Yes, You Need to Talk to Your Children about Drugs (press release)

November 21, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robyn Truslow
410-535-0291

 

You can’t open the newspaper or listen to the radio without hearing something about the drug abuse epidemic here in Calvert County and across the nation.  No matter how protective we are of our children, there is still the chance that they or their friends will encounter drugs.  Calvert Alliance Against Substance Abuse, Calvert Library, Calvert County Public Schools and Calvert County Health Department are teaming up to help parents learn how to talk to their children about drugs.  On Thursday, November 30 at 6:30pm at Calvert Library Prince Frederick, they will show Chasing the Dragon: Life of an Opiate Addict where you’ll learn that addiction can strike any family.  The film will be followed up by a conversation with experts about how to give your children the tools to be safe and successful out in the world beyond home.

 

According to Scientific American, the “Just Say No” campaign didn’t work because it didn’t teach kids how to handle peer pressure and it didn’t give them a chance to practice refusing drugs.  The other criticism of the “Just Say No” campaign was that it made kids think that drug use was the norm and that saying “no” made them “not cool,” when in fact, most kids do not use drugs.  That doesn’t mean that most kids are not offered drugs.  A study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found that 81% of teens say that they had the opportunity to use illicit substances.  We all need a little help parenting. We can help children understand the impact drugs and alcohol can have on a developing brain.  We can go an extra step and role-play so that children have a script they can easily recall if they are approached with an offer of drugs or alcohol.  To learn more about how to keep your child safe and to share strategies with other parents, please come to this workshop.  Registration is requested but not required.

 

For more information, call Robyn Truslow or Juanita Anderson at 410-535-0291.

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Robyn Truslow

Public Relations Coordinator

Calvert Library

850 Costley Way

Prince Frederick, MD  20678

410-535-0291

410-535-3022 (fax)

Calvert Library…Your Source for Awesome!

 

Calvert Library Challenges Readers to Try Digital (press release)

November 9, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robyn Truslow
410-535-0291

 

Calvert Library and Maryland’s Digital eLibrary Consortium is on a mission: Get more people to try digital reading! While they have offered eBooks and digital audiobooks to the community through their partnership with OverDrive for more than 13 years, they know that many people are still surprised to learn their library card gives them access to 24,000+ free digital titles.

Throughout the rest of this calendar year, the library is participating in OverDrive’s “Digital Dash” contest. If the state hits 2,796,255 digital checkouts by the end of the year, it will be eligible to win funds to buy more eBooks and audiobooks for the OverDrive collection. The state is at just over 80% of that goal now.

“We would love to expand our digital collection with new materials and cut down on hold times by buying more copies of our most popular titles,” said Carrie Plymire, Calvert Library Director.

The library’s digital books are free for anyone with a valid library card. Current popular titles include Dan Brown’s Origin, John Grisham’s The Rooster Bar, and this year’s One Maryland One Book winner Purple Hibiscus. Users can borrow bestsellers, classic eBooks and digital audiobooks to enjoy on smart phones, tablets, Kindles and other eReaders, MP3 players and computers. Maryland’s Digital eLibrary Consortium website also offers a dedicated space for younger readers, with a variety of juvenile and young adult titles, including a collection of STEM and homework help titles. There are never late fees with digital titles, as they return automatically at the end of the lending period.

Readers can access the library’s digital collection 24/7 by visiting https://maryland.overdrive.com/maryland-southernmarylandregional/content or by downloading the Libby app from their device’s app store. For more information, call Robyn Truslow at 410-535-0291.

 

About OverDrive
OverDrive is the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools.  It is dedicated to “a world enlightened by reading” by delivering the industry’s largest catalog of eBooks, audiobooks and other digital media to a growing network of 36,000 libraries and schools in 63 countries worldwide.  Founded in 1986, OverDrive is based in Cleveland, Ohio, and owned by Tokyo-based Rakuten.  www.overdrive.com

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Robyn Truslow

Public Relations Coordinator

Calvert Library

850 Costley Way

Prince Frederick, MD  20678

410-535-0291

410-535-3022 (fax)

Calvert Library…Your Source for Awesome!

 

Author of Family Comedy Series at Calvert Library (press release)

 

Author of Family Comedy Series at Calvert Library

November 6, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robyn Truslow
410-535-0291

‘Tis the season for family gatherings and all the love, angst and drama they include.  Come to Calvert Library Prince Frederick on Monday, November 20, at 7pm to lighten your spirits, share your family stories and hear from author Shelton Johnson. 

Johnson, a native of Norfolk, VA, now resides in Southern Maryland with his wife and two children. Although he grew up playing multiple sports and was afforded the opportunity to play football at James Madison University, writing has always been a part of his life. Before writing his first published project, Thankful for My Family, Johnson had written two plays, multiple short stories, and a children's book that his brother illustrated. When asked about becoming a published author of a book with heavy doses of comedy, Johnson answered, "Writing wasn't something that I took seriously. I really just did it for fun. It's always been easy for me to play out situations or scenarios in my mind that would make people laugh. I decided to finish this book (Thankful for My Family) and publish it for multiple reasons. The biggest reason, though, came one day in the mall while waiting for my wife to finish shopping. I walked in the bookstore and I couldn't find anything that really grabbed my attention. That's when I decided to not only publish this book, but make it appealing to people like me who like to laugh." Johnson also made mention that Thankful for My Family is the first installment of a three-part series, that he refers to as the "Family Comedy Trilogy." 

Johnson will bring to the event his first two comedy books (Thankful and Merry with My Family) as well as his new novel, Mr. Wilder, a novel about a white teacher at the predominantly black Booker T. Washington High School during a time of heated racial trouble.  Books will be available for sale and signing.  And the mic will be open for your stories.  For more information, call Robyn Truslow at 410-535-0291.

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Related Links

Link to full flyer image 

 

 

Robyn Truslow

Public Relations Coordinator

Calvert Library

850 Costley Way

Prince Frederick, MD  20678

410-535-0291

410-535-3022 Fax

rtruslow@somd.lib.md.us