Good-bye Blogger - Hello New Teen Blog

Well, this is our last post on the blogger produced blog. The Teen blog will now be hosted on the Library's Teen pages. If you're coming to this blog directly instead of through the Livonia Library web site, you'll want to surf over to http://livonia.lib.mi.us/teen/ and see our brand new Teen Blog! From now on, that's where all the new posting will take place.

(Unless it gets hacked again -- then we're coming back here. But keep your fingers crossed that we don't have to go through that again.) Thanks for letting us switch it up on you one more time!

Win Original Mark Crilley Art!

If you missed Mark Crilley's visit to the Library this summer, here's your chance to take a little piece of Mark home with you. Civic Center Library is holding a drawing for an original piece of art from Mark.

You can enter the drawing by coming to the Civic Center Library (at 5 mile and Farmington) and filling out an entry form in the Teen Scene area where you can also see the art prize. The last day to enter is September 30. This contest is just for Teens (so don't tell your little brother or sister about it). Only one entry per person please.

The art features Miki, the main character from Crilley's "Miki Falls" graphic novel series. Questions? Give the Library a call at 734-466-2491. Good luck!

New pics up on the Teen web site

If you're looking for something new on the web, check out the new batch of photos up on the Teen pages on the Livonia Public Library web site (http://livonia.lib.mi.us/teen/). Just click on "photos" at the top, and you'll see a whole new mess of shots from recent happenings at the Library.

The new photos capture moments from the Teen Summer Reading Final Party (including the fashion show), author Mark Crilley's visit, video game days at the Sandburg Library, and the rock concert by One Remains!

Summer Reading '08 Wrap Up

FIND A NEW CHANNEL @ THE LIBRARY, the 2008 Teen Summer Reading Program, has come to a close. If you earned an invite to the final party, you know we had a blast with the bunjee run, fashion show, video game play, prize drawings, and tons of pizza.

262 teens signed up for the program this year! Thanks to every one of our participants and to everyone who attended our special events during the summer. It made this year's Teen Summer Reading Program a great success.

If you'd like to offer input on what next year's program will be like, come to our Teen Advisory Committee meetings (first Wednesday of every month at 6pm at Civic Center Library). It's your chance to tell us what you want to see, not just for TSRP, but for all Teen programs throughout the year.

One Remains Rocked The Library!

The One Remains performance on July 24 was a blast! The four guys (three of whom are from Livonia) gave a fantastic hour long set, featuring both original songs and covers of rock hits. About 100 people turned up to hear the show -- hopefully, you were one of them!

You can check out some shots from the show on the Teen Flickr pages. You can also see pictures from the show on the One Remains web site at http://oneremains.com/albums/724.html.

LIVE CONCERT @ THE LIBRARY: ONE REMAINS

A late addition to the Teen Summer Reading Program!

Come hear local band ONE REMAINS on Thursday, July 24, 6:30 pm as they perform live in the Civic Center Library auditorium.

The show is free. No registration is required. Could we make it any easier for you?

Don't miss out on this unique event. Come on down to the Library and rock out with One Remains!

DANCE WITH US

If you loved the dance-themed Teen Summer Reading Program a couple years back, get your dancing shows out of the closet. We've got a couple nites of free dance lessons this week:

Tuesday, 7/15, at 6:30 pm is "Step It Up And Dance" nite at the Sandburg Library.

Wednesday, 7/16, at 6:30 pm is "So You Think You Can Dance?" nite at the Civic Center Library.

Come learn some hot moves with our dance instructor!

(P.S. Our instructor suggests not wearing rubber-soled shoes to these events -- so as to not impair busting a funky fresh move.)

Fear Factor/Iron Chef Winners

If you missed out on the Fear Factor/Iron Chef nite last Wednesday (7/9), you missed out on seeing Chef Jonathan Diaz oversee a culinary competition unlike anything the library has seen before. Teens divided into teams and each team had to use surprise ingredients to create a winning dessert masterpiece. Congrats to the winning team -- The Forks -- and their creation, "Fruity Explosion."

The Forks:
Ethan Fogle
Michela Cusin
Gabriel Martinez
Daniel Martinez

You can see their winning creation here.

SPREE PASS WINNERS

Congratulations to the winners of the Spree passes:

Emily Gruden (from the Civic Center Library drawing)
Rosalia Pembroke (from the Noble Library drawing)
Kim Kelley (from the Sandburg Library drawing)

Everyone who entered during our first week of Teen Summer Reading had a chance at winning, but if you weren't one of the winners, just keep in mind that there's a ton of additional stuff we're giving away this summer. There are guaranteed prizes just for reading, additional prizes that you can compete for at our upcoming programs (like our American Gladiators obstacle course at Sandburg on Saturday, June 28 and our Cosplay Runway costume competition at Civic Center on Wednesday, July 2), plus those big ticket prizes in our final drawing at the end of the program.

So don't wait, stop by the Library and get signed up for Teen Summer Reading!

Teen Summer Reading is on the way!

No commericals! No static! No reruns! Just fun! This Summer, FIND A NEW CHANNEL @ THE LIBRARY. That's our snazzy new title for the 2008 Livonia Public Library Teen Summer Reading Program, featuring spin-offs of your favorite reality TV shows. Let's spare you the nitty gritty details. Just stop by any Livonia Library beginning June 16 to register and pick up a Reading Log. Keep track of what you're reading -- every 10 hours earns you an entry into our grand prize drawing at the end of the program. We're giving away some big ticket items, including Cedar Point tickets, a $100 Best Buy gift card, and other cool stuff.

You'll also earn coupons to local businesses, free DVD rentals and computer printouts from the Library, and other goodies when you reach 10, 25, and 35 hours of reading. You'll even get a prize pack just for registering.

We're also going to have a ton of cool events -- each based on a reality TV show -- so keep checking back here for more info about those or stop into one of the Libraries and pick up some program info. Don't miss out this summer! Tune in to Teen Summer Reading!

DDR Tournament tomorrow (5/31)!

You asked for it, and the Library delivers! Stop by the Civic Center Library tomorrow, Saturday, May 31, at 12:00 to compete in our DDR tournament. The top-scoring player will earn $25 in free DVD rentals from the Library, plus there will be runner-up prizes as well. Or just come and cheer on the competitors. We'll also have Guitar Hero on hand, and there will be a DDR freeplay session after the tournament.

We've been asking for registration, but since only a few folks signed up, we're opening up the tournament to whomever shows up at noon (so even if you didn't sign up, if you arrive at 12:00, you're definitely in for the tournament). Call the Library at 466-2197 if you have questions -- otherwise, do some warm-up stretches and come on down for competitive DDR!

Volunteers Wanted for Computer Tutoring

Calling all teens in need of community service! Civic Center Library is looking for teen volunteers to help out with our forthcoming computer tutoring service, beginning in July. As a volunteer, you would provide one-on-one tutoring in the Library to patrons who want to learn how to use a mouse, navigate windows, use a search engine, or perform other basic computer tasks.

Time commitment is negotiable. If you are interested in volunteering, please call Jack at 466-2482. This is a great way to get community service hours, so don't be shy! Volunteers will be taken on a first come, first served basis.

Anime soundtracks are here @ Noble Library!

In our continuing effort here at the Noble Library to stay on the cutting edge in offering our patrons the coolest new library materials, we've started a modest collection of Anime movie soundtracks! Nearly all Anime movie soundtracks are prohibitive for public libraries because they are issued in Japan. This not only makes it difficult to find a distributor to handle them, but usually puts them into the $35.00+ range per disc, making them somewhat cost prohibitive. But our painstaking research led us to a few popular Anime movie soundtracks that have been originally released in the United States! So we purchased a few! Here's what we were able to find available:

Princess Mononoke/Spirited Away box (OST)
Akira (OST)
Steamboy (OST)
Fullmetal Alchemist: Complete Best (OST)
Ghost in the Shell (OST)
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (OST)
The Best Of Dragonball Z: American Soundtrack Vol. I
Best Of Dragonball Z: American Soundtrack Vol. II
Neon Genesis Evangelion: 10th Anniversary (OST)
Samurai X (rurouni Kenshin) Ova (ost)
Voices of a Distant Star Soundtrack
Ranma 1/2 (OST)
Metropolis-Original Soundtrack
Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex O.S.T. +

Hmmm. 14 titles! Not a bad start, especially considering Noble Library may be the only library you'll find with any Anime soundtracks! All you fanboys and fangirls will want to hightail it over to the Noble Library to check out this new fun music. All the above titles will be housed with our music CD collection, in the SOUNDTRACKS and SHOW MUSIC section, and can be checked out just like our other CD's! However, since it's unlikely that any of these titles already have a record in our catalog, it may be a few weeks before they are processed and availablt to the public.

Teen Drawing Contest Winners

Congratulations to our 2008 Teen Drawing Contest Winners!

Manga category winners:
--Grades 7-9: Breanna Welsh, 9th grade
--Grades 10-12: Kella Hayward, 10th grade

Non-Manga category winners:
--Grades 7-9: Kirsti Ferella, 9th grade
--Grades 10-12: Bridget Sikora, 10th grade

Thanks to everyone who participated. We had 31 entries, more than double what we had last year! The top winners received gift cards to Michael's arts and crafts store, and our top 3 participants in each category have their images on display on the Teen pages of our library web site. Check them out!

FREE Comic Book Giveaway at Civic Center Library IS OVER!

We had 'em, but now we don't. The free comics have all been snatched up. Hopefully, you had the chance to take advantage of our free comic book giveaway with graphic novel check-out that began on May 1. And if you didn't, remember that we still have our graphic novel and comic book collections that can be checked out.

Teen Advisory Committee Meeting Date Change to May 14

The May T.A.C. (Teen Advisory Committee) Meeting date has been changed from May 7 to May 14. Drop in and join us in our discussion of what activities the Library should offer for Teens. We'll also be selecting the winners of the Teen Drawing Contest. We'll have snacks too, so stop by the Civic Center Library on May 14 at 6:00 PM. We'll keep a light on for you.

Happy National Library Week!

Come to the Sandburg Library and enter the "Guess the Shredded Book" contest. If you're not sure of the title, guess as many times as you'd like. Small prizes will be awarded to the correct guesser of the juvenile and teen titles.

Noble Library MANGA-fied!

Teen Manga Freaks!

You've GOTTA get over to the Teen Area at the Alfred Noble Library and see the new shelving unit that is stuffed full of nothing but the best (and complete) Manga series available for teens. Many new series have been added, including but not limited to: Nana, Negima: Magister Negi Magi!, Bleach, Ranma 1/2, MAR, Ravemaster, Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase, and Van Von Hunter.
We've also expanded the size of our Teen Fiction collection woth a dozen more shelves and tons of new titles! Come on in and see whats happening!

CIVIC CENTER LIBRARY VIDEO GAME SURVEY

Teens! Would you like to see video games that you can check out at the Library? Civic Center is planning on adding a video game collection to the Teen Area later this year, and your friendly neighborhood Teen Librarian needs your input!

1. Should the library carry just console based games (Wii, PS2, etc.) or handheld (GameBoy, DS, PSP, etc.) or both? And which platforms?

2. What specific game titles would you like to see?

3. If the Library charged a small rental fee (e.g., $1 for a one-week check-out), would you still want to check out the games?

4. Any other thoughts regarding video games in the Library?

You can respond to these questions by commenting on the blog (just click on "# Comments"). For those of you too shy to comment on the blog, write down your responses and drop them off in the suggestion box at Civic Center Library or e-mail your thoughts to jvisnaw(at)livonia(dot)lib(dot)mi(dot)us.

RELEASE FORMS STILL NEEDED

Attention: Teens who attended the March Teen Advisory Committee meeting

City Channel 8 still needs your release forms so they can broadcast the footage that was taken of the meeting. Ideally, drop off forms with parent/guardian signature ASAP to any of the Livonia libraries (ask for the Teen librarian when you drop off the form).

Otherwise, I think the City Channel 8 people are going to put big opaque boxes over your faces. So get those forms in as soon as you can!

PLAYERS AND PIECES SOUGHT FOR LIVE CHESS!

Live Chess, featuring human playing pieces, will take place at the Civic Center Library on Thursday, April 17, at 6:30 PM to celebrate National Library Week. We're looking for folks who would like to either (a) play the part of one of our living chess pieces or (b) be a player directing the live pieces.

Players should be in grades 7-12 and need to know basic chess moves.
Human pieces can be any age and do not need to know how to play the game.

We'll have snacks on hand, and there will be small prizes for the best chess player/team.

Sign up has begun! Call the Civic Center Library at (734) 466-2197 to sign up.

MORE FUN AND GAMES!

Tune In @ Your Library: Best Promotional Library Song (mp3) Contest to Celebrate Teen Tech Week
Teens: enter a nationwide promotional song contest sponsored by the American Library Association. Compose an original song promoting your library and win a prize for yourself and your favorite library. Teens may enter individually or in a group. Entries should be submitted as mp3 files files to pgoonis@livonia.lib.mi.us or noblelibrarian@yahoo.com.
For further information, check out ALA's website at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw08/contests/contests.cfm

Play Some Games at the Sandburg Library!

Spring is the time for games for teens at the Sandburg Library! Join us on Saturday March 8 for Scene It: Music Edition on DVD to test your trivial music knowledge. Come by yourself or bring a time to compete for (small) prizes! Play runs from 1 to 3:30 and includes refreshments.

Sandburg is planning a Teen Game Day during Spring Break on Thursday March 27 from 2 to 4:30 which will include DDR, Guitar Hero III, and board games. Bring your own cards or favorite board game and make a new friend while playing games.

THE TEEN BLOG WANTS YOUR COMMENTS

Have an opinion about something you read on the Teen Blog? Just click on the comments link under a particular post (where it says "0 comments," "1 comments," etc.). You'll then be able to write a short message. You'll also need to fill out the word verification field (where you type the letters you see in an image) and select an identity (just click the "anonymous" option if you aren't sure what this is).

Comments are reviewed by Livonia Librarians before they go live to the web, so don't worry if you don't see your comment right away. We definitely read every comment we receive. And we definitely want to hear what you think about stuff that's happening at the Library!

Adios Teen Book Chat -- HELLO TEEN CHAT

Civic Center Library's Teen Book Chat is transforming into TEEN CHAT, a brand new program that will kick off in March. Instead of limiting discussion just to books, the new Teen Chat will be a free-for-all discussion of books, movies, video games, comics, TV shows, or whatever media teens want to talk about.

Refreshments will continue to be served and as always, no registration is required, so if you're in grades 7-12, drop in to the first session of Teen Chat at Civic Center Library on March 8 at 1:00 pm!

SANDBURG SUMMER ART CAMP DISPLAY AT CIVIC CENTER LIBRARY

Stop by the Art Gallery at Civic Center Library to see the results of our week long Summer Art Camp held at the Sandburg Library last August. Items will be on display in the Art Gallery for the whole month of February.

CONTEST MANIA AT THE LIBRARY!

We still have two great contests going on across the entire Livonia Library system.

SNOW SCULPTURE CONTEST: The weather has been up and down, but take advantage of the next snowfall and create a sculpture out of snow, then submit a photograph of it by 5:00 pm on Saturday, March 1, 2008. You can submit your photo in person at any Livonia branch library or via e-mail to pgoonis{at}livonia.lib.mi.us, noblelibrarian{at}yahoo.com, or jvisnaw{at}livonia.lib.mi.us. (Substitue @ for {at}. We just put {at} on the blog so we don't get hammered by the spam bots.) Be sure to include your name, grade, school, and a contact phone # or e-mail address. Winners will receive fabulous prizes. Additional consideration will be given to literary or library themed entries. Winners will be chosen by our Teen Advisory Committee panel during the first week of March. No inappropriate themes please. Open to all teens in grades 7-12.

DRAWING CONTEST: This contest is also open to all Teens in grades 7-12. There are two categories: (1) Manga/ Anime styled entries and (2) traditional, non-Manga/Anime styled drawings. Artists can submit a single drawing in either category or one for both categories. Hand deliver your best work, along with your name, grade, school and phone # and/or e-mail address to any Livonia Library branch or e-mail a digital image to pgoonis{at}livonia.lib.mi.us, noblelibrarian{at}yahoo.com, or jvisnaw{at}livonia.lib.mi.us. Deadline for all submissions is Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. Prizes will be awarded for winners. Winners will be chosen by our Teen Advisory Committee panel during the first week in May. No inappropriate themes please.

TEEN MANGA AND MAGAZINES AT CIVIC CENTER LIBRARY

A couple changes have happened in the Teen Scene area at Civic Center Library:

1. Teen Magazines have debuted! A slew of new titles are now available for browsing, and back issues are available to be checked out. Available titles include Electronic Gaming Monthly, Seventeen, Wizard, ESPN magazine, New York Times UpFront, Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, Slam, Girls Life, and Teen Trend (with additional titles to come).


2. Teen Graphic Novels have now split off a separate Teen Manga collection. You can find Manga graphic novels on the spinner racks where the Teen Series Books used to be. Civic Center Library will be expanding its Manga collection this year, so look for A LOT more Manga to start appearing. (And don't worry, Teen Series books haven't disappeared; you can find them interfiled with regular Teen Fiction. And regular Teen Graphic Novels featuring X-Men, Star Wars, etc. are still in their previous location).

Not sure what I'm talking about? Stop by the Library and take a look!

THE TEEN BLOG RETURNS

Despite a little hacking problem, the Teen Blog is back! We'll be trying a different kind of blog (or two) over the next few months. Let us know what you think about it!