Hot Topics Blog

The new Jarrettsville Branch will open its doors on May 1st. This is a beautiful branch and we are delighted to share it with the Jarrettsville community that worked so hard in support of this building. The Grand Opening ceremonty will be May 24th, but please, come and take a look. See more photos.

Over 40 contestants particpated in our Open Mike and Slam Poetry Night at the Bel Air Branch last Friday. The whole evening was great fun. See more pics on the TeenZone.

Yep, it's TV Turn Off Week and although this might be traumatic at your house (certainly, the shocked faces at dinner yesterday were an indication of bewilderment at our house) ... there's plenty to do at the library. Each branch is planning a variety of activities and events, so drop by and check the schedule. In the meantime, turn off your TV and turn on life! Make a promise to yourself to turn off your TV for one week, sign a pledge card and receive a certificate and a chance to win an official 2006 T-shirt. Search our Events Calendar!

Book Sale Preview begins on Friday at 5pm at the Fallston Branch for all the Library Friends and then runs all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon during library hours. Support the library: buy a book! In case you're wondering about the Friends Groups... all branches are supported by a local group of volunteers.

It's hard to believe but the Rolling Reader is 5 years old this month. Since 2001, the Rolling Reader has been visiting after school programs for grades K-8. Currently, Rolling Reader is visiting 18 facilities each and every month during the school year. On April 25th, the kids at the YMCA center at Church Creek Elementary in Riverside will help us celebrate with a birthday cake and a surprise visit from Tales, the library mascot.

It's not too late to check out this Writer's Group in Havre de Grace. Faithfully meeting each month, this group is appropriate for both the amateur writer as well as the blossoming professional.

Bring some of your work to share or just come to listen.

This month's meeting: Thursday, April 20th at 6:30 pm. No need to register, just come.

Have you thought about joining a Book Discussion Group? We've got several groups that meet at a variety of different times, from daytime to weekends and evenings. Some groups are just for adults or just for moms or just for kids... check it out.

It's Open Mike and Slam Poetry Night at the Bel Air Branch. Please join guest slam poets Chris August and Grandma Dave Schein on Friday, April 21st at the Bel Air Branch as we celebrate National Poetry Month.

For those of you unfamiliar with Slam Poetry, Wikipedia says, "Slam poetry is a postmodern form of performance poetry that occurs within a competitive poetry event, called a "slam", at which poets perform their own poems (or, in rare cases, those of others) that are "judged" on a numeric scale by randomly picked members of the audience. It can also consist of several poets performing without being judged."

As many of you have heard, BRAC (Base Realignment and Closures) is expected to have a huge impact inHarford County and Maryland over the next ten years. HCPL has posted a page of helpful links that will be updated periodically as county plans progress.

The library is becoming the place to go to Meet the Authors!

On Tuesday, April 11th, the Edgewood Branch is bringing Alan Sitomer to talk about his new book, Hip-Hop High School and what a difference they have made in the lives of teens in the Los Angeles area. We are looking forward to this dynamic author/speaker here.
According to the Official Hip-Hop High School website...
Aside from being a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and greeting card author (yes, your granny may have been wished Happy Birthday via one of his wondrous creations), Alan Lawrence Sitomer is also an inner-city high school teacher in Los Angeles. His self-proclaimed mission is to inspire, educate, brighten and delight the lives of others through the written and spoken word.

Coming up...
Denny Lynch on April 17th at the Joppa Branch. Known for his inspiring photographs of Ireland and Irish Heritage, Mr. Lynch has now turned his fine-tuned eye to Paris and it's a Paris that is quite off the beaten path.
You’ve never seen Paris like this! This program is funded by grants from the Maryland State Arts Council and Harford County Government through the Harford County Cultural Arts Board. Here's a small sample of what you might see on the 17th: Denny Lynch Photographs.

Hello everyone and welcome to the HCPL News & Events blog. We hope to keep you up to date with everything that's happening at the library and library news in general.