Children participating in the Pre-K and Children’s Summer Reading Programs may now collect their Summer Reading bags! Collection will follow the same rules as curbside pick up. Please call us at 814-382-6666 to arrange a time for pick up. When you arrive, please call us from your vehicle and we will place your child’s bag on top of the book return. Please remember to wear a mask when picking up your child’s bag!
A Message (and Story) from Governor Wolf
We appreciate Governor Wolf’s acknowledgement of the amazing work that public libraries perform in communities across Pennsylvania. You can listen to his message about Summer Reading Programs here, and join him for a special story time as he reads I Just Like You, written and illustrated by Suzanne Bloom and published by Boyds Mill Press.
Children’s Summer Reading Magic Show!
We are very pleased to present the virtual “Just Imagine” magic show from children’s performer Steve Haberman!
Steve is one of several performers whom we looked forward to welcoming this summer. Although we’re sad that the pandemic has put our plans on hold, we are so appreciative of Steve’s generosity, and we look forward to the time when we can welcome him back in person!
In the meantime, please enjoy — and share! — this virtual magic show!
Introducing our new rotating Playaway Collection!
This month, we’re pleased to offer patrons access to our new rotating Playaway collection! A Playaway is a simple-to-use, all-in-one audiobook that just requires a pair of earphones, a speaker, or a car adapter to use. Press the power button, hit play, and enjoy the story. It’s that simple!
Every few months, we’ll receive a new collection of Playaways to share with you! This collection includes the following titles:
Rick Atkinson, Battle of the Bulge
Avengers Age of Ultron: The Junior Novel
Mary Balogh, Someone to Honor
The Best of the Best Horror of the Year
John Biggins, The Two-Headed Eagle
Alan Bradley, Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew’d: A Flavia de Luce Novel
Betty Boyd Caroli, First Ladies: The Ever-Changing Role, From Martha Washington to Melania Trump
Diane Chamberlain, The Dream Daughter
Agatha Christie, The Secret Adversary
Chris Colfer, Adventures from the Land of Stories
Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Fruit of the Drunken Tree
Stephen Coonts, The Russia Account
Bernard Cornwell, The Empty Throne
Catherine Coulter, The Rebel Bride
Clive Cussler, Pirate
Dinesh D’Souza, America
Patricia Falvey, The Girls of Ennismore
Fannie Flagg, The Whole Town’s Talking
C.W. Gortner, Mademoiselle Chanel: A Novel
Chris Grabenstein, Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
John Grisham, The Whistler
Guys Read True Stories
Carl Hiaasen, Bad Monkey
J.A. Jance, Cold Betrayal
The Jungle Book: The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack
Jan Karon, Come Rain or Come Shine
Karen Kingsbury, Chasing Sunsets
Catherine Lowell, The Madwoman Upstairs
Antonia Malchik, A Walking Life
Michael McFaul, From Cold War to Hot Peace
Joe McGinniss Jr., Carousel Court
Joyce Meyer, Let God Fight Your Battles: Being Peaceful in the Storm
Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins, Upside Down Magic
L.M. Montgomery, Chronicles of Avonlea
P.J. Ochlan, The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis
Bill O’Reilly, Hitler’s Last Days
Mary Pope Osborne, Stage Fright on a Summer Night
James Patterson and Mark Sullivan, The Games: A Private Novel
James Patterson and Marshall Karp, NYPD Red
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Randall Platt, Professor Renoir’s Collection of Oddities, Curiosities, and Delights
J.D. Robb, Devoted in Death
Nora Roberts, The Liar
Mac Rogers, Steal the Stars
Karen Rose, Every Dark Corner
Victoria Scott, We Told Six Lies
David Sedaris, Calypso
Dashka Slater, The 57 Bus
Angelo Surmelis, The Dangerous Art of Blending In
Harry Turtledove, Through Darkest Europe
J.A. White, The Thickety: The Whispering Trees
Jocko Willink, Way of the Warrior Kid: Marc’s Mission
Sherryl Woods, Michael’s Discovery
Stuart Woods, Naked Greed
Call us at 814-382-6666 to find out more and to place your order today!
How to Place an Electronic Hold
We’ve really enjoyed hearing from our patrons who have called or emailed to request books. However, if you’re pressed for time or simply want to send your request at a time that’s more convenient for you, it’s easy to place an electronic hold on library materials.
The CCFLS libraries have put together this easy-to-use guide for placing electronic holds. Simply click on the link to learn about the process. If you get stuck, call us at 814-382-6666 and someone will be glad to help you.
Curbside Service
After a successful first week of offering curbside service, our library has made the decision to expand our hours of operation while we are still closed to the public.
Beginning on Monday, June 22nd, we’ll be offering curbside service from 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and from 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM on Tuesday and Thursday.
You can place a book order over the phone by calling us at 814-382-6666.
You can also place electronic holds on items. Simply go to shontz.ccfls.org. On the right-hand side, you’ll see the words “Catalogue Search”. Beneath that box, you can type in a keyword, or look for the author’s name or the title of the book, if you know it. Under the search bar is a drop down menu with search options. When you’ve chosen your book, click “place hold”. You will be prompted to log in to your account. Your “login” is your library card number and your password is your last name. If you have misplaced your library card or experience difficulties with logging in, please call us. Fill in the appropriate information to place your hold. Once your hold has been filled, you’ll receive an email (if you have an email address on file with us), and you’ll also receive a phone call, during which you can schedule your pick up.
When you arrive at the library, please call us from your car. The librarian will place your items in a brown paper bag with your name on it, and leave it on the book return book. If you have any items to return, please leave them in the book return. Wear a mask and be sure to observe social distancing, especially if other patrons are present.
Our Annual Summer Reading Program is Here!
Visit shontz.readsquared.com to join our Annual Summer Reading Program! Our theme this year is Imagine Your Story, and we’re inviting all of our patrons to join in on the fun!
We’ve missed you!
While we’ve been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve been working hard on plans to safely resume our services and get our books out to patrons.
We are still unable to open the library to the public. However, we are available to take calls between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM, Monday through Friday.
Beginning on Monday, June 15th, we will begin offering curbside services. You can begin to place book holds over the phone at 814-382-6666 or online at shontz.ccfls.org. Please keep in mind that there may be some delay as we process requests. Each patron is limited to 5 holds. When your order is ready, we will call you and offer a pick up slot. Please let us know if you require extra time or assistance. When you arrive to collect your order, please remain in your vehicle and call the library. We will put your bagged items on a table outside the library and you may collect them once the librarian is safely inside.
This summer, we are trialing a new online Summer Reading Program, hosted by READSquared, and we’re making it available to the whole family! There are options for preschoolers, children, teens, and adults. The program is free. Sign up to record your reading, earn badges, win prizes, and be entered into an end of summer drawing! You can register here at shontz.readsquared.com. If you get stuck, call our library at 814-382-6666 or send us an email at shontz.pl@ccfls.org or amber.pouliot@ccfls.org and we’ll be happy to help you.
As always, thank you for supporting our library! We can’t wait to see you again — even if it’s at a distance!
Remember, you can still access e-books and online periodicals while we’re closed!
Margaret Shontz Memorial Library might be closed, but did you know you can still access a wide range of e-books, digital periodicals, and other online resources from the comfort of your home?
Visit https://ccfls.org/online-resources/ and browse books on Overdrive https://ccfls.overdrive.com/. To sign in, simply use your library card number and your surname as your password.
In addition to our library’s well-developed collection of e-materials, many businesses are also offering free e-books, audio books, and children’s educational material in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Audible is offering hundreds of free audio stories for children and young adults https://stories.audible.com/start-listen.
Scholastic has made available a number of free courses for children and parents who are homeschooling https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html.
Keep well! We look forward to seeing you soon!