News

Where’s Waldo? – Winter Early Literacy Fundraiser

January 13, 2022 | See all Announcements

Monday, December 27 – Saturday, January 22

Waldo is hiding in eight different scenes, so come to find him during library open hours. Check in at the circulation desk to get your tally sheet. Participation to play will be by freewill donation.

All donations will go towards purchasing new books to “STOCK THE SHELVES” for the children’s collection.

Children’s Events

January 13, 2022 | See all Announcements

Tiny Tots
Tuesdays at 10 AM
February 1 – May 10
Ages 0-24 months
Sing, read, and play with your little ones and friends!

Storytime – All Things That Go!
Thursdays at 10 AM
February 3 – May 12
Ages 2-5
Each session includes stories, songs, and a craft.
February – Winter Wonderland
March Spring – Surprises
April/May – Feathered Friends

Music & Movement
Wednesdays at 10 AM
February 2 – May 11
Ages 0-5
Movin’ & groovin’ fun with sensory play!

Take & Make Kids’ Craft Kits
Preschool – 5th Grade
Each month you will be able to pick up a seasonal themed craft kit.

Supplies and instructions will be included. Kits will be available throughout the entire month at our drive-thru pickup window.

STEAM Stations
Tuesdays at 4 PM
February 1 – May 10
(No meetings February 15 or April 5)
Kindergarten – 5th Graders
Drop in each week and choose one or several stations to investigate and discover new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) related ideas.

Spring Break Programs – Free as a Bird!
Fly on over to the library during spring break for some fun bird programs!

Bird Bingo
Tuesday, April 5 at 2 PM
Play a fun game of bingo featuring our feathered friends and win some prizes!

Birds of Prey
Presented by the Kalamazoo Nature Center
Friday, April 8 at 10 AM
During this one-hour Birds of Prey program, KNC’s educators will take the audience into the lives and habits of four unique birds. Program includes touchable artifacts and different species of live birds!

Book Packs To Go
Would you like a library staff member to pick out books for you or your child?

You can list your interests or genre’s you prefer and a staff member will choose up to 10 books that they feel you will enjoy. Do you like a certain genre or want to learn more about a certain subject? Staff member(s) will choose books to match that subject. The library will put them on hold for you to be able to pick up at our Drive-Thru Pickup Window. Click HERE to get your book pack started!

Rising Reader Activity Kits
We are VERY excited about this collection at ODL: Rising Reader Activity Kits! These are packs families will be able to check out that have phonics sets of books, games, flashcards, puzzles, and reading activities in them to help kids learn to read/improve their reading skills! The kits are based on the areas of vocabulary, phonics, comprehension, fluency, and phonemic awareness and are full of fun activities for families to do together. There are multiple kits for preschool through third grade! Rising Reader Kits require parental supervision and are not for children under 3 due to choking hazards in some of the game pieces. These kits were brought to us by the generous memorial donation of Albert Hoekstra.

STEAM Kits
Announcing the installment of our new ODL STEAM kits! These STEAM kits offer your family a fun way to learn and work on various science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics topics through stories, activities, games and flash cards!

This round of kits made possible by a generous grant from EATON. These Math topics are heading to the shelves shortly: Addition, Subtraction, Time and Clocks, Fractions, Money. Also coming soon – Place Value & Decimals, and Ecosystems and Biomes! You can look forward to even more science and technology kits this year from our recent EATON grant as well!

Teen & Tween Events

January 13, 2022 | See all Announcements

Creative Café – Fused Glass with Kathy Kuipers
Friday, March 18 from 4 – 6 PM

This class is for 6th-12th graders with or without parents. Create a spring-inspired fused glass art project. Participants will be able to choose from a variety of styles to make.

The cost is $20 (nonrefundable) and preregistration is required. Cost covers the instruction of the class, your finished product, and refreshments.

Teen Scene
February – May
1st & 3rd Thursday at 4 PM
Middle School – High School

Hang out with us each week as we play games, eat snacks, and create lasting memories. We will be featuring several Nintendo Switch consoles and awesome new tabletop games. There is no Teen Scene during Spring Break – check out the special Spring Break Events the first week of April.

Art Hub: Teen/Tween Art Club
February – May
2nd Thursday at 4 PM
Middle School – High School

Create beautiful and fun pieces of art at this art club. Join us for drawing, painting, crafting and more! The projects at these meet-ups are more advanced and picked with teens and tweens in mind.

Sweet and Salty Books – Teen/Tween Book Club
February – May
4th Thursday at 4 PM
Middle School – High School

Books can be sweet… and some characters are salty! Let’s get together to discuss what we are reading with sweet and salty snacks! Not everyone likes to read the same book, so choose the book you want to read and share with the group – your books, your choice! Ask a staff member about new and popular book titles in the young adult, juvenile, and graphic novel sections!

Spring Break Events

Donut Delight!
Tuesday, April 5 at 4 PM

Make donut keychains with us with our *NEW* Cricut machine while we smash delicious donuts. No registration required.

Rose Watercolor Painting
Thursday, April 7 at 4 PM
Get crafty with us and create a beautiful faux stained glass piece of art. No registration required.

VolunTEENs
Middle School – High School

Volunteer at your library to earn service credit hours for school and for building a resume for future job searches. Stop by during library hours for an orientation and to volunteer.

LEVEL UP! – Virtual Escape Room
All Ages

Become a video game expert at ODPL: go from Pong to Roblox in this exciting virtual puzzle! We’ll take you through video-game themed puzzles that test your trivia and problem-solving skills to see if you’re a novice, gamer, or expert. Kids that discover the secret code at the end can earn a prize for completing the virtual escape room.

Play with your family and friends to LEVEL UP!

Click HERE to begin your virtual escape room adventure.

Percy Jackson – Virtual Escape Room
All Ages

Ever wondered what it would be like to go on a quest like Percy Jackson and his demigod friends? Here’s your chance! Compete individually or with your friends to complete the Percy Jackson Escape Room. Navigate your way through the Labyrinth, meet the mystical Calypso, and test your skills as a hero. Can you escape all three levels to get back to Camp Half-Blood?

Click HERE to begin your escape room adventure!

Take & Make Monthly Crafts Kits
Grades 6 – 12

Pick up a seasonal craft kit each month from the DriveThru Pickup Window at the library.

Each craft kit will include supplies and instructions for teen themed crafts.

Book Packs To Go

Would you like a library staff member to pick out books for you or your child?

For the Love of Tattoos with Author Abby Lyne

January 13, 2022 | See all Announcements

Saturday, February 12
10 AM – Noon

Abby Lyne Sisson (Otsego District Library’s Clerk) has written a beautiful children’s book, My Aunt has Tattoos. When Jem’s Aunt Amy comes home from the Army, she has love to give and stories to tell…about her tattoos!

Join Jem as she learns about why grown-ups get tattooed, and how some stories are told on a living canvas of memories.

There will be a special reading of the book by the author, signed books to purchase, a temporary tattoo station, snacks, plus a craft station where you can share your love for others by making your own Valentines!

Friends of the Library – Overstock Book Sale

January 12, 2022 | See all Announcements

Overstock Sale Date: (During Library Hours)
March 7
May 2
July 11

Prices:
Adult books – 3/$1 and Kids books – 4/$1

Who doesn’t like book bargains?!

The Friends of the Library are holding an Overstock Book Sale on the first Monday of each month during library hours. Books will be on sale for 3/$1 in front of the bookstore. (We might even have some special deals that day!) Grab your book bags and stock up for birthdays, holidays, and your own bookshelf!

Shelves inside the bookstore will be restocked with new titles after each sale.

American Red Cross Blood Drive

January 12, 2022 | See all Announcements

Red Cross Blood Drive
Monday, March 7 from 11 AM – 4:30 PM

Donating Blood Makes a Big Difference in the Lives of Others. Make your appointment at redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.

Woolbur with Author Leslie Helakoski

January 12, 2022 | See all Announcements

Saturday, March 12 from 10 AM – Noon

Leslie Helakoski, award-winning children’s author and illustrator, says her books are for laughing, living and learning. If you’ve read any of her books including Big Chickens and her newest title, Are Your Stars Like My Stars?, then you will have to agree. For this program we will focus on Woolbur, the fun-filled story of a sheep that bleats to his own beat. We will begin our morning with a presentation by Leslie and then be able to meet a live Woolbur, make a wooly craft, and have a snack that’s not baaaaaa…d.

Creative Café – Fused Glass

January 12, 2022 | See all Announcements

Fused Glass with Kathy Kuipers

Friday, March 18 from 1-3 PM
Saturday, March 19 from 10 AM – 12 PM

Another class will open Saturday afternoon if these fill. These classes are for adults only, but there will be a Friday afternoon session from 4 – 6 PM for 6th – 12th graders with or without parents.

Create a spring-inspired fused glass art project. Participants will be able to choose from a variety of styles to make. The cost is $20 and preregistration is required (non-refundable). Cost of the class covers the instruction, your finished art project, and refreshments.