National Library Week 2025

 

It's National Library Week here at Bremen Public Library!

National Library Week 2025: Drawn to the Library!

Millions of people across the country visit their libraries every week. What’s the draw? Everything.

From young families stopping in for play and storytime, to students sketching out their next creative project in a makerspace, to seniors seeking tech help and everyone in between, libraries of all kinds help us connect the dots from one part of our journey to the next. Chart your next literary adventure by browsing the stacks or joining a book club. Let an author color your imagination at an author talk, outline your big business idea at an entrepreneur workshop, or trace your history with your library’s genealogy resources. Make your mark and get involved with your library by volunteering or spreading the word.

Whatever draws you in, the library has something for everyone. Celebrate National Library Week, April 6 - 12, 2025.

About National Library Week

National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee's goals were ambitious. They ranged from "encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time" to "improving incomes and health" and "developing strong and happy family life."

In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. With the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme "Wake Up and Read!" The 2024 celebration marked the 66th anniversary of the first event.

Read more about the history of National Library Week at American Libraries magazine, and check out the list of past National Library Week themes.

National Library Week will be celebrated April 19-25 in 2026.

We are excited to welcome Mango & Brash to Bremen Public Library! They will be roaming around town on their Spring Break April 7th-11th. Be sure to stop and say "Hello!".

Meet The 2025 National Library Week Honorary Chairs!

About Raina Telgemeier

Raina Telgemeier is the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award–winning creator of Smile, Sisters, and Guts, which are all graphic memoirs based on her childhood. She is also the creator of Drama and Ghosts, the adapter and illustrator of the first four Baby-sitters Club graphic novels, and, with Scott McCloud, the co-creator of The Cartoonists Club. Facing Feelings: The Art of Raina Telgemeier is a companion catalog for an exhibition held at The Ohio State University’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Telgemeier lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. To learn more, visit her online at goraina.com.

About Scott McCloud

Scott McCloud is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art; Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels; Zot!; and The Sculptor. He is also, with Raina Telgemeier, the co-creator of The Cartoonists Club. Scott is a frequent lecturer on the power of visual communication, creator of the international 24-hour comic movement, and, in 2021, was inducted into the Will Eisner Awards Hall of Fame. He lives with his family in Oregon. McCloud’s art and stories are available in more than 30 languages and on the web at scottmccloud.com.

That's a Wrap!

 

That's a Wrap!

So comes an end to another successful National Library Week. Thank you to all of our patrons, community members, and businesses for celebrating with us. With the end of National Library Week it is time to say goodbye to our friend Geronimo and Thea Stilton. Geronimo and Thea traveled all the way from New Mouse City in Mouse Island to spend their vaction visiting the lovely Bremen Community. 

Our teens enjoyed their suprise visits from Geronimo and Thea! Thank you Bremen Public Schools and St Paul's School for allowing our guests to come visit! 

Solar Eclipse 2024

 

Like many other libraries across the Nation we celebrated the solar eclipse with a children's make and take craft, scavenger hunt, Adult Total Eclipse of the Art craft, and by supplying the community with solar eclipse glasses. A special thank you to the Indianapolis Public Library and Walkerton Public Library for donating glass. We were able to give out over 100 glasses to community members of all ages. 

What is a Solar Eclipse?

Solar eclipses occur when the Sun, the Moon, and Earth  line up either fully or partially. Depending on how they align,  eclipses provide a unique, exciting view of either the Sun or the Moon.

A solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, casting a shadow on Earth that either fully or partially blocks the Sun's light in some areas. This only happens occasionally, because the Moon doesn't orbit in the exact same plane as the Sun and Earth do. The time when they are aligned is known as eclipse season, which happens twice a year.

Except for the fleeting moments of totality during a total solar eclipse, observers should always use eclipse glasses or an alternative safe solar viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, to view the Sun. This includes when watching a partial or annular eclipse, or before or after totality for a total solar eclipse.

What is a Total Solar Eclipse?

A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. People located in the center of the Moon's shadow when it hits Earth will experience a total eclipse. The sky will darken, as if it were dawn or dusk. Weather permitting, people in the path of total solar eclipse can see the Sun's corona, the outer atmosphere,  which is otherwise usually obscured by the bright face of the Sun. A total eclipse is the only type of solar eclipse where viewers can momentarily remove their eclipse glasses (which are not the same as regular sunglasses) for the brief period of time when the Moon is completely blocking the Sun. 

What is an Annular Solar Eclipse?

An annular solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, but when it is at or near its farthest point from Earth. Because the Moon is farther away from Earth, it appears smaller than the Sun and does not completely cover the Sun. As a result, the Moon appears as a dark disk on top of a larger, bright disk, creating what looks like a ring around the Moon. 

What is a Partial Solar Eclipse?

A partial solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth but the Sun, Moon, and Earth are not perfectly lined up. Only a part of the Sun will appear to be covered, giving it a crescent shape. During a total or annular solar eclipse, people outside the area covered by the Moon's inner shadow see a partial eclipse. 

What is a Hybrid Solar Eclipse?

Because Earth's Surface is curved, sometimes an eclipse can shift between annular and total as the Moon's shadow moves across the globe. This is called a hybrid solar eclipse.

Bolles, Dana. “Types of Solar Eclipses.” NASA, NASA, science.nasa.gov/eclipses/types/. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.

2024 National Library Week Honorary Chair!

 

National Library Week 2024: Ready, Set, Library!

The theme for National Library Week 2024 (April 7-13) is Ready, Set, Library! National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and Newbery and Pura Belpré-award winning author Meg Medina will serve as 2024 Honorary Chair.

Meg Medina, the 2023­­­­–2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a Cuban American author who writes for readers of all ages. Her middle-grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears received a Newbery Medal and was a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year, among many other distinctions. Its sequel, Merci Suárez Can’t Dance, received five starred reviews, while Merci Suárez Plays It Cool received four stars, with Kirkus Reviews calling it “a fabulous finale to a memorable trilogy.” Her most recent picture book, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, received honors including a Charlotte Zolotow Award and was the 2020 Jumpstart Read for the Record selection, reaching 2.24 million readers. She received a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for her picture book Mango, Abuela, and Me. Her young adult novel Burn Baby Burn earned numerous distinctions, including being long-listed for the National Book Award and short-listed for the Kirkus Prize. Meg Medina received a Pura Belpré Author Award and a Cybils Award for her young adult novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which has been adapted and illustrated as a graphic novel by Mel Valentine Vargas. She also received an Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award for her picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car. When she is not writing, Meg Medina works on community projects that support girls, Latino youth, and literacy. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.

National Library Week 2024

 

It's National Library Week here at Bremen Public Library! 

What is National Library Week?

National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee's goals were ambitious.  They ranged from "encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time" to "improving incomes and health" and "developing strong and happy family life." 

In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. With the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme "Wake Up and Read!"  The 2023 celebration marks the 65th anniversary of the first event.

Read more about the history of National Library Week at American Libraries magazine, and check out the list of past National Library Week themes.

We at Bremen Public Library are very excited for all the fun events happening this week. 

We are excited to welcome Geronimo and Thea Stilton to Bremen Public Library! Stop by the library on Friday, April 12, 2024 at 10:00 AM for a meet and greet. 

Meet The 2024 National Library Week Honorary Chair!

Meg Medina

Meg Medina, the 2023­­­­–2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is a Cuban American author who writes for readers of all ages. Her middle-grade novel Merci Suárez Changes Gears received a Newbery Medal and was a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of the Year, among many other distinctions. Its sequel, Merci Suárez Can’t Dance, received five starred reviews, while Merci Suárez Plays It Cool received four stars, with Kirkus Reviews calling it “a fabulous finale to a memorable trilogy.” Her most recent picture book, Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away, received honors including a Charlotte Zolotow Award and was the 2020 Jumpstart Read for the Record selection, reaching 2.24 million readers. She received a Pura Belpré Author Award Honor for her picture book Mango, Abuela, and Me. Her young adult novel Burn Baby Burn earned numerous distinctions, including being long-listed for the National Book Award and short-listed for the Kirkus Prize. Meg Medina received a Pura Belpré Author Award and a Cybils Award for her young adult novel Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass, which has been adapted and illustrated as a graphic novel by Mel Valentine Vargas. She also received an Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award for her picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car. When she is not writing, Meg Medina works on community projects that support girls, Latino youth, and literacy. She lives with her family in Richmond, Virginia.

National Library Week 2023

In celebration of National Library Week checkout some of these library themed YA Books!

                                                                                                                                                      

The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey

The Library of Lost Things explores the themes of friendship, growing up, and finding love against the backdrop of a heartbreaking mother-daughter relationship. From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books.

Strange the Dreamer #1 by Laini Taylor 

Description. From National Book Award finalist Laini Taylor comes an epic fantasy about a mythic lost city and its dark past. The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around–and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared his dream chose poorly.

A Study in Charlotte #1 by Brittany Cavallardo

Charlotte Holmes has always been a fascination of Jamie's but when they do meet, it doesn't go well. When a student turns up dead, taken right out of a Sherlock Holmes story, and Charlotte and Jamie find themselves as the main suspects, they team up to investigate and prove they're being framed.

Ink and Bone #1 by Rachel Caine

Owning private books is a crime. Jess Brightwell is the son of a black market book smuggler, sent to the Library to compete for a position as a scholar . . . but even as he forms friendships and finds his true gifts, he begins to unearth the dark secrets of the greatest, most revered institution in the world.

Library of Souls #3 by Ransom Riggs

It focuses on Jacob Portman, Emma Bloom, and Addison MacHenry trying to save their friends. Jacob and Emma meet a man named Myron Bentham, who is Alma LeFay Peregrine and Caul's brother. They learn that Jacob is more than he seems and is likely the final key to the Library of Souls.

The Librarian of Auschwitz Graphic Novel by Antonio Iturbe & Salva Rubio

Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this graphic novel tells the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old Dita is one of the many imprisoned by the Nazis at Auschwitz.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

The Librarian of Auschwitz is a young adult fiction novel based on the true story of Dita Kraus, who was only 13 years of age when she and her parents were sent to the Terezin ghetto, and then to the only "family camp" of the Auschwitz-Birknenau extermination camp in Poland during the Nazi invasion.

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

The Magic Fish is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel written and illustrated by Trung Le Nguyen. The novel tells the story of Tiến Phong, a second generation American Vietnamese teenager, who helps his mother learn English through fairy tales while struggling to tell her about his sexuality.

Book Love by Debbie Tung

Book Love is a gift book of comics tailor-made for tea-sipping, spine-sniffing, book-hoarding bibliophiles. Debbie Tung's comics are humorous and instantly recognizable--making readers laugh while precisely conveying the thoughts and habits of book nerds. Book Love is the ideal gift to let a book lover know they're understood and appreciated.  

Kind of a Big Deal by Shannon Hale

After dropping out of high school to chase her dream of Broadway stardom, 18-year-old Josie has landed in Montana with frayed relationships, a bruised ego, and a nanny job.

                                                                                                                                                   

Don't miss out on all the fun activities that are happening at BPL this week! For all of the happenings at BPL visit our website. Click the image below for more information.