You could help the Canton Public Library get $500 and win yourself a one-of-a-kind experience with Free Press Sports Editor Gene Myers in the Free Press Reader Envy contest. Vote for Gene and you could win an experience that includes a tour of the Free Press building, sitting in on a news meeting in which decisions are made for all sections of the paper, lunch at a downtown spot, watching the sports section come together, and other surprises. Plus, if Gene wins, the library will get a $500 donation. Enter the contest at the Free Press website. Deadline for entry is July 31, 2010. Review the contest rules.

Spending a few hours in school this summer could pay off big for your business. That's the idea behind the Canton Public Library's Summer School for Small Business series. Spend a lunch hour at the library and learn tips and techniques with classes that are specifically geared for business application. For a full list of classes, click the attachment or search the program calendar.

The hCard is now available at the Canton Public Library. This card gives you one whole year's worth of savings on restaurants, movie tickets, hotels, groceries, and more. Plus, use it at pharmacies to save on prescription drugs for your entire family. You can even save when you shop online or purchase gift cards. And best of all, the hCard membership is just $20 annually and proceeds benefit the library. The hCard is available at the Checkout Desk or buy it online at our donation page. For more information on the great shopping savings offered by your hCard membership, visit the hCard site.

This Memorial Day weekend, remember the active US troops by participating in a supply drive, held May 29 at the Canton Public Library. The library will accept donations of bug repellent wipes, any size or brand, or new, unsharpened pencils, which will be packaged by the Michigan Military Moms and shipped to troops overseas.

The supply drive was the idea of library pages Laurie Conlen, mom of an Army lieutenant stationed in Afghanistan, and Linda Hampton, who lost a brother in the Vietnam War. They saw the power of the community's response to the library's diaper drive, which netted 17,000 diaper donations for the Detroit Area Diaper Bank, and suggested a drive for the troops.

CANTON, MI — More than 20 colleges, institutes and specialty training schools are participating in the second annual Key to Your Success Open House sponsored by the Canton Public Library on Monday, May 3, 6:30-8:00PM at the Summit on the Park ballroom.

High school students and adults looking for retraining or a new career can gather information from traditional 4-year Michigan colleges, 2-year community colleges and specialty training programs for careers in health services, business, cosmetology, media arts, technology, the military and more. Admissions associates from each school will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

Our 2009 Annual Report is now available. Our sincere thanks to all of you who supported the library in 2009 — patrons, volunteers, Friends of the Library, and contributors to our Endowment and Operating Funds. While the recession has affected our bottom line, the library Board of Trustees and our great library staff remain committed to continuing our core services to you and demonstrating good stewardship of your tax dollars and donations. For example, we are presenting our annual report in an online-only format for the first time, which reduces our design, printing, and mailing costs. Placing our annual report online also achieves one of our strategic planning objectives: Being more transparent about our operations and communicating more directly with you, our public.

The May/June 2010 issue of Connections is available online now as a pdf document. Expect home delivery after April 23.
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Anna Slaughter, Teen Librarian at Canton Public Library, was recognized by the Michigan Library Association (MLA) with the Frances H. Pletz award, given to a Michigan Public Library worker who has made a significant contribution to teens through public library service.

The Canton Public Library is looking for 20 families to become leaders in a local environmental stewardship effort by participating in Action for Earth, a partnership project between the library, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and Project S.N.A.P. (Share, Nurture, Act Preserve).

The families selected will participate in two workshops held at the Canton Public Library and led by the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, one Project S.N.A.P. session creating art with a message for a community mural, and one community-wide environmental event. Families should be Canton residents, have children in K-8 classes and be willing to commit their time and energy to the Action for Earth project.

For details or to apply for the program, call the Canton Public Library at 734-397-0999 or read more on the CPL blog.

To see entire press release, download the attachment.

The March/April 2010 issue of Connections is available online now as a pdf document. Expect home delivery after February 19. Click on the attachment link to view. You may subscribe to an RSS feed of library communications by pasting /forpress/rss.xml in your feed reader.

The Canton Public Library has hit an all-time high in circulation, reaching our 2 millionth checkout of the year. That's an average of 23 items checked out per Canton resident. These economic times have spurred a 12% increase in library usage over last year, in which we also saw increased use. Our DVDs, books, CDs and video games continue to be popular items, we see many people using our computers or our Wi-fi to connect to the Internet and taking advantage of our databases and other electronic resources.

Our thanks to the Canton community for helping us reach this milestone. We look forward to serving you in 2010.

The January/February 2010 issue of Connections is available online now as a pdf document. Expect home delivery after December 19. Click on the attachment link to view. You may subscribe to an RSS feed of library communications by pasting /forpress/rss.xml in your feed reader.

The Canton Public Library has again been identified as one of America's top-rated libraries by Library Journal. For the second straight year, the library received a three-star rating, one of only two libraries in Michigan to get a rating. The rating is based on data for per capita circulation transactions, visits to the library, computer sessions and program attendance.

For more information or to read the entire press release, click on the attachment.

November 18 is Diaper Day at the library as we partner with the Canton-based Detroit Area Diaper Bank in their 30,000 by Thanksgiving Diaper Drive. You can participate by dropping off your donation of diapers at the library on November 18. The Diaper Bank needs diapers and pull-ups in any brand or size, baby through adult. Open packages are acceptable.

The Detroit Area Diaper Bank is a nonprofit charitable organization serving SE Michigan. They work to meet the need for diapers at partner agencies working with people in crisis. The cost of diapers is not covered by WIC, food stamps and, in most circumstances, Medicare, and many in our community are in need. Please bring your diaper donation to the Reception Desk on November 18, and thank you for helping to support our community.

Judith Barr, Associate Director of First Step, will present a program on domestic violence on October 29, 2:00-3:00PM at the Canton Public Library. First Step is a local resource offering free services to individuals affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and First Step believes that prevention and awareness are key components to ending violence in our communities.

This program will be held in the library’s Purple Room. It is free, no registration is required. For more information, visit First Step.

The November/December issue of Connections is available online now as a pdf document. Expect home delivery after October 22. Click on the attachment link to view. You may subscribe to an RSS feed of library communications by pasting /forpress/rss.xml in your feed reader.

The many health benefits of the vegan diet will be the subject of a program held October 20 at 7 p.m. at the library. Gaia Kile, a Family Nurse Practitioner working with natural and holistic approaches to health and disease, is the featured speaker. His talk will address the science behind some of the benefits and key factors for success through vegan nutrition. To register for this free program, visit www.cantonpl.org or call 734-397-0999.

Kim Schulz was sworn in as a Canton Public Library trustee at the August 20 library board meeting. She was appointed from a pool of seven candidates to fill the position vacated by longtime trustee Jim Gillig, who retired in May.

The September/October issue of Connections is available online now as a pdf document. Expect home delivery after August 22. Click on the attachment link to view. You may subscribe to an RSS feed of library communications by pasting /forpress/rss.xml in your feed reader.