Fall is finally here, and with it cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and—of course—Halloween and Thanksgiving! This year, we want to make your Halloween extra spooktacular with fun events for the entire family all October long. (Seriously, check out ALL THE HALLOWEEN THINGS listed below). Then, before you know it, the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations will begin!

We have one seasonal event that is specially designed to bring the whole community together. Our Pumpkin Spooktacular features contests, decorating parties, and an illuminated pumpkin path filled with spooktacular jack-o’-lanterns and whimsical pumpkins decorated by members of your community! But we need your help to pull it off and spread the word; learn more at bcplib.org/spooktacular.

Halloween & Day of the Dead Celebrations

• ¡Día de Muertos vuelve a la vida!   Children of All Ages
• Halloween Family Storytime  Children of All Ages & Their Families
• Family Movie Night: Hocus Pocus   All Ages
• Ghost Stories and Songs from the Mountain   All Ages
• Makerspace: Cardboard Monsters Ages 12–18
• Nailed It!: Halloween Edition   Ages 12–18
• Off the Shelf Teen Book Club: Goosebumps  Ages 12–18
• Pinterest Wars: Spook Your Opponent   Ages 5–11
• Pumpkin Spooktacular: Nighttime Walkabout   Ages 5 & Up
• Random Fandom Gaming Night: Ghostbusters   Ages 10–18
• Slightly Batty Halloween Wingding   Children of All Ages
• Storytime: Trick-or-Treat Party  Week of Halloween! Ages 3–5
• Toddler Time: Trick-or-Treat Party  Week of Halloween! Ages 0–2

Thanksgiving Celebrations

• Cornucopia of Stories  Children of All Ages & Their Families
• DIY Thanksgiving Plates   All Ages
• Feather Painting   Ages 3–5
• Stay tuned! More Thanksgiving-inspired events are coming soon!

At BCPL, we envision an interconnected community in which every person experiences an enriched quality of life… and that’s where you come in!

Please join with us to create a Pumpkin Spooktacular for our entire community to enjoy. Enter our contests to create the most spooktacular pumpkin of them all, vote for your favorite pumpkins to determine our winners, and attend special events—including decorating parties and an illuminated tour of our pumpkin path after dark. It’s all happening this Halloween at Hillview Branch Library!

Pumpkin Spooktacular Contest

INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY PARTICIPATION
Individuals or family groups are invited to submit one decorated pumpkin for our Pumpkin Spooktacular walking trail. Decorate your pumpkin using whatever materials you like—the sky’s the limit. But no carving or puncturing of your pumpkin is allowed.

You may enter a library-supplied pumpkin from one of our decorating parties, or you can purchase and decorate a pumpkin at home.

• PUMPKIN DROP-OFF:
  If you choose to decorate your pumpkin at home, submissions must be dropped off at Hillview Branch Library on Friday, October 25th or Saturday, October 26th during regular library hours between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM.
• PRIZE:
  In addition to bragging rights, the patron contest winner(s) will receive a $25 Walmart gift card.

BUSINESS & ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATION
Bring on the jack-o’-lanterns! Local businesses and organizations can get in on the fun too. Participating organizations may submit one carved pumpkin. You bring the carved jack-o’-lantern; we’ll provide the illumination!

• PUMPKIN DROP-OFF:
  Friday, October 25th & Saturday, October 26th | 9:00 AM–5:00 PM

VOTING: October 26th–30th
Voting kicks off on Saturday, October 26th during our Nighttime Walkabout! Library patrons and visitors who can’t attend the Nighttime Walkabout can still visit the Pumpkin Spooktacular walking trail and vote for their favorite pumpkin until 8:00 PM on Wednesday, October 30th. Then we’ll tally the votes and announce the winners on Halloween!

Pumpkin Spooktacular Events

Pumpkin Decorating Parties
Come decorate a fun or spooky pumpkin to be showcased in our Nighttime Walkabout! 

• Thursday, October 24th | 6:00–7:00 PM | Registration Required
• Friday, October 25th | 12:00–4:30 PM | Registration Required

Nighttime Walkabout
Visit the library after dark to take a stroll along our pumpkin path filled with spooktacular creations provided by members of the community. Costumes welcome! 

• Saturday, October 24th | 7:30–9:30 PM | Just drop in!

…And don’t forget to vote for your favorite pumpkins!

Saturday, October 26th (opens 7:30 PM)–Wednesday, October 30th (closed 8:00 PM)
Voting will be open during Saturday evening’s Nighttime Walkabout and during regular library hours thereafter.

Let BCPL help you explore the new season!

From the bustling activity of spring cleaning to the weather warm-up, spring is the season of renewal. Flowers bloom, wildlife prospers, and spirits lift. BCPL wants to help you enjoy the season to its fullest, and we offer a wide variety of resources and upcoming events to help you get motivated for and excited about the brand new season!

Celebrate Nature, Gardening & More

• Paint Hive Boxes | various dates
• Make DIY Terrariums | Tuesday, March 19th
• Build a Birdhouse | Saturday, March 30th
• Earth Day Festival 2019 | Saturday, April 20th
• Seed & Plant Exchange | Saturday, April 27th
• Homemade Homegrown Fest series | Begins May 18th

Make the Most of Spring Break

• Spring Break Crafternoon | Monday, April 1st
  1:00–2:00 PM @Lebanon Junction
• Spring Break Crafternoon | Tuesday, April 2nd
  1:00–2:00 PM @Ridgway Memorial
• Random Fandom Gaming Night: Spring Break Free Play  | Thursday, April 4th
  4:00–7:00 PM @Ridgway Memorial, Hillview, Mt. Washington
• Disney Matinee | Friday, April 5th 
  10:00 AM–3:00 PM @Hillview

Get Egg-cited about Easter

• Bunny Bonanza (with the Bun Bun Brigade) | Saturday, April 6th
• Easter Egg Slime | Monday, April 8th
• Eggstract Art | Friday, April 12th
• Some Bunny to Love | Saturday, April 13th
• Peeps Catapult | Wednesday, April 17th

Book suggestions and more coming soon!

Take BCPL’s Black History Month Challenge this February!
February 1st–28th

Learn more about African-American history, culture, milestones, and achievements… You can choose from over 40 activities. Activities range from exploring African-American art and literature to learning more about the Black experience in Bullitt County’s past to enjoying tasty cuisine or an impromptu Motown dance party.

You can read, listen, watch, or even create for your chance to win awesome prizes! Three lucky winners will be selected in a random prize drawing, and winners will get to choose their own prize.

Prize choices include:

• Tickets to Keystone Cinemas in Mt. Washington
• Tickets to Rave Movie Theaters in Okolona
• Tickets to Jim Beam Distillery Tour in Clermont
• Tickets to Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
• Tickets to Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville
• Tickets to the Frazier History Museum in Louisville

How to Participate:

STEP 1: Register for an account in Beanstack (if you haven’t already)
If you already have an account but you forgot your login credentials, stop by any BCPL location for help retrieving your info.

STEP 2: Complete activities to earn badges.
Badges are earned by completing any activity in a selected category—and you’ll have several activities to choose from in each category! 

STEP 3: Earn at least 3 badges to be entered in the Black History Month Challenge prize drawing! …And you can earn more badges for more chances at winning!

Did you know that the tradition of New Year’s resolutions goes as far back as the ancient Babylonians? That’s nearly four thousand years of people carrying an unfailing belief in goal setting and new beginnings. Inspiring, right?

But unfortunately, New Year’s resolutions are much easier to make than to achieve. Sometimes we don’t even know where to begin. We have a tendency to set huge, unrealistic goals, rather than focusing on smaller, more achievable options. As a result, often people don’t actually believe they’ll stick to their goals, and by February, they’ve given up entirely. Failure in any capacity is very disheartening, and can affect our self-esteem and our drive to keep trying.

Part of that inability to follow through could be because we know what we want to accomplish, but we don’t put much thought into how we’re going to achieve it. We have to step back from the emotional side of setting resolutions and create a step-by-step plan for making them happen. Doing so can lessen anxiety, improve focus, and boost confidence—making success far more likelVisit Sitey.

Just as we did in 2018, BCPL wants to help you set and keep your New Year’s resolutions. Throughout the month of January, we’ll be exploring some of the most common resolutions people make and sharing how you can use your library resources to reach your goals. Along the way, we’ll also share some helpful tips on how to keep your momentum going!

No one is perfect, and the path to keeping your goals won’t be either. If you fall behind, be kind to yourself and get right back on the path. Set your plans, but be flexible, too. And remember, small victories lead to big goals!

RESOLUTION #1:

Money is an unfortunate necessity in life. We need it to pay for simple living necessities, like a home to live in, water to drink, food to eat, and electricity to keep us warm. People also have an innate desire to make memories, and while there are many things you can do that don’t cost money, a lot of things we enjoy do.

But man—keeping your finances in order is HARD! Saving money, budgeting money, investing your money: these are things they don’t always teach you in school. There are methods we can use to keep our finances in order, but without the knowledge, we don’t know where to start.

RESOLUTION #2

Life is so hectic! You get up, take the kids to school, and go to work, then after a long work day, it’s time to pick the kids up, cook dinner (or let’s be honest, it’s probably take out, right? Who has time to cook?), go to bed, and then do it ALL over again the next day. Where are you supposed to fit in being healthy and active?

According to Harvard University, it’s important to our health to stay active. Physical activity keeps our hearts, bodies, and brains healthy and functioning. We all pretty much understand this, but finding time to exercise, eat better, and take care of our mental and emotional needs is difficult in such a fast-paced society.

RESOLUTION #3

Humans have a deep-seated desire to create, learn, and connect to the world around us. Even if you aren’t an artistically inclined person, everyone has hobbies that give them a sense of satisfaction—whether it’s painting a mountain landscape or collecting back issues of National Geographic. Many of us have hobbies we would love to pick up, but can’t seem to find the chance (or the time) to do so.

Believe it or not, your library is a hotbed of opportunities for you to finally check out that hobby you’ve always been interested in.

RESOLUTION #4

We all have that friend that always seems so calm, cool, and collected. He/she works full time, maintains perfect relationships with her family, never misses an event, and has it together so well she’d give you the shirt off her back if you needed it.

But here’s a secret you may not know—that exterior is a myth. Nobody lives a completely balanced life. Even the person you think has everything figured out! But we have tips and strategies on how you can feel a little more balanced. And for a solid perspective on living your best life in 2019, we suggest you check out our Color Your Year Pretty series with local author Stephanie Feger.

Please use this form to contact or ask questions of our Interlibary Loan Clerk. To request an ILL, please use the Interlibrary Loan Request form.

BCPL is jumping on the Great American Reads bandwagon!

Designed to spark a national conversation about reading, literacy, and the books that have inspired us, moved us, and shaped us, The Great American Read is an eight-part PBS series and nationwide competition that explores the joy of books and the power of reading through the prism of America’s 100 best-loved books, as voted on by the public. That’s a mission we can get behind!

To that end, BCPL is hosting a three-month reading and activity challenge to help teens and adults celebrate our love of great books along with the rest of the nation. Participants will read, share, watch, and vote for a chance to win titles from the Great American Read collection of America’s 100 best-loved novels. Several winners will be chosen.

Participate with BCPL!

Join Our Reading and Activity Program

STEP 1: Register for an account in Beanstack.
If you participated in the Cultural Pass program, you already have a Beanstack account. If you forgot your login credentials, stop by any BCPL location for help retrieving your info.

STEP 2: Complete activities to earn badges.
Vote for America’s best-loved novel, join a book club, read books, watch videos, share book reviews, and more.

STEP 3: Earn at least 3 badges to be entered in the Great Prize drawings. Earn at least 10 badges to be entered in the Grand Prize drawing!

Read with BCPL’s Off the Shelf Teen Book Club

Join us at Lebanon Junction Branch Library on the 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month to hang out, eat snacks, and talk about books! Ages 13–17.

• Tuesday, September 11th | 4:00–6:00 PM
  SELECTION: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Tuesday, September 25th | 4:00–6:00 PM
  SELECTION: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Tuesday, October 9th | 4:00–6:00 PM
  SELECTION: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
• Tuesday, October 23rd | 4:00–6:00 PM
  SELECTION: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Learn More about This National Movement

View the List of 100 Books

Included titles were selected and voted on by the American public.

Watch the PBS Launch Special

As we move forward with our strategic plan, we are already stepping up and delivering on one of its key goals: Early Literacy Support.

The building blocks of literacy and language are said to form in the first three years of a child’s life. Reading to or with a child helps form connections within the brain that are key to understanding how printed words work, to building a vocabulary, and for increasing general knowledge. It is important to build and develop the process of reading before kindergarten so children are not only able to read before the first day of school but are also prepared to learn.

The six skills for early literacy development are:

• Letter Knowledge
  Understanding that letters are different from each other and knowing letter names and sounds.
  TIP: Look for alphabet books and shape books (because letters are built on shapes).
• Narrative Skills
  Being able to tell stories and describe things and events.
  TIP: Look for books that provide opportunities to have your child explain what is happening in the book and/or infer meaning from visual cues.
• Phonological Sensitivity
  Being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds that make up words. Understanding that letters are different from each other and knowing letter names and sounds.
  TIP: Look for books that feature rhyming text, a sing-song rhythm, and/or sound words like tweet, vroom, kerplunk, boom, or splat.
• Print Awareness
  Noticing print everywhere (not just in books), understanding that print has meaning, and knowing how to handle a book and follow print on a page.
  TIP: Look for books with whimsical text or bold, easy-to-identify printed words as well as stories that demonstrate the organization and sequence of reading a story or list.
• Print Motivation
  Being interested in and enjoying books.
  TIP: Look for interactive books, books with bright illustrations or photos, and/or very funny or relatable stories.
• Vocabulary
  Knowing the names of things.
  TIP: Look for books that identify objects and use new and interesting words.

Early Literacy Programming @BCPL

Our early literacy programs are designed to help kids develop early literacy skills while modeling useful techniques for parents and caregivers. We aim to teach children about storytelling, good listening and conversation skills, being part of a group, and more.

Ongoing early literacy events include:

• Storytime   Ages 3–5
• Toddler Time   Ages 0–2
• Storytime with Hoopla   Ages 3–5

Special upcoming events include:

• 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Party   Ages 0–5

1,000 Books Before Kindergarten: Get the Whole Family Involved!

Reading with children builds vocabulary and language skills, and it introduces them to a wide range of books and stories to spark their imaginations. Studies have shown that the earlier we read, sing, and speak to children, the earlier they have a desire to learn and the skills to do so. Starting early—before kindergarten—is key to a child’s success through their school years and into adulthood.

But our 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program goes beyond helping children develop early literacy skills and prepare for kindergarten. Reading together is fun and will create lifelong memories. The whole family can get involved, and celebrating milestones can become a fun family bonding activity! The key is perseverance, and BCPL will provide incentive prizes and regular celebrations of the child’s reading accomplishments to help participants remain excited and motivated to meet their goal.

Learn more or sign up now with Beanstack!

We’re changing our cataloging and checkout software to a more powerful platform, which means you’re also getting a new online catalog for finding books, placing holds, and checking your account online! The new catalog will offer you lots of cool new features, including MUCH better integration with digital resources like Hoopla. In the meantime, there will be some downtime in late August when you will not be able to renew your materials online or check your account. No late fines will be charged during this transition period.

Here’s the timeline for what you can expect:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24th
Our online catalog will close for business. This means you will not be able to check your account online, renew items, or place holds. If you need to find the location of an item while the online catalog is unavailable, please ask a BCPL staff member for help.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24th–FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th
Fine freeze!!!! While we are transitioning to our new system and because you will lose online access to your account for a short period, no overdue charges will accrue during this timeframe. It is our goal to make the changeover as painless as possible, and we appreciate your patience as we work to make our system better.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30th
We are officially switching to the new system! Most account services should be operating normally by the end of the day. Some functionality may take a little longer and the new catalog interface will still be under construction, but we believe the inconvenience of this process will be worth the wait!

Here are just a few things you can look forward to with the new system:

• Longer renewal periods on books, audiobooks, and more!
  When we go live with our new system, we are also extending our renewal period on select items. Currently, we offer up to two 14-day renewals on books, magazines, books on CD or MP3, and Playaways. In the new system, you will be able to renew these items for up to 21 days at a time as long as no one else is waiting for them. Not only does this give you the ability to keep items longer when you need to, we’re also making your due dates more straightforward and easier to keep up with.
• Keeping your checkout history!
  The new system will allow you to keep track of the materials you’ve checked out for future reference. Some of you have asked about this in the past, and we’re excited to finally say YES YOU CAN. But you don’t have to keep that history if you don’t want to; for privacy purposes, this will be a completely voluntary service. Please note, you will only be able to view your checkout history beginning with the date you opt-in to the service.
• And we really can’t say it enough: better integration with our digital resources!
  Streaming and downloadable e-books, magazines, movies, and music from most of our e-media providers will be available for check out directly from our catalog. This includes Hoopla, Kentucky Libraries Unbound, and RBdigital! There’s no need to access or search each e-media site separately—you don’t even need to know which platforms to search. You can browse the full Digital Library or search for a particular format, like Kindle or MP3. And not only can you download directly from the online catalog, if the title you want isn’t immediately available, you can also place a hold right there in the catalog—just as you would for a physical item!

Use this form to send questions or comments to our Public Relations Coordinator. Applicants for the Administrative Assistant position should also use this form to submit the requested samples of their work.

Play BattleKasters at any BCPL location for your chance to win a one-day guest pass to Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay!

Close the Stonefire Portal by 7:59 PM on Thursday, July 12th and crack the leaderboards at any BCPL location to secure your spot in our special prize drawing! On Friday, July 13th, all current board leaders will be entered in a random drawing. Five (5) total guest passes to Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay will be awarded. Winners will be announced NO LATER than Tuesday, July 17th.

About Kentucky Kingdom

The Kentucky Kingdom Day Ticket is valid for one entry during the 2018 season. For more information on the 2018 calendar or rides and attractions, visit the Kentucky Kingdom website. Thank you to Kentucky Kingdom for your donation of 3 of the passes included in our prize drawing!

About BattleKasters

This Pokémon Go-style mobile game—exclusively offered at BCPL during SummerQuest!—turns each BCPL location into a virtual game board. Questing players collect digital trading cards and cast magic spells that change the state of the game for everyone playing. Come in any time we’re open and begin your BattleKasters quest!

View Leaderboards »

Getting Started

Playing on Your Personal Mobile Device

You may install BattleKasters from Google Play or the Apple App store. Search for BattleKasters.

Playing on a BattleKasters iPod

You may check out a BattleKasters iPod from the main service desk for 1 hour. To check out a BattleKasters iPod, you must be at least 13 years old, have an up-to-date BCPL account in good standing, and leave something of value until the device is returned. You will be responsible for the full cost of any damaged or lost BattleKaster iPod. BattleKasters iPods must not be taken outside of the library for any reason.

Gameplay Overview

The Basics

BattleKasters is a mobile game full of quests set in the Legends of Orkney universe, the book series created by Alane Adams. Players explore the library, guided by game hints, to discover and enter locations set in the land of Orkney within the game.

When a player is in the correct Orkney location within the library, their device will vibrate and a graphic will light up and spin in the game. Some Orkney locations will not appear until you have made a certain amount of progress within the game. Players enter Orkney locations within the game to collect Wisdom cards. Players then combine Wisdom cards to cast spells on other players, on locations, or on themselves. There are many achievements players may earn in the game. There are over 60 cards to collect. The main quest is to close the Stone Fire portal.

This year at SummerQuest, we’re celebrating The Great Outdoors and encouraging our patrons to get out and get moving in the community!

Get outside!
Many of our family programs this summer are geared to encourage patrons to spend time outdoors and in their community. Too often, we spend our time online or watching television, and we forget there’s an entire world to see. So why don’t you start with BCPL’s exciting summer programs? Be sure to check out Adventures Await! with Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, and the survivalists among you won’t want to overlook Paracord “Survival” Bracelet. Yes, the guys too. If you think bracelets are just pretty trinkets for women, this program plans to prove you wrong!

Experience Bullitt County!
Summer is the best time to put those phones and computers away and explore some new places. We’ve even made it easier for you to discover new venues! If your kiddo picks up a Kids’ Summer Adventure Guide and wins the first leg of the reading log, their prize is a fun Scavenger Hunt map of Bullitt County! Visit historical markers to learn about the county’s history and discover fun family programs outside of the Library. Adventure awaits!

Expand your mind!
If you’re a youth aged 0-21 (or the parent of one!), don’t miss the Cultural Pass—your ticket to more than 40 arts and culture venues in the Louisville Metro area. Beat the summer slump and feed your creative mind at places like Frazier History Museum, Gheens Science Hall and Rauch Planetarium, Kentucky Science Center, Louisville Zoo, Speed Art Museum, and many more!