Catalog This Now!

There are a lot of useful apps for avid readers.  Card catalogs still work for analog library use.  But I had been looking for an online library catalog suitable for a home library or for cataloging special collections when I found the Handy LIbrary App.  It is a newer app but it works well for this purpose.  In using Handy Library I created bookshelves for libraries I frequently access so I can keep track of books I own as well as books I have access to from other organizations.  It can also be used to keep track of books that you lend or give to others if you are a person who loves to introduce others to reading. There is also a new and promising ILS system for small libraries created by Insignia Software.  I had the chance to see it not too long ago at a library conference and was impressed.  Consider how you organize your book collection or organize your reading and see what works for you. "Over the Counter" library cataloging apps: Book Catalogue – Android (Opensource -

The weekly service at 2 Pillars Church is something that I anticipate.  As a part of that congregation, I've often wished for an easy way to easily reference some of the teaching that has gone on in the various sermon series.  So this is an attempt to create an easy access index to past sermon series and other resources - for the reference of myself and others. 93 Day Bible Reading Challenge Long View Christianity  - December 26, 2021 Part of the 2021 Advent Series on Joy Easter 2024 Acts 2:22-32 and Psalm 16 - Never Be Shaken Psalms: The Songs of Jesus  - June 16 2024 - September 1, 2024 Psalm 1 Psalm 2 Psalm 3 Psalm 4 Psalm 5 Psalm 6 Psalm 7 Psalm 8 Psalm 9 Psalm 10 Psalm 11 Psalm 12 Matthew This series was taught in several groupings The Coming King December 3, 2023 - December 24, 2023 - Audio and Sermon Slides Matthew 1:1 - The Coming King / Waiting Matthew 1:23 - Trusting Matthew 2:2 - Worshiping Matthew 2:23 - Receiving Hail the King December 31, 2023 - March 24, 2024 - Audio

With the turn of the New Year comes tradition of list making and goal setting.  One of the most common is adopting a Reading Challenge.  Some challenges are simple - read ___ number of books in a year.  Others are themed:  Read Thru the Bible in a Year, Read books that are out of your comfort zone, Read books that are active or are produced in a certain way and so forth.  Still others encourage you to read widely and narrow what you have read to your top 10 books for the year.  However you read - keep doing it and encourage others to join you. One of the ideas that appealed to me this year was found in Book Riot's suggestion to make your own challenge.  It was the idea of picking 10 countries you'd like to visit and reading a book written in, about or by a writer from each country. Read with Other Readers: Good Reads 2023 Reading Challenge Lincoln Libraries Winter Reading Challenge  Omaha Public Library Reading Challenge NYPL Read Harder Reading Challenge Battle of the Books Pr

  Playing with Words We all learn best when we are active and attempting the thing we want to learn.  It is no surprise that some of the greatest growth in learning happens when we are having fun in the process.   Playing with language with preschoolers can be as simple as helping them experience something new and inviting them to tell you about it.  Preschool children, are at a development stage where large motor movement is a big part of their life.  Sitting still is sometimes hard to do.  Scanimation books, like those by author/illustrator Rufus Butler Seder are some of my favorites books for this age - particularly  Swing!  or  Gallop! .  Each page asks a question and has an animation that moves.  Ask the preschooler to show you their moves or tell you their story as your read each page. For those kids that already very verbal, it is possible to progress to storytelling your way through Wordless Books that you can find at your local library.   What a Masterpiece!  by Riccardo Guasc

  Note:  This blog post was prepared as an assignment for a CE class in library policy. Other possible examples of library policy can be found at your local library or at the ALA website:   http://www.ala.org/ Draft Small Library Open Arms Philosophy / Policy Procedures and Potential Program Considerations “Every library maintains a heritage collection and provides a cultural commons.  The library often strives to balance the competing objectives of diplomacy, heritage and patrimony while at the same time utilizing that very same collection and cultural resources to enlighten and enrich the lives of the community or communities it serves.  Library collections should serve the forward looking needs of its community, while at the same time interpreting its ever changing common cultural heritage.  Every library patron is to be endowed with the right of free inquiry.  At the same time, no librarian is above the law.” * This policy is envisioned to be suitable for libraries that exist and o