Garden Smarter at Calvert Library (press release)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

December 15, 2017                                                                                                                                                                                                  Robyn Truslow

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    410-535-0291

 

Garden Smarter at Calvert Library

 

The Master Gardeners and Calvert Library have been offering free classes for many years.  According to Master Gardener coordinator Denise Moroney, “More and more people are deciding to grow their own vegetables, host bees or simply make the most of their natural surroundings through butterfly gardens, native plantings, environmentally-smart fertilizing. The Master Gardeners love sharing what they’ve learned from their own experiences and classes.”  Between the Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists and other volunteers that embrace nature, there will be 25 classes and a May 5 plant sale in 2018.  You can find the complete list on the Calvert Library website (calvertlibrary.info).  Most are taught on Saturdays from 10am to 11:30am at Calvert Library Prince Frederick, but at least one event will be hosted at each library branch as well as at the Community Resources Building, 30 Duke Street, Prince Frederick. 

 

The series kicks off with the very popular Seed Exchange on Saturday, January 20, at Calvert Library Prince Frederick. Registration begins at 9:30am. Gardeners can bring their unused or saved seeds from the last five years to trade and learn from fellow gardeners.  There are always plenty of seeds and many interesting varieties to try so come even if you only have a few to share. The exchange does not accept PVP, GMO or chemically treated seeds. Check out Calvert County Master Gardener Facebook page for a few other guidelines. 

 

Some of the other topics being offered this year include companion planting, attracting pollinators, understanding your plants’ needs (Did Your Plant Die or Did You Kill It?), healing gardens, container gardening, pesticide use, birding, invasive plant ID, herb spiral, designing with bulbs and more.

 

A couple of special evening events in the series will be held at Calvert Library Prince Frederick. On Thursday, February 22, at 6:30pm, MNCPPC Naturalist Greg Kearns will share his beautiful photos of ospreys and discuss their biology, nesting, migration and other interesting facts about this “unique species of raptor.”  On May 9, Greg Bowen, American Chestnut Land Trust Executive Director, will talk about the work land trusts do to save rural landscapes and the Bay.

 

If you are growing your own food, you are probably a foodie and possibly a locavore so you might be interested in joining Calvert Eats Local. You can join free by contacting Robyn Truslow at Calvert Library Prince Frederick at 410-535-0291. The winter potluck is Monday, January 22 at 7:00pm at Chesapeake’s Bounty in North Beach. Bring your plate, utensils, cup and napkin for a truly “green” experience!

 

For details, call Robyn Truslow at 410-535-0291 or 301-855-1862.

 

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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 Reports and Re-Challenges (press release)

December 11, 2017

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Robyn Truslow

410-535-0291

 

Summer is the time for relaxation, vacations and warm days at the beach, but at Calvert Library, summer is also the time for reading!  In June 2017, Calvert Library unveiled its brand new reading initiative, #calvertREADS.  The idea was simple—to participate, all you had to do was read!  Throughout the summer, Calvert County residents were encouraged to read and then log their books on the library’s website.  Participants were also encouraged to create their own personal reading goal for the summer and to share this personal challenge via the library’s website and social media.

 

The response was overwhelming!  The Calvert County Schools helped students get registered and encouraged them to read over the summer.  Many adults challenged themselves to a summer reading goal. The overall ambition was for Calvert Library customers to read and log 30,000 books in June, July and August.  By summer’s end, readers had logged an amazing 42,469 books!  Participation came in all age groups from babies to octogenarians and from all over the county. 

 

“We have always encouraged kids to read over the summer, but #calvertREADS represented our first county-wide, all-ages reading initiative—a challenge where all Calvert County residents were encouraged to engage in their community and share a love of reading,”  reports Melissa DeCesaris, team leader of the #calvertREADS team for Calvert Library.

 

After the success of the summer program, Calvert Library decided to participate in a nationwide Winter Reading Challenge from January 1 to January 31.  Billionaire investor and Shark Tank personality Mark Cuban has announced his sponsorship of the inaugural Beanstack Winter Reading Challenge in support of local libraries. Cuban has challenged close to 100 libraries all over the country to meet a collective goal of reading at least 1.3 million minutes and 55,000 books during the month of January. If achieved, Cuban pledges to donate $25,000 to First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides new books, learning materials and other essentials to children in need.  He will also give $10,000 for the top-performing libraries to use for their community programs. 

 

How can you help? Join library customers across the country to transform lives with the gift of reading.  If you have students in the school system, you may have already heard about the Winter Challenge.  Calvert County students and adults are urged to read and log a total of 5,000 books for the month of January as our part of the national challenge.  “We are very excited to be a part of the Beanstack Winter Reading Challenge,” says Calvert Library Director Carrie Plymire.  “Participating is a win-win-win for our customers.  You get the pleasure of reading a book, the library gets the chance to win money to support our classes and events, and nationally First Book gets a donation to provide books to low-income students."

 

Calvert Library will use Beanstack, an innovative software that facilitates reading programs for schools and libraries, to make it easy to track the number of books read. "After doing a storytime for my local library, Dallas Public Library, I became increasingly inspired by the work libraries do for their communities," says Cuban. "Growing up, my mom used to give me a quarter for every book I read. Through reading programs libraries run with Beanstack, they are providing these kinds of incentives for readers throughout the community. I love the idea that we will encourage readers through a shared, ambitious goal, and that the prize for everyone will be to pay it forward to an awesome organization focused on literacy and access to books."

 

Since its founding in 1992, First Book has distributed more than 170 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families.

"I believe that the most powerful force in the world is empathy," says First Book's president, co-founder and CEO Kyle Zimmer. "It is truly an honor to be selected by libraries and to have the reward for participants' reading be to collectively given to First Book—bringing the joy of reading through books and resources to so many more children. What a wonderful way to build empathy and community. First Book is an ardent supporter of libraries, and we are thrilled to be part of this program. We will absolutely put that $25,000 to work, serving kids in need."

 

To participate in the #calvertREADS Winter Reading Challenge from January 1 to January 31, summer readers need only to sign in to their #calvertREADS account on the library’s website at www.calvertlibrary.info and click on the 2018 Winter Challenge program to participate. Readers can expect some exciting new additions to the library’s online program including the ability to add book titles by ISBN numbers and the opportunity to add picture reviews of the titles they have logged.  Yes, you can add animated gifs!  Missed out on the summer reading fun in 2017? New participants can sign up for an account on the library’s website.  More information is available at every Calvert Library location.

 

So get ready to read Calvert County and join the #calvertREADS Winter Reading Challenge—after reading more than 40,000 books in the summer, 5,000 will be a breeze!

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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!