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Preschool Story Hour

Join us at the library for Preschool Story Hour Thursday, December 22nd, at 10am.

There will be no story hour Thursday, December 29th.

Holiday Spirit

The Paxton Carnegie Library will be closed December 24 and 26, and January 2. Are you looking for a unique gift for someone special? The Paxton Carnegie Library has lovely transparent glass mugs for only $3 each and lightweight black tote bags with the library logo for just $1. For a friend or relative who lives outside the city limits, the gift of a non-resident library card is always appreciated. Stop by the library for more information on purchasing a non-resident card.

There are many new books at the library, perfect for curling up with on cold winter nights. New non-fiction for December: “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson, “Nearing Home” by Billy Graham, “Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero” by Chris Mathews, “SEAL Target Geronimo” by Chuck Pfarrer, “What It Is Like to Go to War” by Karl Marlantes, “Drama: An Actor’s Education” by John Lilthgow, “Mighty Be Our Powers: How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War” by Leymah Gbowee and Carol Mithers, “Knitting With Peruvian Yarn” by Jane Ellison, “Then Again” by Diane Keaton, “Van Gogh: The Life” by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, “Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope” by Gabrielle Giffords, Mark Kelly, and Jeffrey Zaslow, “God, If You’re Not Up There” by Darrell Hammond, “Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony” by Jeff Ashton, “Dangerous Instincts: How Gut Feelings Betray Us” by Mary Ellen O’Toole and Alisa Bowman, “Catherine the Great” by Robert K. Massie, and “The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level” by Chris Hardwick.

New fiction includes: “Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years” by Gregory Maguire, “Inheritance” by Christopher Paolini, “Corn Maiden” by Joyce Carol Oates, “Prince of Ravenscar” by Catherine Coulter, “Kill Alex Cross” by James Patterson, “V is For Vengeance” by Sue Grafton, “Micro: a Novel” by Michael Crichton, “Explosive Eighteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel” by Janet Evanovich, “Devil’s Gate (The Numa Files”) by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown, “The Virgin Suicides: A Novel: by Jeffrey Eugenides, “Perfect” by Ellen Hopkins, and “11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King.

On the shelves in the children’s department, we have “The LEGO Ideas Book" by Daniel Lipkowitz, “This Little Piggy’s Book of Manners” by Kathryn Madeline Allen, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever” by Jeff Kinney, "The Emperor of Nighon-Ja: Book 10 (Ranger’s Apprentice” by John Flanagan, and “Wonderstruck” by Brian Selznick. There are also many fine books on holiday entertaining and recipes at your local library. On DVD, you’ll find “Winnie the Pooh,” “The Smurfs,” “Cars” and “Cars 2,” “Our Idiot Brother,” “Water for Elephants,” “Friends with Benefits,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Captain America,” “Cowboys and Aliens,” and “The Help.”

In memory of James D. Fleming, the library Board of Trustees presents two DVD sets: “The Civil War: a Film by Ken Burns,” and “On the Road with Charles Kuralt,” along with the biography, “Remembering Charles Kuralt” by Ralph Grizzle.

Halloween Parade in Paxton

(Paxton Record) - The Paxton Park District and PRIDE in Paxton are co-sponsoring a Halloween parade at 4pm on Monday, Oct. 31, in downtown Paxton. Children and their parents are encouraged to dress in their scariest, funniest or cutest costumes and parade up Market Street prior to trick-or-treating that evening. The parade starts at 4pm in front of the Paxton Carnegie Library. For children who want the chance to win some extra goodies, costumes will be judged at 3:45pm. A number of downtown businesses will be open for trick-or-treating following the parade.

Elizabeth's "Butterbee"

Latest Library News

Whether you prefer to curl up with a good book or a good cell phone, there are plenty of reading options available at Paxton Carnegie Library. You can borrow free eBooks for the Kindle now. Go to the Online Catalog (on the right side of this page,) then click on Media Mall and login as a member of the Illinois Heartland Library System. You may use your library card to download an eBook or audio book to your PC or Mac, your Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, Kindle, Android, blackberry, tablet, iPhone, iPad, iTouch, or other mobile device. Media Mall provides a complete list of compatible devices, and there are thousands of book titles to choose from!

Adult Education

Are you interested in going back to school? A representative of the Parkland College Adult Education Re-entry Program will at the Paxton Carnegie Library Monday, September 12 from 2 to 5pm. If have questions about completing a course of learning, would like to obtain a 4-year degree, or just want to know what's out there, stop by the library this afternoon to speak with the Parkland Rep.

See You in September!

Preschool Story Hour begins Thursday, September 1st! Preschool children and their parents or caregivers are invited to the library each Thursday at 10am. Drop-ins welcome, no registration necessary. We'll hear old and new stories, do simple crafts, and make new friends. Join us!

A Touch of Magic

We now have a "Magical Magnetic Wall" in the Children's Library, in memory of our friend, Julie White. Use your imagination and create a design we can post online!

New Stuff

The Paxton Carnegie Library is pleased to announce that a Field Trip Pack is now available for check out. On loan from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, this pack contains everything needed for a group nature walk: field guides, binoculars, magnifying glasses, a compass, a plan press, bug containers, a real Audubon bird call, a bird song identifier, and more. There's even a backpack to carry all the equipment. The kit is designed for early childhood educators, daycare providers, teachers, caregivers, and home schooling providers, and may be checked out for one week at a time. Interested teachers and parents may call the library at 379-3431 to speak to the library director and make arrangements to borrow the Field Trip Pack at any time.

Anyone searching for family history information may use the new new microfilm reader to save and print articles and obituaries from The Paxton Record. The library's collection extends from 1865 to 2009. Articles may be saved to a flash drive as a PDF file or printed at the library. Black and white prints are .10 cents each.

There are many new bestsellers on the shelves, including "A Stolen Life: a Memoir" by Jaycee Dugard, "Learning" by Karen Kingsbury, "Now You See Her" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, "Sisterhood Everlasting" by Ann Brashares, "The Belileving Brain" by Michael Shermer, "Dreams of Joy" by Lisa See, and "One Summer" by David Baldacci. New DVDs include: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1," "Cedar Rapids," "Rango," "The Adjustment Bureau," and "Unknown."

Two unique books were recently donated to the library: "Eagan's, When You need Hardware: From Horse Collars and Buggy Whips to Television Sets," by William F. Eagan... and "A Chronological View of the History of Bayles Lake, Loda, Illinois, by Rod Cardinal. Both are welcome additions to our historical reference collection.

Online Again

The LINC Catalog is once again accessible.

Online Catalog

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the LINC System is not operating at this time, and borrowers are unable to access the online catalog. Repairs are being made, and all Lincoln Trail Libraries System facilities will offer full service once again in the very near future.

Library visitors may still check out materials and use the Internet at the Paxton Carnegie Library.

Story Hour

Join us for Preschool Story Hour at 10am, Thursday, April 21.

Closed on Friday

The library will be closed Friday, April 22.

Puppet Show!

Preschool Story Hour Join us at 10am Thursday, April 7th, for a puppet show! This week, it's the debut of Zomo the Rabbit, a West African Trickster Tale. Preschool children and their parents or caregivers are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be served.

Spring Break

There will be no Story Hour at the library on Thursday, March 24th.

Board Meeting

The Paxton Carnegie Library Board of Trustees will meet at the library Wednesday, March 2nd, at 7pm. The agenda will include a discussion on library furniture and equipment.

Max 1994 - 2011

It is with sadness we announce the passing of our library cat, Max.

The staff of Paxton Carnegie Library would like to thank all those who have shown kindness toward Max through the years. Maybe you donated some spare change for his food. Maybe you stopped to pet him, or spoke quietly to him, or even let him curl up in your lap for a while. Thank you for joining with us in sharing this little life, our Max.

"What greater gift than the love of a cat?"

--- Charles Dickens

Puppet Time at the Library

“No one goes this way alone. All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own.” This is the first of several thoughtful quotes included in the book, Eye of the Storm: Chanute Closes, written by former Rantoul Mayor, Katy Podagrosi. Published in 2000, the book is a comprehensive accounting of the process of the shutting down of Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. In it, Ms. Podagrosi describes the Air Force officials’ actions and the impact the base closing had (and continues to have) on the citizens of Rantoul and the surrounding area. This is a fascinating read that will interest anyone living in East Central Illinois at the time, as well as anyone concerned with the growth of their own communities. The author skillfully weaves the facts of the situation in with the feelings of the people she has known and cared about through the years, making this a first-rate historical record with heart, a book of lessons to be learned for those with an eye on the future. Two new copies of Eye of the Storm: Chanute Closes have been donated to the Paxton Carnegie Library by Mrs. Rosemary Kaye, of Paxton.

Other new books on the library shelves include: The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier, Prayers and Lies by Sherri Wood Emmons, Under the Mercy Trees by Heather Newton, The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard, When We Were Strangers by Pamel Schoenewaldt, Bloodroot by Amy Greene, The Foremost Good Fortune by Susan Conley, Angel Sister by Ann H. Gabhart, Heartwood by Belva Plain, Being Polite to Hitler by Robb Forman Dew, The False Friend by Myla Goldberg, and True Grit by Charles Portis. In non-fiction, we have The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, a Love Story by Ree Drummond, Twin by Allen Shaw, At Home in the World: A Memoir by Joyce Maynard, Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture, My Father At 100 by Ron Reagan, The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother’s Hidden Life by Jasmin Darznik, and Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. There are two new magazines: Rolling Stone, which is ready for check out and Psychology Today, coming soon.

For teens, we now have The Clique Series by Lisa Harrison and on the Easy Reader shelves we have The Golden Rule by Ilene Cooper and Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson. The Easy Reader books are highlighted during our weekly Story Hour. Every Thursday morning at 10, preschool children and their parents, grandparents, or caregivers are invited to the Children’s Library for stories and crafts. There are always new movies at the library too. While we await the arrival of the Academy Award nominees, we can enjoy some new “old” DVDS from the library: West Side Story, Funny Girl, The Way We Were, Sleepless in Seattle, and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. An anonymous donor has presented the library with a selection of classic DVDs featuring Buster Keaton, Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, The Keystone cops, and Laurel & Hardy, as well as some vintage Sci-Fi movies. New this week: the documentary, Waiting for Superman, which calls attention to our country’s public education system.

Here’s a reminder for everyone who is interested in downloading eBooks: We have two Kindles for in-library use which already contain some eBooks. Patrons may work with these KIndles in order to learn the basics of how to use them. The Kindle is not compatible with the software provided by Media Mall, which offers free downloads to library cardholders on the LINC Horizon website. To see if your electronic device is compatible for temporary, free downloads of books go to www.paxtonlibrary.blogspot.com and the Online Catalog. Click on Media Mall to download the free software and to see a list of supported audio and eBook devices.

Back to Work

The Paxton Carnegie Library is open with regular hours:

Monday through Thursday, 12 to 5pm and 6:30 to 8:30pm

Friday, 12 to 5pm

Saturday 10am to 5pm.

Ginormous Blizzard 2011

The library is closed today and tonight (Wednesday, February 2nd.)

The Board of Trustees Meeting has been postponed to February 8th, at 7pm.

No Story Hour on Thursday.

We hope to have regular library hours once again, beginning at noon on Thursday.

Winter Storm Hours

The Paxton Carnegie Library is open until 5pm today (Tuesday, February 1, 2011.)

The library will NOT be open tonight.