Monday, February 4, 2013
Here are some ideas to help you make it through the rest of winter.
I’ve got a couple of ideas. Washington County Library kicks off its Winter Reading program for adults — Winter Jackets — on Feb. 1. Sure it’s great to get outdoors during the day to participate in all of the fun activities available to folks who live in our zone, but at night — when the house is cold because you’ve purposely turned down the thermostat to save on the heating bill, donning a “winter jacket” of some sort and reading a book is a good way to spend the evening. For me, winter reading has always been a pleasure. At home on our Wisconsin farm in the fifties and sixties — when the only heat was a couple of space heaters, one in the kitchen and one in the living room — our house was cold in winter, especially since the stoves ran…
Thursday, December 13, 2012
After a year of Sunday and Monday closures, the Woodbury library will be open seven days a week (except summer months) starting in 2013.
Monday service will return to the Oakdale Branch in 2013. Washington County Library eliminated service on Sundays and Mondays at all branches in 2012, as part of a cost-cutting measure. R.H. Stafford Branch in Woodbury will receive Sunday hours in addition to Monday. The library system on Wednesday announced hours for 2013. The new hours take effect Jan. 2. Oakdale Branch, Wildwood Branch and Mahtomedi R. H. Stafford Branch *Closed Sundays June through August Park Grove Branch, Cottage Grove and Hardwood Creek Branch, Forest Lake Valley Branch Library, Lakeland Library Express in Hugo, Marine and Newport Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our newsletter
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
The Washington County Board on Tuesday accepted the donation.
A group of Washington County Library supporters were looking to raise $10,000 to buy 2,012 books for the library system in 2012. The campaign was a success, and Washington County Library Partners on Tuesday donated $14,700 to the Washington County Library. Ken Stone, president of the board of director of the foundation, presented to the gift to the Washinington County Board. Through his Patch blog, Stone tracked the nonprofit’s progress: Washington County Library Partners’ goal was to raise enough money for the purchase of 2,012 large-print and children's books in 2012. For more information about the foundation, visit www.librarypartners.org. Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our newsletter
Friday, August 10, 2012
Washington Count is looking at restoring hours at least one day a week at the Oakdale library and others.
Washington County is looking to restore Monday hours at the five biggest libraries in its system, including Oakdale. At the start of 2012, the county library system eliminated Sunday and Monday service. It would take funding shifts in the county budget and additional revenue from the taxpayer and elections department to come up with the estimated $236,000 to reopen on Mondays; another $12,000 to $13,000 would be needed for other library service, said Pat Conley, library director. She’s hoping to get 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. hours back on Mondays at the large county libraries. There were discussions about having the Sunday hours restored as well, she said. “More hours are better,” Conley said. “But right now we have to be realistic about what …
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
It's time to start thinking of the Washington County Fair.
It’s fair time! There’s something about hot weather and long days that brings to mind – at least for me – the County Fair. There’s nothing like being in the show ring with a pig, the hot sun beating down on you while you try your best to parade that pig before the judge so that he or she can examine the attributes of your animal, and hopefully put you in the winner’s circle! Ah, that’s summer. Never mind, that the sweat is dripping from your brow and your clothes are sticking to your body. Or that you have stepped in pig poop! My fair was the Trempealeau County Fair in Galesville, Wisconsin. That fair dates back to 1858! I first exhibited at the fair in 1957 when there was a class for student’s school work. Teachers tried to pick the very…
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Want your children to keep reading this summer? Review events that begin June 5 at all Washington County Libraries, including Oakdale Library.
Washington County Libraries are using the word "Bookawocky" to call attention to summer reading programs. Program dates for kids, teens and adults at Washington County Libraries begin June 5 and run through Aug. 18. Wall of Fame:Visit a library, get a library card and join the summer reading program. If children log 20 hours of reading time they can earn a reading reward, while supplies last, and have their name displayed on the library’s “Wall of Fame.” The reading program is a fun way to incorporate reading in your family's summer schedule. Plus, reading during the summer helps school children maintain and improve reading skills. Click here for a list of age-appropriate books. Reading Clubs: Do you have a child in fifth or sixth grade? …
Monday, April 16, 2012
If the Washington County Library Partners can raise $10,000 by Sept. 30, an anonymous donor will kick in $10,000 more.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
The film and book, "The Lorax," help to instill in children and adults the realization that everyone needs to be a helper in the task of preserving plant and animal species, clean water and air.
When I was growing up in the '50s and '60s there was a lot of conversation about littering—“every litter bit hurts." School kids in the '70s and '80s heard about Woodsy Owl and his catchy phrase, “Give a hoot, don’t pollute!” I think those messages to young people actually made a difference in our behavior. Just as children develop their personalities and values when they are very young, I think ideas about “care of the earth” are formed when we are young. A recent movie, “The Lorax,” inspired by the Dr. Seuss book with the same title is sure to become a classic film. Both the book and the film help to instill in children and adults the realization that everyone needs to be a helper in the task of preserving plant and animal species, clean…
