All You Ever Wanted to Know About "The Tie Guy!"

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Dave “The Tie Guy”

As anyone can tell, I like working at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library. I have worked here for years, starting off as a page in high school and becoming a full time employee in 2004. When I started, the library had just been completely remodeled. Move forward a couple of years and once again, another remodel took place on the first floor. Yeah, the library has two levels to it; an upstairs and main floor.

The library has had some challenges: from a water leak, (which damaged our VHS tapes), to our old computer system malfunctioning during our Summer Reading Program (we could still check out items, but could not check in). Books began to pile up on unused shelves, in closets, on tables and even on the floor. It was a mess. When we eventually got our system up and running we had every department checking in the stacks. We provide the best service and resources for the community.

Our former director moved co-workers around and eventually merged departments. Circulation, Reference and Technical Services began to all help out at the customer service desk. This greatly improved our morale and friendship toward each other.

During the most recent remodel I worked crazy hours. The clock on my phone read 3:30 a.m., and the maintenance man and I were ready to call it a day after moving desks, checking to see that floor plugs were turned off, and breaking down desks. When the library opened up after being closed for two weeks the result was spectacular. Beautiful and stunning, the public greeted our new look with all-around excitement.

Sometimes people know me as “Dave, The Tie Guy”, because I collect unique neckties and wear them throughout the winter months. I have enough ties that I can go a couple of months without wearing the same necktie! A couple of years ago Donna, a co-worker, made a display of my ties and the name stuck.

I have to go for now, but I will be back with more news from the front line of the library!

Sincerely,

Dave “The Tie Guy” Brinker

And the Winner Is…

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You’ve all been wondering….

You decided to subscribe to follow the blog to receive awesome, funny, totally informative and cool news from your favorite library’s new blog, and well… the potential to win Panera Bread for a year was a great incentive, too. So who won?

Liddy is our bread-loving winner! She’s won a certificate to receive Panera Bread for an entire year.

But don’t be sad if you’re not Liddy. There’ll be plenty more opportunities to win things, plus you’ll be up-to-date with what’s going on in the library, and being able to communicate with us here isn’t bad, either. In fact, head to the library lobby tomorrow at 3:00pm and say the magic words “Be a Smart Cookie: READ!” to get a tub of Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough while supplies last.

Congratulations, Liddy!!

My Life, My Library

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Me & My Mother

My relationship with the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library began before I was born. My mother, Susan Miller Carter, began working at the library in the 1970s. When I was born in 1985, my baby shower was attended by library staff, including the then library director, Mary McMillan. I grew up coming to the library on a more than regular basis – checking out books and videos, wandering in the staff only areas, and visiting with my favorite library employee, Jan Owens. As I entered middle school I came to the library after school with my friends and did “homework”. We mostly giggled and ate snacks, really. The library was a wonderful place for us to relax and socialize with a reasonable amount of freedom and independence.

I began working at the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library on May 23, 2001. I was sixteen and a sophomore in high school. After school I would trek up Hobb’s hill to the library where I would begin my shift at 3:00 pm in the Children’s Room. Being a library page meant sorting and shelving returned materials, as well as tidying up the shelves. I loved my job and continued to work part-time throughout my high school and college career.

After graduating from Marian College in 2007 I began working full time in the Youth Services Department. I did programming for children of all ages – my favorite being my Bookie Boogie Woogie, a program series for toddlers. We read books, sang songs and danced along to lots of fun music – it was a blast!

In 2009 I moved to the Community Central Department, which focuses on adult programming, community outreach, advocacy and marketing for the library. This move was a big change, moving from the Children’s Room to Community Central, but I felt right at home right away. Now I get to go out into the community and let people know what their library has to offer beyond “just books”. It is a wonderful job and I love it!

~Joanna

Currently in the Gallery…

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Check out ‘Surreal Abstractions’ in acryclic and pen&ink by Michael Lipe. Michael’s artwork will be on display in our art gallery upstairs until March 3rd. A special closing reception will be held Saturday, march 3rd from 1:00 – 4:00pm in the gallery upstairs, so if you don’t get to enjoy the exhibit before then, feel free to drop in then! This is art you’ve gotta see in-person!

‘Michael is an artist, musician, author and graphic designer. He started drawing at an early age, but really came into his own in the early nineties while attending school at Indiana University (Bloomington Campus) “It was only after I could accurately draw reality that I could truly draw the surreal abstractions I can see in my mind” says Michael about his artwork. “I try to put the detail of realism into my works in abstract: Focusing heavily on depth and shadows. It is my hope that a viewer will be pleasantly surprised long after the initial appraisal of one of my pieces and see something with clarity that they’ve never seen before.” He categorizes his pieces as “Surreal Abstractions”. His work has an abstract face, but there is often a hint of reality weaved throughout.’

Tales of a Library-aholic

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Michelle Peltier

Hello all. I’m Michelle, and I’m a Library-aholic. 

I have loved coming to the library since I was young. I remember walking into the old children’s room and seeing Paula Gilmour’s smiling face at the desk. I remember the yellow and orange paint. I remember picking out Mary Poppins to watch with my grandma. The library was always a fun place when I was little.

Fast forward to 2007…I just moved back to Plainfield after an out-of-state move. I was a new mom, new wife, and moving home after being away for six years was a little scary. I began stopping by the library as often as I could because it felt familiar, even though the building, staff, and I had changed. I took comfort in knowing that I could learn something new every time I checked out a book: from trying to figure out how to raise a kid, to learning about how to deal with financial stress, to figuring out how to cook dinner without making something from a box every night.

I have been jealous of my friend Laura Brack, the PPL Tech Goddess, because of her library gig she started over 10 years ago. In October 2010, Laura informed me of a 12 hour per week job opening in Youth Services, so I jumped at the chance to interview even though I was already working 40 to 50 hours per week. I scored the position, started in November 2010, and continued to work my full time job and part time at the library until the day before I gave birth to my youngest son. After I came back to work from maternity leave, I left my full time job and took the Librarian’s Assistant position in area T. I now work primarily with the YA fiction collection.

Even though I work at the library, I still bring my kids in on my days off. I feel like it’s important to instill a respect and admiration for libraries, learning, and play. I love reading to my oldest son at bedtime, and I hope to add my youngest to our book club when he’s old enough to not chew on the books when he sees them.

And even though I’m busy with two kids under the age of four, a husband, a dog, a job, a garden, I could go on…I still make myself read every day. I think if one stops reading, one stops learning, and that’s important enough to me to keep on.

~Michelle

Follow the Blog & WIN!

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We’re live, on the air, and blogging… this is it! Introducing the Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library Blog!

Follow us here to get updates on what’s going on in the library, what we’re up to, what new services we have to offer, what books we’re reading, movies we’re watching, music we love/hate, and programs we’re hosting! See pictures here, lists of books to read, fun crafts to make with your kids, you name it!

There are many reasons to keep up with this blog, and we promise it will be totally worth it! You’ll be the first to know what’s going on, plus if you follow now, you’ll be entered to win a prize!

The Rules:

To win, do one, two, or all of the things listed below between now and Friday, February 10th at midnight. You must at least subscribe by email. Trust me, you’ll want to! Plus, that way we’ll be able to contact you if and when you win. 🙂

  • Start following this blog by email. This one’s required. To do so, just enter your email address in the “FOLLOW BY EMAIL” box in the right sidebar. Don’t forget to check your email and activate your subscription! Leave a comment below letting us know you’ve done this for your first entry.
  • “Like” us on Facebook. Yep, we’re on Facebook, too! Go to www.facebook.com/PGTPL and like us. It’ll be worth your while; we’ve always got cool stuff to share with you on Facebook. Don’t forget to leave a comment below letting us know you “like” us to be entered.
  • Update your Facebook status with a link to this blog. Don’t be shy: spread the love you have for your favorite library to your facebook friends! They’ll appreciate it, and so will we. Leave a comment below letting us know you’ve spread the love for another entry!
  • Follow us on Twitter. We’re on Twitter, too! Head to www.twitter.com/PGTPLOnline and start following us. We’ll follow you back, we promise! Don’t forget to comment on this blog here and let us know you’re following us on Twitter for another entry.
  • Tweet about the library blog. Plain and simple, just tweet about this blog, including a link. Comment below letting us know you tweeted, and we’ll give you yet another entry.

The winner will be chosen randomly. Remember, you’ll be entered once for each thing we do, and that means that you can be entered up to five times! When the contest ends, we’ll throw all the entries into the proverbial hat and draw one out. It’s that simple! The winner will be announced after Friday, February 10. The winner will be contacted via the email they’ve subscribed with. After the winner has been contacted, their name will be announced on this blog. If the winner doesn’t respond within ten days of the contest’s end (February 10), a second winner will be chosen.

The Prize:

Surely you want to know what the prize is, right?! The wonderful, phenomenal, fabulous, delicious prize is Bread for a Year from Panera Bread!! You’ll enjoy bread once a month for twelve months, and how cool is that? All for following your favorite library’s blog, which is a pretty cool thing in and off itself.

Get ready, get set…. subscribe!

Winter Reading Club 2012: Be a Smart Cookie!

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It’s no secret I’m a cookie fanatic. I rarely turn down a cookie, especially if there’s chocolate involved. Chocolate chunk, snicker doodle, sugar, peanut butter, no-bake, you name it, I’m game. Throw in a glass of ice cold milk and I’m all set.

Are you drooling on your keyboard about right now? Good! The reason I’ve got cookies on my mind is because of the library’s Winter Reading Club theme, Be A Smart Cookie – Read! What’s the Winter Reading Club, you ask? It’s a winter-long reading program that encourages people of all ages to read during the winter months (Jan. 14 – Feb. 29).

Adults, teens and children can register for the Winter Reading Club online at www.plainfieldlibrary.net. Once you start logging your books in your online reading log you will automatically be entered for a chance to win the grand prize. The adult grand prize is a Kindle, the teen prize is a bundle of gift cards to Hot Topic, Rave, Starbucks and Cold Stone, and the children’s grand prize is a Winter Reading gift basket full of goodies. Throughout the Winter Reading Club we will be doing random prize drawings for Papa Murphy’s Pizza cookie dough tubs, too!

Sign-up for the Winter Reading Club today and start reading!

   

~Joanna

2012 Unbound Book Club Picks

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That’s right, folks, with the new year just around the corner we’re ready to read something exciting and new with YOU! The 2012 Unbound Book Club book selections are here!
The Unbound Book Club meets the last Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm at the library. The club is very relaxed: don’t worry if you didn’t finish or haven’t read the book. Everyone is welcome to come enjoy the book discussion and chat. Light snacks are provided.

January: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
February: Room by Emma Donoghue
March: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
April: The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner
May: Moby Duck by Donovan Hohn
June: Rebecca by Daphene DuMaurier
July: My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
August: The Shining by Stephen King
September: Cafe Indiana by Joann Raetz
October: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
November: The Help by Kathryn Stockett
December: *Enjoy the holidays!*