The Canton Public Library is the recipient of a $3,000 Target store Early Childhood Reading Grant. Money from the grant, combined with funds from the Friends of the Canton Public Library, will be used to sponsor Family Reading Nights at the Canton Public Library.

Librarian Anne Cnockaert applied for the grant on behalf of the library and helped to create the Family Reading Night program, which will start in October and run through June, 2010.

"This program encourages the whole family to become involved in reading," says Cnockaert. "There will be a themed storytime, then families can complete a craft and have a snack related to the story. The family will receive a free book that they can read together and take home to keep."

What better way to learn to download ebooks from CPL's vast digital collection! Hop on the 18-wheeler of a bookmobile to get acquainted with the latest process and gadgetry! Come today, July 29, Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You'll be in for a new experience, and also have a chance to win an iPod Nano!

What has premium sound, 74 feet of high-tech interactive gadgetry and can really motor? The Digital Bookmobile and it’s cruising toward Canton for a July 29 visit to the Canton Public Library.

The Digital Bookmobile is a high-tech upgrade of the traditional bookmobile housed in an 18-wheel tractor-trailer. Instead of printed books, you’ll experience broadband Internet-connected PCs, high definition monitors, a premium sound system and a variety of portable media players. Interactive learning stations give visitors an opportunity to search the library’s digital media collection and sample supported mobile devices like MP3 players, smart phones and eBook readers.

Follow the Digital Bookmobile's tour of the U.S. as it works its way to Canton.

On June 11, the Today Show ran ran a segment on the important role libraries play during the recession.

Spiff up that resume and learn sure-fire interview techniques at three workshops to help job seekers offered at the Canton Public Library.

Christina Stark, a human resources specialist, will help attendees prepare for the job market with the following programs.

Resume Development, July 16, 10:00AM-Noon. An excellent resume is a marketing document that is well written, attractive, interesting, appropriately formatted, has a professional quality, and contains no inaccurate or misleading information. Guidelines and worksheets will be provided to help you develop that marketing document. Current issues for job seekers, cover letters, and the Internet will be discussed.

Interview Strategies, July 29, 10 a.m.–noon. Getting that interview is the culmination of your job search efforts. Interviews not only include that face-to-face time with your potential employer but could include personality, knowledge, and behavioral assessments. This workshop will cover information about the types of interviews, the importance of preparation, and questions you can expect (and you should ask).

Speed Interview Practice Session, August 13, 7-9 p.m. Get real life practice answering interview questions in this round-robin style format. As a prerequisite, you must attend the Resume Development and/or Interview Strategies class.

Online registration with a valid library card is required for all programs. You may register two weeks in advance of program date at our Program Calendar. Community volunteers are needed to act as interviewers for the Speed Interview Practice Session. Call 734-397-0999 to sign up.

The Canton Public Library connects your community.

That's the mission statement that arose from the focus groups, comment cards and conversations that we had with our community and staff over the last six months. Whether you are a community of storytime parents, a community of anime fans, a community of gamers or a community of readers, the Canton Public Library is a connection place for you. The library connects you to the resources, people and places that you defined as your community.

To support our mission, we pledge to adhere to four core values:

• Relevance: We will adapt and grow as our community's needs change, providing flexible, customizable and evolving collections and services
• Access: We support the pursuit of individul and community goals by ensuring the open exchange of diverse materials and ideas
• Integrity: We are respectful of all people at all times and serve our community with excellence
• Leadership: We will lead with enthusiasm and respond to challenges with creativity and professionalism

Details of our 2009-2011 Strategic Plan can be found from a link on the About Us page. We will post news of our actions and progress. This is a living document, and we look forward to receiving your feedback.

The Canton Public Library 2008 Annual Report is available online or at the library.

The Summer Reading issue of Connections is available online. Just click the attachment link to download. Canton residents can expect home mail delivery around June 10. To get the online edition delivered to you electronically, just sign up for our RSS feed by clicking on the RSS link below.

Need information about local options for college? The Canton Public Library is hosting a College Night Open House on June 1, from 7-8:30 p.m. Come by and get information from 17 local colleges, including community colleges and schools with online and alternative education programs. Learn about financial aid, admissions, degree programs and transfer credits. It’s not too late to make plans for the fall semester!

Due to the retirement of long-time Library Trustee James Gillig, the Canton Public Library Board of Trustees is searching for a new member to complete his term through November 2012. If you are a Canton resident, over 18 years of age and would like to be considered for a Board seat, please send a resume and letter of interest by Tuesday, May 26, 2009 addressed to:

Colleen Van Auken, Vice Chair
Canton Public Library Board
1200 S. Canton Center Road
Canton, MI 48188

CANTON, MI—Get a first-hand look at the life of German prisoners of war in Midwest camps as the mobile exhibit Held in the Heartland rolls into Canton on May 22.

Housed in a converted school bus, this rolling buseum paints a picture of POW life as captured soldiers experienced it. Using artifacts, photographs, documents, audio and DVD documentaries, it focuses on the experiences of the roughly 372,000 German POWs held in U.S. Army-operated camps across the United States.

The May/June issue of Connections is available online now as a pdf document. Expect home delivery after April 14. 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.

CANTON, MI—Do you know how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 affects you? Want to know which tax credits you qualify for and how to get them?

The March/April issue of Connections is available online now as a pdf document. Expect home delivery after February 20. Click on the attachment link to view.

The Canton Public Library is seeing stars after being identified as one of America’s star libraries by Library Journal’s Index of Public Library Service. One of only two libraries in the state to receive this rating, the Canton Public Library was awarded a three star rating. Read the full press release by clicking on the attachment.

CANTON, MI—The Canton Public Library has embarked on a process to create a strategic plan and is looking for community input.

“With declining revenue and the current economic climate, it’s very important to know what our community wants and needs from our library,” says library director Eva Davis. “A plan to guide us for the next three years will help us focus our efforts and resources to best serve the community.”

Our newsletter for January/February, Connections, is now available online as a pdf file (attached below).

CANTON, MI—The popular Canton community celebration “One Community. One Voice.” honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. returns for its fourth year at Canton’s Village Theater at Cherry Hill. This year’s free event is scheduled for January 19 and features a community volunteer fair, performances by Reverend Robert B. Jones and Youth Under Construction, and Focus: HOPE photo exhibit, Focus on the Mission.

Looking for a great book recommendation? No one knows better than book club members what’s hot and what’s not. Here is a list of recommendations from the Canton Public Library’s Lunch and a Book discussion group, which meets monthly. Some of the titles are 2008 releases, others are older, but all are great reads. The Canton Public Library sponsors multiple book discussion groups and offers Book-Club- In-A-Bag kits to facilitate at-home discussions. For more information, call 734-397-0999 or visit www.cantonpl.org.

CANTON, MI-- Calling all high school artists! Your creativity could win you cash in the Canton Public Library’s Martin Luther King, Jr. art competition. Submit your expression of the theme is “One Community. One Voice.” as it relates to Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Canton community in art form by December 23 and you could win $200.