Ask A Librarian!

So you’ve just finished watching your favorite TV or news program, or listening to your favorite radio show.  For the last hour, they touted the brilliance of someone’s latest novel or nonfiction read.  The damage is done – your interest is piqued.  All you’re thinking now is, “I’ve got to read this book.” 

You… and maybe just a few other people.  (Anyone remember Tickle-Me Elmo?)  Well, the first step is to head straight to the library’s catalog – either in-person or online – and see if you’ve beaten the rest of those viewers or listeners to the punch.  The library may have anticipated the wave of heightened interest and ordered extra copies, so you may be able to stake your claim then and there.  But if not – the library’s copies are already checked out – make sure you place a hold on that title.  The library will put you on a waiting list just for that title.  As the items are returned, they are set aside for those next on the waiting list.  The library will notify you either via phone or email as soon as your book is ready.  And if for some reason the library doesn’t own a copy of the book, don’t despair - as long as the book has been in publication for at least a year, the library’s Interlibrary Loan service may be able to borrow the book from another library system.    

The library catalog lets you place holds –  even Interlibrary Loan requests – online from the convenience of your computer.  If you need help finding a book, placing a hold, or just getting more information on how to place an Interlibrary Loan request through your library, visit Ask a Librarian today and get live help from a real Florida librarian.  No matter what you’re looking for, we’ll help you find it. 

What can we help you with today?

Ask a Librarian provides Florida residents with live chat services with a real Florida librarian from 10 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday (ET), and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday (ET).  You can also send an e-mail to your local library’s staff.

Battle of the Bands Entry Forms Now Being Accepted!

Entries are now being accepted at any Pasco Library or by e-mail to pauls@pascolibraries.org. Bands ages 13-20 from any Florida county are eligible to enter!

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ENTRY FORM AND COMPETITION INFORMATION. (pdf file)

This year's competition will involve 6 weeks of online videos in February and March of 2010, with viewers voting for their favorite band each week via our MySpace page, following by a live band battle at Crews Lake Park (16739 Crews Lake Dr, Shady Hills, FL 34610) on March 26th, 2010. Two different prize categories will be available this year. The top two bands of the online voting will receive $500 and $250 music store gift cards to buy instruments, repairs, etc. The winners of the live battle will get a recording package worth $3500 for first, $1750 for second, and $1000 for third at a local recording studio.

CLICK HERE to view past videos from previous Rockus Maximus events.

CLICK HERE to visit our main MySpace page.

For more information, contact Paul Stonebridge, Teen Services Manager, at 813-929-1214 or 727-861-3040 or e-mail pauls@pascolibraries.org.

Friday, December 18th, 7:00-10:00pm: Teen Winter Dance in the Dark

Yes!  After hours events have returned and its high time we had another dance event...this time to celebrate the winter break from school and the end of the year, with all its holidays.  A professional DJ will spin some of the best dance music and all your requests with the lights off.  The dance is free and free glow sticks, food, and drinks, including our famous Monster Spiked Punch, will be available for everyone.
Friday, December 18th from 7:00-10:00pm. Bring your friends, bring your requests, and bring your desire to dance!

Friday, December 18th, 10:30am: Breakfast with Santa!

Join us for a picture-perfect meet and greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus!  This is in place of our regular storytime, so bring your cameras!  A small breakfast will be included.

Friday, December 18th at 10:30am only.  Elementary ages.

Tuesday, December 8th, 6:00pm: Holiday Gift Wrapping Workshop

Want to learn new and inventive ways of wrapping your holiday gifts?  Join us for our Holiday Gift Wrapping Workshop.  Please bring one gift to wrap. Supplies are provided, but be sure to sign up now as space is limited!

Tuesday, December 8th at 6:00pm.  Sponsored by Friends of the Land O' Lakes Library.

Saturday, December 19th, 2:00pm: Holiday Kid's Crafts

It's better to give than to receive!  Join us for Holiday Crafts and make something festive that you can give to those special people this holiday season.

Saturday, December 19th at 2:00pm.  Elementary ages.

Saturday, December 5th, 2:00pm: Popcorn and a Movie

Come on in with all your friends to watch a high flying hit movie (rated PG.)  What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon!  Free popcorn and drinks provided.  Elementary ages.

Saturday, December 5th at 2:00pm.

Saturday, December 5th, 12:30-4:30pm: Teen Charity Car Wash

Help raise money for the Battle of the Bands by participating in our Charity Car Wash!  Washes will be done on a donation basis, so why not support your library and drive away in a nice, shiny ride!

Saturday, December 5th, 12:30-4:30pm.

So come on teens, we know you want to rock, but first you have to clean.  Sign-up now to volunteer.

Congratulations to the Winners of our Teen Talent Show!!

Who knew the Land O' Lakes area had so much talent?  Wow!  We had 10 acts and over 50 people in the audience for the Third Annual Teen Talent Show held on Saturday, November 14th.  Here's our winners:  Palmer won 1st place and $100 for the second year in a row for her singing, guitar playing, and original music.  Dominick won 2nd place and $50 for his Broadway song from Jekyll & Hyde.  And 3rd place and $25 went to Amanda who performed a Broadway song from Wicked.  Congratulations again and thanks to all who participated.  See you next year!

ROCKUS MAXIMUS: BATTLE OF THE BANDS XIII LAUNCHING NOW!!!

Pasco County Library System's original Battle of the Bands ain't dead yet!  That's right, Rockus Maximus is coming back for another year with another round of live concerts and hilarious online competitions.

We need 8 bands once again to take the Rockus Maximus challenge.  Beginning December 11th and until December 29th, bands can register at any Pasco County Library location or online.  Entry forms and all the other Battle of the Bands information are available now.  Bands must have a minimum of 3 members with the majority of members under 21,  must play their own instruments, must have at least 2 original songs on CD, DVD, or online, and must have an online presence such as MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, etc.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE ENTRY FORM AND COMPETITION INFORMATION. (pdf file)

A free kickoff concert will be held on December 11, 2009 at Land O Lakes Branch Library (2818 Collier Parkway, Land O Lakes, FL 34639) from 6:00-10:30pm, featuring 4 local acts including past Battle winner Variance and Shallow Waters.  Entry forms will be accepted from bands at this event.

This year's competition will involve 6 weeks of online videos in February and March of 2010, with viewers voting for their favorite band each week via our MySpace page, following by a live band battle at Crews Lake Park (16739 Crews Lake Dr, Shady Hills, FL 34610) on March 26th, 2010.  Two different prize categories will be available this year.  The top two bands of the online voting will receive $500 and $250 music store gift cards to buy instruments, repairs, etc.  The winners of the live battle will get a recording package worth $3500 for first, $1750 for second, and $1000 for third at a local recording studio.

CLICK HERE to view past videos from previous Rockus Maximus events.

CLICK HERE to visit the Pasco County Library System MySpace page.

For more information, contact Paul Stonebridge, Teen Services Manager, at 813-929-1214 or 727-861-3040 or e-mail pauls@pascolibraries.org.

Saturday, November 14th, 2:00-4:00pm: MOSI at the Library

Ever wonder how lightning works?  Want to find out what it takes to be an astronaut?  Join us for The Shocking Truth and Working in Space presented by MOSI here at the library!

Saturday, November 14th from 2:00-4:00pm.
Elementary ages recommended.

Friday & Saturday, November 20th & 21st, 10:00am to 5:00pm - Friends of the Library Book Sale

It's that time again! The Friends of the Land O' Lakes Library are holding their gigantic two day book sale. Find those great reads at stellar prices: paperbacks, hard covers, magazines and more. Get something for yourself, for a friend, or a family member. The holidays really are just around the corner!

Friday, November 20th and Saturday, November 21st from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

All proceeds go to fund library programming, so come on out, do some shopping and support your library!

FREE NEW MOON TICKETS AND SPECIAL EVENTS!

Borders Books is going to be hosting a live webcast streaming from a Los Angeles store Sunday evening, 11/15, at 5:00pm (Florida Time.)  You can watch for free online and post comments and questions on the official Twilight Facebook Fan Page and have them answered live on the webcast.  For more info on the event, go to http://www.bordersmedia.com/newmoonlive or http://www.facebook.com/twilight.

Want to win free tickets to see New Moon?  You have two possibilities coming up...

Friday, 11/13, at Blockbuster Video in Clearwater (2045A Gulf to Bay Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33765) you can win one of hundreds of tickets to a special pre-screening of New Moon on 11/19, a day before release!  Trivia contests and other games will be held from 7:00-9:00pm to give away the tickets, followed by a special screening of Twilight at 10:00pm.  There will be free food, prize wheels, and a howling contest, plus costumes are allowed (though shoes and shirts are required, even for werewolf characters).

For something a bit closer to home, the Hudson Library will be hosting a Twilight in Transylvania event on Friday, 11/20, in celebration of the release of New Moon.  You can see digital presentation on Transylvania, Dracula, and real vampires, taste some Romanian food, and win tickets to see New Moon at a local theater.  The event is free and runs from 3:00-5:00pm.

Saturday, November 21st at 2:00pm - Thanksgiving Kid's Crafts

"Let's give thanks for what we've got,

Whether it's a little or a lot a lot a lot.

It may be something simple, maybe not

But never take for granted what we've got." - Pam Minor

Join us for family fun with Thanksgiving themed crafts on Saturday, November 21st at 2:00pm.
All materials are provided. Elementary ages recommended.

Tuesday, December 1st, 6:30pm: Family Night Out: All Aboard the Polar Express

Want to spend more time with the kids, but don’t know what to do for fun? Join us on the first Tuesday evening of the month for an all ages program including a story, crafts and games for the whole family. This month’s theme is "All Aboard the Polar Express."

Tuesday, December 1st at 6:30pm.

Elementary ages recommended.
Registration requested.

FLIN (Florida Library Information Network) is now available!

Have you looked for a book in our catalog but can't find it?  Never fear, FLIN is here!

FLIN is our new statewide borrowing network that replaces Alleycat.  And yes, this includes items in Hillsborough County!  AND, you can order items through FLIN right from the comfort of your own home.  (Please note: only books with a release date of 12 months or more, magazines and sheet music can be borrowed from FLIN, no media, audio or video.)

Just go to our website at pascolibraries.org, toggle your mouse over "Catalog/Research" and click on "FLIN."  You can now begin searching and requesting any items not found in the Pasco County Library System database.  Just follow the steps to get the item you need.

It's even BETTER than on-line shopping, because it's free!

Halloween Fun at Land O' Lakes!

We LOVE Halloween here at Land O' Lakes!

Here's the stylish Renaissance duo of Paul and Erin.

Our three witches Michelle, Bea and Laurie.

And our resident cat Selena, Veterinary Technician Phyllis and Halloween Queen Margaret.

We even had a ghoulish visit from Roger's family!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Teen Costume Contest Winners

Thanks to all of you who turned out for our Costume Contest & Monster Movie event on Saturday. We had 18 entrants in our Costume Contest and over 40 people attended the event.

1st Place/Scariest $40 and 5 pounds of candy went to Adam who was well, just plain scary!

2nd Place/Scariest $20 and 3 pounds of candy went to Kaitlyn who was a Psycho Surgeon.

1st Place/Most Unique $40 and 5 pounds of candy went to Amy who was a Fireman Smurf.
2nd Place/Most Unique $20 and 3 pounds of candy went to Luc who was a Ramen-eating Ninja.

Congratulations to all our winners!

Saturday, October 24th at 2:00pm - Teen Monster Masquerade Costume Contest & Movie Day

 
We did the mash, the monster mash... Join us for our Monster Masquerade Costume Contest & Movie Day.  Come in your best costume and try to win cash prizes.  The Costume Contest will start promptly at 2:15 and we'll have two categories for judging:  "Most Unique" and "Scariest."  The first place winners will get $40 and 5 pounds of candy, and the second place winners will get $20 and 3 pounds of candy.  Full masks may be worn during the contest only, but face paint is allowed all day.  Afterwards, enjoy a monster movie with free candy, popcorn and soda.  You don't need to register to enter the costume contest, just show up!

Saturday, October 24th at 2:00pm.

Teens only.

Tuesday, November 3rd at 6:30pm - Family Night Out: Camping Adventure

Want to spend more time with the kids, but don’t know what to do for fun? Join us on the first Tuesday evening of the month for an all ages program including a story, crafts and games for the whole family. This month’s theme is "Camping Adventure" (S'mores included.)

Tuesday, November 3rd at 6:30pm.

Elementary ages recommended.
Registration requested.