Educator Artwork Exhibit Planned at Main Library

More than 50 works from Pinellas Art Education Association members will be on display from April 1 to June 21 in the Osceola Gallery at the Clearwater Main Library, 100 N. Osceola Ave. An artist reception is planned for April 6.

More than 50 works by members of the Pinellas Art Education Association will be on display starting Monday, April 1, at the Clearwater Main Library. The association, which is comprised of Pinellas County school art teachers, can be seen from April 1-June 21 in the Osceola Gallery at the library, 100 N. Osceola Ave. A reception for the 26 artists is planned for 3 p.m. April 6. The gallery is open during regular library hours; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and noon to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Call 727-562-4970 or visit myclearwater.com/cpl. Sign up for the free Clearwater Patch email newsletter to stay connected to your community.

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Library Gate is on its Way

Work on nearly $127,000 of Main Library entrance improvements is expected to start soon, according to library officials.

The permits are in place and some of the art that could be on display as part of the renovated and gated Main Library entrance is part of the Clearwater's Dolphin pod. The project will get underway after library officials hear back from developers regarding final costs to install the seven-foot tall wrought iron style gate and fence around the entrance to the Main Library as well as other courtyard improvements, said Barbara Pickell, library director, during a February library advisory board meeting. The entrace could also become home to a Clearwater's Dolphin designed in a “Where the Wild Things Are” theme by Cathie Carol Zurich-Wus, Pickell said. Six dolphins were purchased by the Downtown Development Board to help attract people to the …

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Classic Books to Share with Your Children for Valentine's Day

From Charlotte's Web to Where the Wild Things Are, share these classic books with your children and encourage their love for reading.

“Where’s Pa Going with that Axe?” The Enduring Quality of Children’s Classics By Anita Silvey Courtesy of James Patterson's Read Kiddo Read Foundation The opening line of E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web— “Where’s Pa going with that axe?”—has now been read by adults to eager young listeners for more than 60 years. Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Ezra Jack Keats’s The Snowy Day have been picked up with enthusiasm for more than 50 years. For 75 years, parents have shared The Hobbit, and this year Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are turns 50. These books and others like them (Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Virginia Lee Burton’s Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables) bring …

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Countryside Library Sewer Repaired

Crews working to install a fiber optic network broke a sewer line in the process, closing the Countryside Library for a few hours Thursday.

UPDATE: Crews have repaired a broken sewer line and expect to reopen the Countryside Library Thursday afternoon. The library should be open at 1 p.m., according to officials. Crews working to expand the city's fiber optic network broke a sewer line in the process, closing the Countryside Library Thursday. The sewer line is being repaired; the library, at 2741 State Road 580, is expected to be open for its regular weekend hours. The library is closed Fridays. "Sewer service to the Countryside Library has been affected and the bathrooms are unavailable," Joelle Castelli, city spokeswoman, said in a release. *updated 10:57 a.m. Jan. 3, 2013

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Volunteers Needed: Clearwater Friends of the Library Book and Gift Store

The Friends Book and Gift Store at the Main Library is in need of paperback books and volunteers.

The Friends Book and Gift Store at the Main Library is in need of paperback books and volunteers. The books should be in good condition to be able to be resold in the store. They can be brought into the Main Library, 100 N Osceola Ave or call for pick up.  Also, volunteers are needed to work certain times at the store, especially late afternoons. Work hours are variable to fit schedules but are generally two to four hours a week. A short training session is required. The Friends Book and Gift Store is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. To volunteer, call Rosalie Murray, 727-531-0667 or Rita Garvey, 727-446-3845. Proceeds from the Friends of the Clearwater Library …

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Erase Library Fine Through Canned Food Donation

Clearwater Public Library is offering an amnesty for overdue materials in exchange for canned or non-perishable food donations through Dec. 21.

Library Gets Legos For Being A Favorite of Young Readers

Clearwater's East Library is one of 200 chosen to win books and building blocks as part of the Association of Library Service to Children contest.

The East Library got a box of building blocks and books for being a favorite of young readers. The library branch received 1,348 votes, placing 50th in the "Read! Build! Play" early literacy program contest by the Association of Library Service to Children and Lego Duplo.  “We recently received the items and are so excited,” Valerie Mathre, a youth services librarian, said in a press release. “We plan on creating “Read! Build! Play! Story Times starting this summer.” The library is one of 200 to win the Duplo block toolkit and preschool books. More than 548,000 libraries were nominated. The library association and Lego Duplo sponsored the contest to recognize the work local public libraries play in the development of early childhood …

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Absolve Your Library Fine With a Food Donation

Clearwater Public Library is offering an amnesty for overdue materials in exchange for canned or non-perishable food donations from Nov. 15 to Dec. 21.

Clearwater Public Library is offering an amnesty for overdue materials in exchange for canned or non-perishable food donations from Nov. 15 to Dec. 21. Anyone with fines can bring canned or non-perishable food items and present them at the circulation desk with the overdue materials if available at any Clearwater library branch.  Staff will waive any fines due and the donated food will go toward a holiday charity food drive. "Our biggest return on investment is getting our materials back from our public,” Barbara Pickell, library director, said. "If we can convince people to come in, clear their account and do something charitable, we see that as a win-win." Call (727) 562-4970 or visit myclearwater.com/cpl. Library branch locations:

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Banned Books Week: What You Need to Know

Censorship is alive and well, as highlighted by Banned Books Week—and you might be surprised by who the most vocal challengers of books are.

The importance of the First Amendment and the concept of "intellectual freedom" might not always be readily apparent to most kids, but Banned Books Week is a great opportunity to make those lessons come alive for children—and adults. Banned Books Week is held annually during the last week of Sept. (Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2012). The week is an occasion for libraries and bookstores across the U.S. to help folks realize just how real and ongoing a problem censorship is. Check out the Clearwater Public Library System in our Local Voices section. More than 11,000 books have been challenged (though not necessarily successfully censored) since 1982, the inaugural year of Banned Books Week. According to the American Library Association (ALA), the vast …

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Volunteers Needed to Get Dirty at East Library

Help install ground cover along the berm out front of the East Library Oct. 6.

Volunteers are needed to help plant ground cover on the berm out front of the East Library, 2251 Drew St., Oct. 6. The planting is from 9 a.m. to noon weather permitting. In the event of bad weather, the rain date is Oct. 13. Volunteers should wear old clothes, work shoes and gloves. Other tools and gloves for those without will be available. Call Jen Obermaier, assistant director at the Clearwater Library, at 727-562-4970.

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