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Tuesday, June 18, 2013
"Groundbreaking Reads" at Spencer Public Library
Posted Thursday, May 30, at 9:05 AM
May is an exciting time for adults at the library. Summer is right around the corner and the library is eagerly anticipating a busy one. Ah...summer! Wonderful weather, kids off at camp, and ...reading as many books as you can for chances to win fabulous prizes at Spencer Public Library's Adult Summer Reading Program. ...

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How the library Can Help You to Find a Job!
Posted Thursday, May 9, at 10:49 AM

Do you know how many ways your local library can help you find a job? There are many books with sample resumes, cover letters, letters of recommendation, personal references, and so on. Once you have put together your basic package of information, the library can help you with the next step...

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World Book Night
Posted Wednesday, April 10, at 9:41 AM

On April 23rd, you can expect to see several of us around town with our arms full of books. Why? Along with several other people in Spencer and the surrounding area--as well as all across the country!--we're giving our books to those who don't regularly read and people who don't normally have access to printed books, for reasons or means of access...

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Are You Ready For The Zombie Apocalypse?
Posted Thursday, March 21, at 4:26 PM

"There are all kinds of emergencies out there that we can prepare for. Take a zombie apocalypse for example. That's right, I said z-o-m-b-i-e a-p-o-c-a-l-y-p-s-e. You may laugh now, but when it happens you'll be happy you read this, and hey, maybe you'll even learn a thing or two about how to prepare for a real emergency."-- from an article originally posted on CDC Public Health Matters Blog on May 16th, 2011 by Ali S. Khan...

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Chasing 4 Life
Posted Tuesday, March 19, at 4:52 PM

Spencer Public Library is gearing up for severe weather and looking forward to our upcoming visit with Chasing4Life on Saturday, March 23rd. We are excited to announce that C4L will be presenting an extra show that morning. At 10:00 am young kids are invited to a very special "Purple Tornado Storytime". ...

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Purple Tornadoes and Other Things That Fall From the Sky
Posted Monday, March 18, at 2:31 PM

Just in time for the advent of severe weather season, Spencer Public Library will be joined by representatives from Chasing4Life on Saturday, March 23rd at 7:00pm for an exciting and informative program. Learn about storm chasing, severe weather history, and current climate challenges. ...

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Everybody Has To Play By The Same Rules
Posted Thursday, December 13, at 3:52 PM

The public library is an American institution. There are public libraries around the world, but the American definition is really unique. The purpose of our library is to provide equitable access to resources and materials. The operative word here is "equitable". Our policies are designed to make sure that resources purchased with public funds are shared effortlessly...

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Book Newsletters, Book Clubs, Book Discussions at Your Fingertips
Posted Thursday, September 13, at 1:12 PM

Spencer Public Library has a new online newsletter, Book News. BookNews will give patrons easy access to popular online reader advisory tools and expands the reach and appeal of our other online venues, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. BookNews, a service of dearreader.com provides -- Content, Content, Content! 14 million books and DVDs, e-newsletters, and jQuery widgets will all soon be integrated with the library's pages on these other platforms. ...

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Love of Reading is Alive and Well in Spencer!
Posted Wednesday, June 20, at 4:37 PM

Spencer Public Library opened up registration to the Summer Reading Program on May 31st. The patron counter at the door skyrocketed to numbers we've never seen. Our 'New Books" bookshelves were wiped nearly clean. And we were blown away by the number of people choosing to read this summer!...

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Evolution
Posted Tuesday, May 8, at 4:17 PM

Librarians are a surprisingly spirited group. Far from the quiet peaceful world of books that most people imagine, librarians deal with nonstop market changes and a constant barrage of technical innovation. We try to stay ahead of the learning curve. In this day and age, any librarian you meet is as likely to deal with social media, apps, QR codes or e-readers, as he/she is to deal with bound paper books...

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"It's Alright To Be Little Bitty"
Posted Tuesday, April 24, at 10:12 AM

I love the occasional shopping trip to the big city. I generally only do it about once a year, preferring to support local businesses; but, once a year, my mom, my daughters, and I head out of town and see what the rest of the world has to offer. It used to make me a little nervous. ...

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The Power of Poetry
Posted Monday, March 12, at 9:50 AM

"Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat." -Robert Frost In celebration of National Poetry Month (April), Spencer Public Library is hosting its 3rd Annual Poetry Contest. Children and teens are encouraged to channel their creative talent and let it flow through their pens and pencils in a poetic way...

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And a pox on your dog! A brief history of book curses.
Posted Monday, January 16, at 10:11 AM

In the course of doing some homework related to library history, I came across information about early efforts to prevent loss of library materials to insects and theft. I have to confess, they gave me a chuckle and I thought that perhaps some of our dear readers would enjoy the information, also...

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A peek in our mail bag
Posted Monday, December 5, at 12:06 PM

This lovely letter was left at the library. We just HAD to share it. To whomever wrote it: Thank you and it was our pleasure to serve you. "Dear Spencer residents: I'm a local person, but not a resident of Spencer. I just wanted to share how much I LOVE going to your library...

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Prepare to get spooked!
Posted Monday, October 10, at 11:57 AM

Saturday, October 15, Spencer Public Library will be hosting paranormal investigator, Terry Fisk, for a presentation titled "Iowa Ghosts and the Afterlife." The audience will be immersed in some of Iowa's most haunted places. Who knows, some may even be in your own backyard! Terry will share photos, case histories, and eye witness accounts as well as a Q&A session following his presentation...

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Chad Elliott @ the Library!
Posted Wednesday, October 5, at 4:19 PM

Chad will be performing at the library this Friday night! He will also have CDs for sale and will be on hand after the show to sign autographs and "meet-and-greet". Admission is free! Averaging over 100 shows per year, Chad Elliott has been on the road for more than a decade performing a blend of roots, blues and folk music. He has played across the country and has been lauded as a modern-day troubadour...

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The libunemplostal service?
Posted Tuesday, September 20, at 1:14 PM

After all of the recent discussion regarding libraries, unemployment offices, and even postal services, I thought it might be best to address some of those issues here at the library blog. On February 17 the new director of Iowa Workforce Development proposed that the agency close thirty-nine of its offices and involve public libraries in providing services to job seekers. IWD did not discuss this proposal with the State Library before going public with it...

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Without Libraries, What do we have? We have no past and no future.
Posted Monday, July 18, at 4:14 PM

Without Libraries, What do we have? We have no past and no future. Budgets have been hit hard all over the United States. Library branches and libraries themselves are being closed despite the heavy traffic within them. It's hard to afford a 'luxury' when jobs are becoming scarce, and local and state governments are in debt...

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Summer? Ready. Set. Go!
Posted Wednesday, June 8, at 10:29 AM

EVENTS IN JUNE Adult Movie Night "Just Go With It": June 8th, 7:00 pm Storytime: June 9th, 9:30 am Summer Reading Program Tween/Teen Event: June 9th, 2:00 pm Look for us in the Flagfest Parade! Baby Storytime: June 13th, 6:30 pm Storytime "Dogs": 10:30 am...

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"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents" *
Posted Saturday, May 21, at 2:27 PM

On Monday, May 23rd at 7:00 pm, Spencer Public Library will be offering our first ever Lapsit Storytime for our youngest patrons, 0-24 months, and their parents or caregivers. While stories will be included, our lapsit program will focus on songs, rhymes, wiggles and tickles to entertain and delight the infants and provide an enjoyable interaction between parent and child...

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We are your local librarians: keepers of the books, defenders of liberty, and superheroes in disguise. We DON'T read all day and we rarely stamp books. We catalog, process, publicize, market, investigate, experiment, deliver, promote, teach, and encourage. We come from a variety of backgrounds, enjoy our daily interactions with the public, and we are here to serve you.
Hot topics
"Groundbreaking Reads" at Spencer Public Library
(0 ~ 9:05 AM, May 30)

How the library Can Help You to Find a Job!
(0 ~ 10:49 AM, May 9)

World Book Night
(0 ~ 9:41 AM, Apr 10)

Are You Ready For The Zombie Apocalypse?
(0 ~ 4:26 PM, Mar 21)

Chasing 4 Life
(0 ~ 4:52 PM, Mar 19)