Tuesday, January 31, 2017

CORRECTION Calvert Library undertakes Facilities Master Plan (press release)

Darn!  We changed the time on the two early morning meetings to 8:30am.  I’ve corrected in the text below.  I apologize for the inconvenience!

 

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!

 

From: Robyn Truslow
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2017 11:34 AM
Subject: Calvert Library undertakes Facilities Master Plan (press release)

 

January 31, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Robyn Truslow

410-535-0291

 

To keep pace with ongoing changes in technology, community demographics and the world in general, a Facilities Master Plan for Calvert Library is being undertaken.  An outside consultant has been hired to create a plan which will ensure that the library continues to make the best decisions for the community regarding library services and facilities.

 

An essential component of the process is community input, which will be collected through Community Input Meetings, focus groups, stakeholder meetings and a survey.  The 14-question survey is available now in English at http://bit.ly/clplansurvey and in Spanish at http://bit.ly/clplansurveyspanish.  There is also a link on the library website at CalvertLibrary.info.  Please participate in the survey and/or one of the scheduled community meetings.

 

The library obtained a grant for this project through the state Division of Library Development and Services and has contracted with Providence Associates to gather data, facilitate the community engagement process and produce a final report. Providence is utilizing the services of RRMM Lukmire Architects to analyze Calvert Library’s current facilities.   The system-wide study will result in recommendations about library sizes, features, locations, updates and critical services with an eye to flexibility for long-term success.

 

Calvert Library serves different purposes for different members of our community.  Some parents of young children use it to support the critical first five years of their child’s brain development through Storytime classes, Imagination Station play and lots of books.  Parents also come to the library to socialize with other adults and learn about other styles of parenting. Children come to find books to feed their imaginations and attend events on a wide variety of intriguing topics. Teens work on group projects, check out video games, music or movies or hang out with their friends.  Adults meet with clients, check email, research upcoming travels, find their next read or attend a workshop to improve their quality of life.  Entrepreneurs come to learn how to create a business plan, network, build a client base or get financing.  Seniors come to play games to keep their minds sharp or learn how to get the most from a new smartphone.  Some commuters just want audio books and more audio books.  Some library customers rarely come into the library but have all their needs served by downloadable books and movies and online chat with a reference librarian.  Many people prefer to get their questions answered in person by a librarian, and others prefer to do their own treasure hunting. Some come for solitude, some for learning, some for socializing.

 

Providence Associates hopes to hear from hundreds of county residents whether it be by survey or face-to-face meetings.  Community Input Meetings are scheduled throughout the county.  The first will be at Calvert Pines in Prince Frederick at 7pm on Tuesday, February 28.  Wednesday, March 1, there will be a meeting 2-4pm at the Northeast Community Center.  That evening at 7pm, there will be a session at Dunkirk Fire Hall.  The final Community Input Meeting will be held at the Southern Community Center in Lusby on March 8, at 7pm.  These meetings provide an opportunity to share thoughts about what library services and facilities the community needs and wants.  Focus and stakeholder groups will be targeted to a variety of populations served by the library.

 

The first focus group will be with teens on February 16 at Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 5pm. Business leaders will meet at the Chamber of Commerce in Prince Frederick at 8:30am on Wednesday, March 1.  Healthcare, nonprofits and other community builders will meet at the Calvert Memorial Hospital Classroom 1 at 8:30am on Thursday, March 2.  On the same day, parents of preschoolers will meet at Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 10:30am.  At 3pm that afternoon, the education community, including homeschoolers, will meet at the Board of Education.  The final focus group will be for active adults and will meet at 2pm on Friday, March 3, at Calvert Library Prince Frederick.  If you are interested in attending any of the focus or stakeholder groups, please RSVP to Robyn Truslow at rtruslow@somd.lib.md.us with which group you would like to attend.  There will be light refreshments served at all of the events.  The whole community is strongly encouraged to participate in this process.  For more information, call Robyn Truslow at 410-535-0291.

 

###

 

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 undertakes Facilities Master Plan (press release)

January 31, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Robyn Truslow

410-535-0291

 

To keep pace with ongoing changes in technology, community demographics and the world in general, a Facilities Master Plan for Calvert Library is being undertaken.  An outside consultant has been hired to create a plan which will ensure that the library continues to make the best decisions for the community regarding library services and facilities.

 

An essential component of the process is community input, which will be collected through Community Input Meetings, focus groups, stakeholder meetings and a survey.  The 14-question survey is available now in English at http://bit.ly/clplansurvey and in Spanish at http://bit.ly/clplansurveyspanish.  There is also a link on the library website at CalvertLibrary.info.  Please participate in the survey and/or one of the scheduled community meetings.

 

The library obtained a grant for this project through the state Division of Library Development and Services and has contracted with Providence Associates to gather data, facilitate the community engagement process and produce a final report. Providence is utilizing the services of RRMM Lukmire Architects to analyze Calvert Library’s current facilities.   The system-wide study will result in recommendations about library sizes, features, locations, updates and critical services with an eye to flexibility for long-term success.

 

Calvert Library serves different purposes for different members of our community.  Some parents of young children use it to support the critical first five years of their child’s brain development through Storytime classes, Imagination Station play and lots of books.  Parents also come to the library to socialize with other adults and learn about other styles of parenting. Children come to find books to feed their imaginations and attend events on a wide variety of intriguing topics. Teens work on group projects, check out video games, music or movies or hang out with their friends.  Adults meet with clients, check email, research upcoming travels, find their next read or attend a workshop to improve their quality of life.  Entrepreneurs come to learn how to create a business plan, network, build a client base or get financing.  Seniors come to play games to keep their minds sharp or learn how to get the most from a new smartphone.  Some commuters just want audio books and more audio books.  Some library customers rarely come into the library but have all their needs served by downloadable books and movies and online chat with a reference librarian.  Many people prefer to get their questions answered in person by a librarian, and others prefer to do their own treasure hunting. Some come for solitude, some for learning, some for socializing.

 

Providence Associates hopes to hear from hundreds of county residents whether it be by survey or face-to-face meetings.  Community Input Meetings are scheduled throughout the county.  The first will be at Calvert Pines in Prince Frederick at 7pm on Tuesday, February 28.  Wednesday, March 1, there will be a meeting 2-4pm at the Northeast Community Center.  That evening at 7pm, there will be a session at Dunkirk Fire Hall.  The final Community Input Meeting will be held at the Southern Community Center in Lusby on March 8 at 7pm.  These meetings provide an opportunity to share thoughts about what library services and facilities the community needs and wants.  Focus and stakeholder groups will be targeted to a variety of populations served by the library.

 

The first focus group will be with teens on February 16 at Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 5pm. Business leaders will meet at the Chamber of Commerce in Prince Frederick at 8am on Wednesday, March 1.  Healthcare, nonprofits and other community builders will meet at the Calvert Memorial Hospital Classroom 1 at 8am on Thursday, March 2.  On the same day, parents of preschoolers will meet at Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 10:30am.  At 3pm that afternoon, the education community, including homeschoolers, will meet at the Board of Education.  The final focus group will be for active adults and will meet at 2pm on Friday, March 3, at Calvert Library Prince Frederick.  If you are interested in attending any of the focus or stakeholder groups, please RSVP to Robyn Truslow at rtruslow@somd.lib.md.us with which group you would like to attend.  There will be light refreshments served at all of the events.  The whole community is strongly encouraged to participate in this process.  For more information, call Robyn Truslow at 410-535-0291.

 

###

 

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!

 

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Wildlife Biologist & Brilliant Photographer Sam Droege at Calvert Library for Native Bee Talk (press release)

January 25, 2017

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Robyn Truslow

410-535-0291

 

 

Master Gardeners of Calvert County have been offering presentations at Calvert Library locations since 2002 in an award-winning series now called Garden Smarter.  In 2017, they have an impressive lineup of presenters and workshops that focus on seed swap, shade gardening, herb spirals, tomatoes, mulching, pests, fungus, aquaculture, food forests, faerie gardens, bulbs and more. They are particularly excited to bring wildlife biologist and bee expert Sam Droege to Calvert Library Prince Frederick on Thursday, February 23, at 6:30pm. 

 

Maryland is home to over 400 different kinds of native bees.  Their populations are declining, and the primary cause is not the use of pesticides but the loss of native flowers.  As the number of people have grown in Calvert County so too has the footprint of residential landscapes; these homes have replaced native plant communities with areas either lacking flowers (i.e., lawns and hard structures) or installing plants of little value to native bees. Using gorgeous photos, Sam will talk about converting his acre of lawn into an integrated flower, vegetable and bee and bird habitat and will also discuss new tools for identifying native bees on the wing.  Right now the largest crop by acreage in the United States is lawn; you can replace and integrate former lawn areas into aesthetically acceptable naturalized landscapes and do your part to helpsave the world.

 

Sam has spent most of his career at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.  He has coordinated the North American Breeding Bird Survey Program, developed the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program, the BioBlitz, Cricket Crawl and FrogwatchUSA programs and worked on the design and evaluation of monitoring programs.  Currently he is developing an inventory and monitoring program for native bees, online identification guides for North American bees at www.discoverlife.org, and with Jessica Zelt reviving the North American Bird Phenology Program.  His group maintains high resolution photographs of insects and other macro natural history objects at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/.

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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!

 

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Stop Motion Animation classes for kids at Calvert Library

Contact: Beverly Allyn Izzi

Phone: 410-535-0291 ext. 224

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

 

Stop Motion Animation classes for kids at Calvert Library

 

Are you an animation admirer? A film fanatic? A kid in 3rd to 7th  grade? Then you’re in luck! Calvert Library is offering two different Stop Motion Animation classes in February.

 

Attendees will learn the ins and outs of Stop Motion Movie making. Working in groups, participants will create, film and edit a story with JellyCam software. They will have a finished project to take home. Props, cameras and computers will be included, just bring your imagination!

 

Kids in grades 3-6 can try it out at Calvert Library Twin Beaches Branch on Thursday, February 2, 6:30-7:30pm as part of the Lab Rats program. Tweens, grades 5-7, will get a hands-on introduction to stop motion animation and will screen their own movies at Calvert Library Prince Frederick on Tuesday, February 21, from 6:30-8pm.

 

Registration is required for both events. Please call your local branch or visit the website at www.calvertlibrary.info to sign up!

 

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Beverly Allyn Izzi

Youth Services Coordinator

 

850 Costley Way

Prince Frederick, MD  20678

410.535.0291 ext. 224

Fax 410.535.3022

 

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!

 

Friday, January 13, 2017

Books in Bloom (press release)

January 13, 2017

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Robyn Truslow

410-535-0291

 

Looking for spring?  For the second year in a row, Calvert Garden Club and Calvert Library will present Books in Bloom.  Books in Bloom are floral designs inspired by a component of a book such as its title, cover, or theme.  The principal goal of the event is to educate the public about floral design and provide an opportunity for the public to participate. However, “the event has wonderful added benefits such as bringing a peek of spring blooms to the library and featuring books that you may want to read in the future,” says Books in Bloom chair Vicki Geneva.   Last year’s Books in Bloom debut featured over 30 floral displays created primarily by Calvert Garden Club (CGC) members at all Calvert Library branches.  This year’s event promises to include just as many displays with the event committee hoping to have more floral displays created by the public.

 

To encourage the public to learn about floral design and make their own arrangements, the CGC is sponsoring a Floral Design Demonstration on Saturday, January 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at Calvert Library Prince Frederick. There are no fees, but registration is required through the library. At the demonstration, three CGC members will show the steps to create a design based on a library book.  Each demonstration will feature basic floral design techniques such as using tools, trimming and soaking oasis, and preparing and selecting flowers for line and color. “Even if you are a novice, learning the basic steps will help you understand the design process,” said coordinator Joyce Fletcher. Participants will have the opportunity to observe and help, plus one lucky winner will take home one of the arrangements created at the demonstration. 

 

The theme for Books in Bloom this year will be based on “My Favorite…” adult or children’s book and while CGC members will contribute their selections, the public is encouraged to participate in the floral displays as well.  Designs will be placed at all library branches from February 27 through March 1.  The public is invited to participate by registering to present a design, or to join in enjoying the beauty of the flowers.   For more information, contact Vicki Geneva, Books in Bloom chair, 410-610-4905 or check online at https://calvertgardenclub.com/projects.

 

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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!