:30 p.m. the Library Foundation will host the 6th annual Winefest Fundraiser. Once again it will be at the River Rock Community Center. The theme this year is "Wines of the World" and promises a wide variety of delicious wine tasting options. We'll have live music by Dos Mayos, door prizes, live auction, silent auction and more. It is the perfect set up for a very exciting evening.

The foundation board members, along with over a dozen volunteers, have been working tirelessly to make this event a success. Come by and visit our booth at Fall Festival to find out more and to purchase your ticket. After August 1, tickets will also be available at the Library and Belgrade Liquor.

I Geek the Belgrade Library

Check out the website geekthelibrary.org for interesting information about public libraries and the value they provide to local communities.

A long time ago in a library far, far away...

Check out the photos from our space/Star Wars story time this Friday. It was out of this world!

READing Dogs Visit the Library

READing Dogs

The New York Public Library has the lions. We have the dogs. In fact, we will soon be visited by more dogs: dogs that READ. This Thursday (July 23) the Belgrade Library will host four Reading Education Assistance Dogs. READ dogs are trained therapy dogs who work with budding readers to help improve literacy skills. The dogs do this by being very good listeners. Visit Intermountain Therapy Animals to learn more about these amazing animals and be sure to join us Thursday at 6 PM to meet the READ dogs in person.

Judge Snowberger, guest reader at Our Family Reads

Judge Snowberger was the guest reader at Our Community Reads on Thursday evening, July 16th. After telling about the library she enjoyed as a child, and reading two of her favorite stories to the children and grownups, she invited everyone to her work place. At City Hall, she introduced children to the policemen then took them to the courtroom and showed them what a judge does. Daniel and Birch were commended for their good citizenship.

Western Story Time

This week's Story Time went west. Mr. Jason & Miss Angela read Skippyjon Jones by Judith Schachner, Farmer Brown Sheers his Sheep by Teri Sloat, and The Golly Sisters go West by Betsy Byars. We also sang "My Home's in Montana" and listened to the Roy Roger's classic "Happy Trails." Join us on July 24 for our favorite stories.

Perusha peruses the Library

Perusha the cat came to visit us for Wednesday's Fun at 1:00 summer program. She brought her friend, Angela Sandoval, to talk about her home, the Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter. Perusha was very patient as all the kids petted her, and she listened eagerly to the story that Angela read. Then the kids made cat and dog puppets, to entertain Perusha and themselves.

Buddies at Story Time

On July 10, our story time was all about buddies. We read A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom, Hondo and Fabian by Peter McCarty, George and Martha by James Marshall, and Annie Bananie by Leah Komaiko. We also sang "The More We Get Together" in both English and Sign Language. Please join us for Western Day on July 17.

Summer Reading Program Takes Flight

Wednesday's Fun at 1:00 program welcomed the Montana Raptor Conservation Center (MRCC). Becky and Shaun, our visitors from MRCC taught the participants about the types of raptors that are found in Montana. The highlights of the afternoon were the two live raptors that are ambassadors of the program. Bu (pronounced Boo), a great horned owl, and Pilgrim, a turkey vulture, made guest appearances. Both birds are unable to survive on their own in the wild; instead, they travel around to help spread the word about how to identify and help raptors. To learn more about the MRCC visit their website http://montanaraptor.org

Math Wiz Club

Belgrade students have had an opportunity to stretch their math skills at the library during the past few weeks. The Math Wiz Club has been meeting in the library community room on Tuesday afternoons to play the Math Wiz card game. The club encourages students to use their math savvy, learn new skills, make friends, and have fun. The club is open to students in grades k-12 and meets at 3:00 on Tuesdays through the end of July. If you (or your child) would like to join, please come a few minutes early to register. Check out the Math Wiz website at http://www.rayzorsharpent.com/

Mardella Brock Displays Pottery @ the Library

Stop by the Belgrade Community Library to see the fanciful ceramics by Bozeman artist, Mardella Brock, whose wares are in the display case during July and August. She has been working in ceramics for more than thirty years, a hobby turned occupation. Although her work is mostly functional items such as bowls and dinnerware, most of the items she has chosen for the summer display at the library are more whimsical.

Red, White, and Blue Story Time

Our most recent Story Time was a celebration of the Fourth of July. To start the celebration we read festive books including Meet our Flag, Old Glory by April Jones Prince and Olivia Forms a Band by Ian Falconer. We also read Yankee Doodle by Patti Goodnow and sang the tune.

Of course, no Independence Day celebration is complete without a parade and fireworks. We made red, white, and blue streamers and marched around the library to the music of John Philip Sousa before settling down for a "virtual" fireworks show.

There will not be a Story Time this week (sorry!) because of the holiday, but please join us again on Friday, July 10 for more books and more fun.

Our Chamber of Commerce Director Reads

Debe Youngberg, Director of the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce, read a story at the family story time called Our Community Reads at the library on Thursday. Besides reading, she told children about her childhood experiences at the library. Some of her favorite books were ones that are still popular today: Curious George, Little House On the Prairie, and The Boxcar Children.

The next event in the Our Community Reads series will be on Thursday, July 9, at 6:00, featuring the guest reader, the editor of the Belgrade News, Andy Malby .

Fun at 1:00 Music Rocks

We had lots of rockin' fun at today's summer program with retired teacher JoAnne Ellison, who led us in reading and singing old favorites. Using recycled materials, the kids created their own maracas to add rhythm to "B-I-N-G-O," and "This Land is Your Land." Watch a brief glimpse of the excitement in the clip below.

We will not meet next Wednesday in celebration of the July 4th holiday. On July 8th, our guest presenter is the Montana Raptor Conservation Center with their live animals and fascinating stories.

Belgrade Adult Book Club

The Belgrade Adult Book club meets on the fourth Thursday of the month. This month book club is on, Thursday, June 25th, at 6:30 p.m. The selection of the month is, The Surrounded, by D'Arcy McNickle. Please join our growing group!

Friday Story Time "At the Beach"

The Friday story time theme was "at the beach". Ms. Angela and Mr. Jason read Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach by Melanie Watt, On the Way to the Beach by Henry Cole, Just Grandma and Me by Mercer Mayer, and Beach Riddles by Jennie Spray Doering. We sang songs and had a "whale" of a time. Join us next week for our red, white, and blue theme to celebrate an early Fourth of July weekend (we will not have story time the on 7/3).

Dancing Takes Center Stage in Summer Program

Tanya's Dance Co. put on a spectacular show for our second Be Creative day. Dancers performed a variety of dances from lyrical to hip-hop that delighted all viewers. The library rocked with leaps, bounds, twirls, and handstands. After the performances Tanya herself taught our Be Creative participants a fun step. You can see a clip from the lesson below. We are all very greatful to Tanya's Dance Co. for sharing their dynamic dancers! You can learn more about Tanya's Dance Co. at: http://www.tanyasdanceco.com/

Our Community Reads with Fireman Rich Whitaker

Belgrade Fire Department fireman Rich Whitaker was kind enough to stop by to read and discuss books as part of the Our Community Reads program. Fireman Rich read "Dot the Fire Dog" by Lisa Desimini, and talked about his favorite books growing up and the importance of fire safety. He also gave a tour of his fire engine and allowed the children to climb aboard and explore the inside. Thank you Fireman Rich for taking the time to visit!

Library Book Sale

Thanks to the Belgrade Library Foundation and our wonderful community, we are proud to announce the total earnings from the June, 2009 book sale are $2,320.91. We have met the Thrivent Grant challenge, so our total profit is $3,320.91! Thank you for all your support!


Library sale helpers Catherine McMullen and Chrysti Smith helped customers find book treasures during the book sale.

Welcome to our Library

We have been thrilled with the response to our programs. Be sure and stay tuned for many more exciting programs!

Home Run Story Time

Touch 'em all! Friday Story time was all about baseball. We read "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer and illustrated by Christopher Bing, "Roasted Peanuts" by Tim Egan, "The Berenstain Bears Go Out for the Team" by Stan and Jan Berenstain, and "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog" by Mo Willems. Of course, no baseball game is complete without singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" which we sang with gusto. Wear your flip-flops and join us again next Friday (Ms. Angela will be back!) for a summer-themed story time.

Summer Reading Program Begins Yo Ho!

Pirates and parents gathered at the library today to kick off the Summer Reading Program. With help from Education Specialist Angie Hewitt of the Museum of the Rockies, children participated in a treasure hunt, made pirate hats, talked about the dangers of scurvy (not really), and read "Roger, the Jolly Pirate" by Brett Helquist. A good time was had by all. If you missed our kick-off event, don't despair! You can pick up a reading log at any time and join the fun. And be sure to join us next Wednesday at 1 PM for Tanya's Dance Company.

Belgrade News

The Belgrade News recently published an article about the library's many summer offerings. To read the article, click here.

Batter Up

Be sure to wear your baseball hat and jersey for story time this week. All our stories and songs are about our summer pastime. So show your support for the home team and visit us for story time this Friday at 11:05 AM.

Story Time at la Biblioteca

Ms. Evangelina, who teaches a local Spanish immersion program for children, was our guest for a special story time this Friday. Ms. Evangelina was kind enough to read us "El Cumpleanos de Nemo" - a Spanish language counting book about the Disney/Pixar character Nemo. We also read "No David" by David Shannon in both English and Spanish. For more Spanish language titles, please check our Spanish/bilingual book section in the Children's area. For more information regarding the Spanish immersion program, please contact Ms. Evangelina at (406) 600-5224 or send her an e-mail. Gracias Ms. Evangelina!

Doggone Crazy for Books

Story time this Friday was for the dogs! That's right - our story time books were all about our favorite canine companions. We read "The Great Gracie Chase: Stop that Dog!" by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Mark Teague. Then we sang and read "Oh Where, Oh Where Has my Little Dog Gone?" by Iza Trapani. Thank you to everyone who came. See you next week.

For more great books about dogs, view the list of titles on the right side of this page.

Friday Story Time

Miss Suzie has the summer off so Miss Angela and Mr. Jason are holding down the fort until she returns. We read “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault and “Click, Clack, Quackity-Quack” by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. We also sang a song from “ABC Nursery Rhymes” by Kim Mitzo and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand. All three titles can be found in our library using the online card catalog. Be sure to visit each Friday at 11:05 for more story fun.

Summer Is Almost Here!

Welcome to the Belgrade Community Library summer blog, your hub for summer activities and classes at the library. Here you will find our schedule of upcoming events, technology resources, student work, and lots of pictures of us having a great time this summer.