Rapid City Public Library

Rough Rider President Teddy Roosevelt to come to the Library

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:18:30 -0600

Meet the Rough Rider President at the libraries' Community Voices program on Thursday, February 9, from 6:30-8 p.m. Darrel Draper, an independent scholar from Omaha, Nebraska will portray Theodore Roosevelt. His presentation will include President Roosevelt's personal and political life as well as his ranching experience in Dakota Territory. This event takes place at the downtown Rapid City Public Library located at 610 Quincy St.

This program is made possible with a grant from the South Dakota Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Find out about library resources, services and events by visiting our website at www.rapidcitylibrary.org.

RCPL Welcomes New Foundation Board Member

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:09:30 -0600

The Rapid City Public Libraries would like to welcome Al Rodriguez as a new member to the Rapid City Public Library Foundation board.

Al graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering. He has over 25 years of experience in the field of Engineering, Information Technology and Project Management. He is the president of Curry Masala Inc. and Abstract Logic Systems. His vision is to incorporate new technologies in supporting and enriching the resources of the Rapid City Public Library. He also hopes to promote innovative programs that can benefit Rapid City and promote greater awareness of the Rapid City Public Library's valuable resources.

Find out about library resources, services and events by visiting our website at www.rapidcitylibrary.org.

"It Came from the Library…" Film Series to Start in January

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:53:30 -0600

With the start of a new year, the Rapid City Public Libraries are all about new programs! The film series, "It Came from the Library…" will take place the fourth Thursday of the month and will feature classic B-rated sci-fi and horror films.

"Teenagers from Outer Space" will be showing for the first installment on January 26 at 6 p.m. in Meeting Room B upstairs at the downtown library. In the film a young alien (David Love) falls for a pretty teenage Earth girl (Dawn Anderson) and they team up to try to stop the plans of his invading cohorts. Come see it on the big screen and enjoy popcorn and refreshments!

"It Came from the Library…" will run from January through May and then will pick back up in September and run Through December. There will be a new featured movie each month. For more information about Library events and to find a list of upcoming titles for the film series, visit our website at www.rapidcitylibrary.org.

RCPL Welcomes New Foundation Board Members

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:03:30 -0600

The Rapid City Public Libraries would like to welcome three new members to the Rapid City Public Library Foundation board – Laura Patterson, Greg Blow, and Calvin Sievers.

Laura Patterson is currently the Director of Compensation, Benefits and HR Systems at Black Hills Corporation. Her past community involvements include a two year term on the Rapid City Public Library Board of Trustees. She is also currently involved with Habitat for Humanity and Leadership Rapid City.

Laura believes that the Rapid City Public Libraries are well designed and user-friendly. She supports the continued development of mobile and easy to use library services, promotion of the Black Hills Knowledge Network, as well as collaboration and advancing community partnerships. She hopes to help the libraries continue to provide valuable services and to become a focal point of the community. Laura received a Bachelor's of Business Administration degree from the University of Iowa.

Greg Blow is a Senior Vice President of Great Western Bank and has thirty-six years experience in the Trust and Wealth Management industry as well as thirty-seven years' experience as an active duty National Guardsman. He has received degrees from the University of South Dakota, the Jefferson School of Law at the University of Louisville and the Graduate Trust School at Northwestern University.

Calvin M. Sievers is currently the South Dakota State Chapter president of the National Association of Fraternal Insurance Counselors. He has served the Rapid City, South Dakota and northwest Nebraska area for more than ten years as a financial associate with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and is joint owner with his wife, Cindy, of Karma Boutique in Rapid City. Sievers is also a multi-year Million Dollar Round Table member, vice president of his local Black Hills area NAIFA association, and a member of South Canyon Lutheran Church. He and his wife have been married for 29 years, have five children, and two grandchildren

David Sedaris is "Off the Shelf"!

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:01:30 -0600

Our newly formed librarian organized Book Club will feature the works of David Sedaris this month. Meet us on Saturday, January 21 from 1-3 p.m. at Bully Blends Coffee and Tea located at 908 Main Street in Rapid City.

Bestselling author David Sedaris is known for the humor, wit and social commentary found in his books, essays and plays. He is regularly featured in the New Yorker and NPR's This American Life. His newest book, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, was published in September 2010 and immediately hit the NYT Bestseller Fiction List.

Downloadable eBooks and AudioBooks by David Sedaris are available from our website. Visit us at www.rapidcitylibrary.org then click Downloadables. Sedaris' books are also available in print from either library location

Extreme Birding: One Woman's Big Year

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:26:30 -0600

Birder Lynn Barber will join us at the Downtown Rapid City Public Library on Wednesday, January 18 to present at our Lunch and Learn program from noon – 1 p.m.

Lynn Barber, a birder who wrote the book, "Extreme Birder: One Woman’s Big Year" chronicles her 2008 adventure of attempting to view the maximum number of bird species during the course of one calendar year in a geographic area. Her focus was the continental United States, Alaska and Canada. In her big year she took 92 flights, visited 25 states and three Canadian provinces. Lynn has been birding since she was 7 years old.

This program will be held upstairs at the downtown library located at 610 Quincy St. There is no charge to attend and all are welcome. Anyone who would like lunch must RSVP by noon on Monday, January 16 by calling 394-4171 or register online at www.rapidcitylibrary.org through our events calendar. Lunch is limited to the first 50 registered. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch or attend without having lunch. (Sponsored by the Friends of the Library)

No-School Discovery Days at the Library

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:23:30 -0600

The Rapid City Public Libraries are excited to offer two amazing No-School Discovery Day programs when school is out in January.

On Monday, January 16, Heather Porter will teach basic sign language for kids. Heather worked as a professional Sign Language Interpreter and assisted in several Deaf Education programs. Her sign language skills proved invaluable as her oldest child, as a result of Cerebral Palsy, was unable to speak. The then 7-year-old had a very limited means of communicating, using only gestures and vocal noises. Heather taught her to sign, thereby opening up a whole new and exciting world of communication for the child. Heather still interprets voluntarily for people in her church congregation.

On Tuesday, January 17 Patti Rudge and Theresa Spry will teach basic card making. Those attending can learn how to make their friends and families Valentine's Day cards. Rudge is also the author of "Wankiya: a Suspense Nove"l – a story focused in the Badlands of South Dakota.

Both programs will be held from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Downtown library at 610 Quincy Street and from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at the North library located inside General Beadle Elementary at 10 Van Buren Street.

Everyone who attends a program earns a punch for their story time/discovery day punch card. Once you receive ten punches you get a free book from the library and can enter a drawing for a larger prize that will be drawn in May.

E-Reader Clinics at the Library

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:08:30 -0600

The Rapid City Public Libraries are ringing in the New Year by holding two e-reader clinics at the downtown library in January. These special programs will offer personalized, individual help for patrons who have questions about setting up their device and get them started downloading, uploading, borrowing and reading e-books.

On Wednesdays, January 11 and 18 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. staff-librarians will be in the lobby to answer any questions and help patrons set up their e-reader devices. The public is invited to bring in their Kindles, Kobos, Nooks, iPads or other devices and get started today! Even if your device is still in the box, our librarians will give you the friendly, knowledgeable help you're looking for!

Find out about library resources, services and events by visiting our website at www.rapidcitylibrary.org. Check out our e-reader website at http://rapidcitylibraryebooks.weebly.com/e-readers.html.

World Travelers, Bruce and Tass, Featured at Community Voices

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:38:30 -0600

Explore the world with Bruce Junek and Tass Thacker at the libraries' Community Voices program on Thursday, January 12 from 6:30-8 p.m. Junek and Thacker will present "Life's Adventures with Bruce and Tass," an introspective and personal account of their travels and unique lifestyle featuring photographs from their adventures. This event takes place at the downtown Rapid City Public Library located at 610 Quincy St.

Junek and Thacker live in Rapid City, but have spent the last 34 years traveling through 52 countries. Through their company, Images of the World, they share their journeys through photos and stories of what they have learned along the way.

This program is made possible with a grant from the South Dakota Humanities Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Find out more about library resources and events by visiting the Rapid City Public Library website at www.rapidcitylibrary.org.

Fight the Blues with David Sedaris

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:51:30 -0600

In the mood to fight off the post-holidays blues with a little laughter and help ring in 2012 with some delightfully insightful snark? The Rapid City Public Library can help you out with our monthly “Off the Shelf” Book Club.

During the month of January we will be reading the works of David Sedaris and discussing them together on Saturday January 21st at 1 p.m. at Bully Blends at 908 Main Street across from the Federal Building. Stop by for a casual book discussion over tea and coffee. And believe me, with David Sedaris there is plenty to discuss.

Sedaris is considered one of American’s best humor essayists as well as a bestselling author and a steady contributor to The New Yorker. While I normally don’t listen to audiobooks and prefer reading in the classical fashion, I highly recommend listening to Sedaris narrate one of his own works. Whether he is describing his stumblings through Paris in Me Talk Pretty One Day; laying bare his sharp and painful familial reflections in Naked or a provided an inverted myopic on the holidays in Holidays on Ice, cultural expectations and political correctness are redefined in subtle and at times, not-so-subtle, ways. Sedaris toys with the human condition with masterful humor and raw wit of a modern day Mark Twain – with little regard for convention or normative language.

So stop by the Downtown library at 610 Quincy Street took check out a display of Sedaris’ works while they last. If you would prefer to stay home you can also visit our website to search the catalog for any number of downloadable audiobook and e-book titles by Sedaris. Copies of Sedaris’ titles are available in print, on cd, via downloadable audiobooks, and in e-book formats.

The holiday season is busy so if you didn’t get a chance to read one of the books please come anyways. You can listen to David Sedaris reading my favorite story Holidays on Ice on NPR before you discussion if you don’t have a chance to read or listen to an entire book. Book Clubs are a great way to meet new people and discuss what you are reading and learn about what is new and popular at the library. We also have an online venue for this bookclub, at Goodreads.

For authors similar to Sedaris, check out Augusten Burroughs (Running With Scissors), Sarah Vowell (The Partly Cloudy Patriot), Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius), and Sloane Crosley (I Was Told There Would Be Cake).

If you got an e-reader device over the holidays check out our collection of e-books. Whether you have a Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader or tablet, we offer a wide variety of material to browse and download from our digital library branch. The Library has over 3,000 titles in the eBook format and almost 4,000 titles in the downloadable audiobook format.

Rapid City Public Libraries Announce Holiday Closings

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:53:30 -0600

Both locations of the Rapid City Public Library, the downtown library at 610 Quincy Street and the north library at 10 Van Buren Street, will be closing early Saturday, December 24 at 3 p.m. and will be closed all day Sunday, December 25 and Monday, December 26 for Christmas.

Both libraries will also close early at 3 p.m. on Saturday, December 31, 2011 and will be closed all day Sunday, January 1 and Monday, January 2, 2012 for New Year's Day and legal holiday.

Story Times Can Help Kids' Development

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:26:30 -0600

Recently the American Academy of Pediatrics as reported by Wired Science suggested that television consumption in children under the age of two can have negative effects on early childhood development. This may not be too surprising to most.

So television viewing fails to set a firm foundation for children. But there are options for fostering development of your child at the public library.

A traditional service offered by public libraries is story-times for preschool children and toddlers. These programs support early literacy developments and pre-reading skills through the use of a wide range of activities and multi-media. They are engaging, proactive and creative events for both children and caregivers.

Experienced library story-tellers can also supplement quality picture books with simple songs, games and puppets that are designed for young children. Story-tellers create a social space for children and families to enjoy a hands-on experience that cannot be replicated through DVDs or television series.

So what do children learn from Story-times? At library story-times children can learn early literacy concepts and skills that form the foundation for future reading and writing ability. They provide children with space to interact and explore stories while fostering creative and social skills. In this environment the story-teller, child, caregiver and story can work together to build a culture of literacy that can last a lifetime.

Far from simply being an opportunity for stressed parents to gain a moment of respite, a coffee and a break. Story-Times provide a social element for new and emerging parents to meet and talk. They provide a venue to move away from a hectic schedule and engage en masse with their children and other parents. In this way, story-times are setting the stage of success for families and parents as well.

But what do children actually learn from story-times? Children learn that books and reading are fun and a source of entertainment and information. They build vocabulary and begin to understand how books and reading works. They develop narrative skills (how to tell a story) and how to recognize sounds and letters.

By making literacy fun and engaging; by providing an open environment for the entire community and utilizing enthusiastic staff, libraries set the early literacy foundations needed for reading success.

You can experience a Story-time at the Rapid City Public Library every Tuesday, Thursday as well as once a month on Saturday. Visit our Kid’s Page for more information about each story-time as well as other events at the library.

Every Tuesday at 9:30 A.M. visit us Downtown for Book Buddies, a story-time series for preschoolers. Each story-time will feature a set of picture-books, songs, dances and possibly (if you are lucky) some puppets. Every Thursday at 9:30 A.M. is Baby Bookworms at our Downtown location is a story-time for ages Birth – 3 years. The elements are similar but simpler books and words with more pictures and rhymes with more movement. Parental involvement is necessary. Every Second Tuesday Downtown and Third Tuesday at North (inside General Beadle Community School) we feature Families and Jammies at 6:30 P.M. This story-time is crafted for families and it encourages more open reading. It is a perfect way to end an evening. For parents that cannot make our morning story-times we have Saturday Story-Time every second Saturday, 9:30 A.M. at our Downtown location. This all-access story-time is more accessible to all age groups.

Hank Harris and Jami Lynn to Perform at Library

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:19:30 -0600

The Rapid City Public Libraries are excited to present a special Lunch and Learn program on Wednesday, December 21, 2011 from noon – 1 p.m. Musicians Hank Harris and Jami Lynn will perform original, acoustic, and bluegrass music.

Singer, songwriter and musical archivist Hank Harris of the Black Hills presents a lively picture of historic Deadwood, South Dakota, through the diverse music from 1875 to 1910 in his album Deadwood Songbook 1 " 2. Harris' performance features music from minstrel shows to church hymns, vaudeville to ethnic folk music, piano parlor airs to cowboy songs and more. All were heard from street corners, opera houses, campfires, brothels and saloons. Harris will explore the characters, history and legends of South Dakota's notorious mining town through song and story.

South Dakota native Jami Lynn performs folk, acoustic, and bluegrass music. She is a member of the group Jami Lynn & the Aquila Band. Her latest album, "Sodbusters" is a collaboration piece with duo partner, Josh Rieck. It's made up of 6 folk originals and 5 traditional folk songs, most of which are linked to South Dakota.

This program will be held upstairs at the downtown library located at 610 Quincy St. There is no charge to attend and all are welcome. Anyone who would like lunch must RSVP by noon on Monday, December 19 by calling 394-4171 or online at www.rapidcitylibrary.org. Lunch is limited to the first 50 people to register. Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch or attend without having lunch. Lunch is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Get your E-Reader Questions Answered at the Library!

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 12:19:30 -0600

The Rapid City Public Library would like to invite all of our patrons who are thinking of purchasing an e-reader for someone this holiday season to stop by the Rapid City Public Library Downtown location at 610 Quincy St. We have a brand new mobile devices display that can help you make an informed decision.

In case you need a refresher, e-readers are devices designed to read digital, onscreen versions of published books. Several smartphones, all tablets and laptops can download e-books. Some are even becoming more kid-friendly with the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet offering picture books in digital formats. They can even offer narration and interactive games that go along with the story and they are getting more inexpensive every day.

It is a whole new world and the library hopes to provide the needed information and aid to help patrons navigate what can be a confusing landscape. What if you purchase the wrong e-reader? Which e-reader is right for your style of reading? E-reader or Tablet? iPad or Slate?

The library offers to help with these questions by introducing a mobile devices display in our lobby. The display's purpose is to help our patrons stay up-to-date everything new and emerging in the field of e-readers. It contains an Amazon Kindle, a Barnes & Noble Nook, a Kobo reader, a Sony reader and an Android smartphone. Patrons are encouraged to walk up and give each one a test drive.

If you have questions, library staff is happy to showcase the devices and walk you through the download process. All of the devices on the display are compatible with downloading e-books from the library. The display offer patrons a hands-on opportunity to experience how the e-readers work with the library's own e-book service. Or bring in your own! If you just purchased or were gifted a reader or tablet we can get you started and are more than willing to spend the time to help.

For those whose busy lifestyle keeps them from being able to stop in the library. We have available to patrons an online e-reader guide as well. This guide offers video tutorials as well as descriptions and comparison for tablets such as the Kindle Fire, the Nook Tablet and the iPad. By utilizing these two services, anyone can make an informed decision about before purchasing one as a holiday gift.

The Rapid City Public Library allows anyone with a library card to download e-books, audiobooks and movies directly to a mobile devise such as laptops, smartphones, tablets and e-readers. Our electronic collection houses 5000 e-books, downloadable videos and audiobooks.

Patrons can access the site, type in their library card number and personal password remotely from their home computers or mobile devise to download material. All this can be done without ever walking through the library doors. E-books can be checked out for 7, 14 or 21 days.

New Book Club to start in November

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:39:30 -0600

The Rapid City Public Libraries are excited to announce a librarian organized Book Club that will begin this month. The newly formed Bring Your Own Book Club will meet on Saturday, November 19 from 1-3 p.m. at Bully Blends Coffee and Tea located at 908 Main Street in Rapid City.

The introductory book for discussing is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. A different book will be selected to discuss at each meeting. Copies of the chosen book will be available for check out at either library. A librarian from the Rapid City Public Libraries will lead the discussions.

Download the eBook or AudioBook to your eReader device by visiting our website at www.rapidcitylibrary.org under Downloadables. There you can also find the video, Love’s Transcendence, an interview with author Jamie Ford.