July 2024 Newsletter: Writing Contest Winners and More!

July Newsletter: Congrats to our Writing Contest Winners!

Check out what’s going on at the library in this month’s newsletter.

Featured: Congrats to our Writing Contest Winners!

East Lansing Public Library and the Community Writing Center have partnered together again to offer our annual Writing Contest! This year, we added a new category for non-fiction writing. Congratulations to our winners! 

You can read their winning stories here.

Featured: Summer Reading Program

It’s not too late to join the summer reading program! Throughout the summer, kids and teens can track their reading online or via paper to earn cool prizes! Adults can also participate in a top-secret online-only version. Each participant will earn a completion prize, and also be entered into grand prize drawings. The more you read, the more chances you get to win the grand prize! Tracking is open June 3 - August 17. Learn more and sign up here.

Featured: Upcoming Programs

Library programs are free and open to the public; you don’t even need a library card! Unless otherwise noted, no registration is required.

• Bubbleman Ron (kids): Friday, July 12, 1-2pm

• • • See a professional bubbleologist perform and create wonders! Bubbles inside each other, bubble cubes, and more!

• Birders Club (all ages): Saturday, July 13, 10-11am

• • • Share your bird stories, photos, and ID tips! Light refreshments provided.

• Stories in the Garden (kids): Wednesday, July 17, 7-8:30pm

• • • Explore the Michigan 4-H Children’s Garden, and stop to listen to a children’s book as you come across each volunteer reader!

• BookWyrm Game Mini- Convention (kids and families): Saturday, July 20, 11am-1:30pm

• • • Join us for a mini-con! Enjoy miniature painting with Hoplite Games, learn about accessibility tools for gaming, find library resources for tabletop gaming, and sign-ups for kids’ tabletop role-playing games with local game masters!

• Free Concert - Capitol Acapella (all ages): Tuesday, July 23, 7-8pm

• • • Enjoy great music in the barbership style!

• Meet the MSU Herbarium (adults): Wednesday, July 24, 6:30-8pm

• • • Herbaria are like libraries of plants, and the MSU Herbarium houses over 500,000 curated specimens!  Come to the library to meet some of the MSU Herbarium staff, learn about herbaria, and practice mounting a specimen of your own to take home.

• Shark Day (all ages): Saturday, July 27, 11am-1pm

• • • Enjoy fun and educational shark-themed activities, demonstrations, crafts, and more, and learn all about the science and history of sharks!

• Bricks and Brews (adults 18+): Tuesday, July 30, 6:30-8pm

• • • Meet us at Reno’s East for an adult LEGO night! Build your own creation or follow our themed challenge. Since space is limited, please register online.

• History of the Red Cedar (adults): Thursday, August 1, 6:30-7:30pm

• • The Red Cedar has played a significant role in shaping our region, both physically and socially. In this presentation, MSU Environmental Sciences Librarian Eric Tans will teach us about some of the fascinating history of the Red Cedar and its relationship to our community's past, present, and future.

Collection Updates

Starting July 1, we will be discontinuing our CloudLibrary NewsStand subscription for digital magazines and newspapers due to low usage. You’ll still have access to the great collection of cloudLibrary audiobooks and eBooks! Thanks for your understanding!

And, just a reminder that we have officially implemented automatic and unlimited item renewal! This means that if you have a book, DVD, or other item checked out, it will automatically renew when the due date approaches as long as there are no holds on the item. 

And, as a reminder, we have also lowered the individual check-out limit on Hoopla from 15 items per month to 10. This change ensures that we don’t hit our collective limit so early in the day, and allow everyone a fair shot to browse the books they want, anytime. If you hit your 10 item limit early in the month, don’t worry; Hoopla offers Bonus Borrows! They’re available the last seven days of each month, and don’t count towards your limit.

Strategic Plan Updates

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our focus groups or completed our community survey! We really appreciate your honest feedback as we shape the future of the East Lansing Public Library. 

Next, our consultants from MCLS will gather benchmark data from similar libraries around the country and compile all the info from your community feedback. Then, they’ll conduct some focus groups with library staff and the Board of Trustees, and in late summer, we’ll start coming up with our new strategic priorities and implementation plan. The final strategic plan should be available to share with all of you this fall!

ELPL in the News:

• WILX: Summer camps, programs in Mid-Michigan aim to keep children stimulated
• WILX: Summer reading programs kick off across Mid-Michigan
• Fox 47: SILENCE THE VIOLENCE: Community "Soul Boxes" to be displayed in the East Lansing Library this month
• WILX: ‘Silence the Violence’ project honors gun violence victims in East Lansing
• Lansing State Journal: Pride Month is here. Here's how four communities are celebrating

Up and Coming Dates:

• The library will be closed Thursday, July 4 for Independence Day.

Catch ELPL Next Month:

Be on the lookout for more excitement in July! ELPL will be sharing featured reading lists, book displays, and programs throughout the month. Some of the library programs will include:

• History of the Red Cedar
• Touch A Truck/National Night Out!
• Citizen Science: iNaturalist (App) Workshop and BioBlitz
• Inflatable Planetarium with MSU Abrams Planetarium
• And more!

For more information, visit the library’s website or follow ELPL on social media!