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  • Sew From the Heart

    At the library, we encourage you to pursue your passions, learn new skills, and have fun doing it! We strive to provide all the right resources to allow you to take on any new endeavor, and this May we’re embracing the mantra “Try Something New.”

    The McWilliams Family!
    From left to right: Zachary, Toby, Joshua, Anna

    Meet Anna McWilliams – Anna, an Alaska native, found her way to Greene County with her husband Toby, and they have been here for 12 years now. They have two boys, Zachary (age 7) and Joshua (age 5). Her youngest son, Joshua, was born with Achondroplasia, also known as dwarfism.

    A Fairborn Community Library patron, Anna crossed paths with Ms. Jeri and soon realized she could learn to alter her son Joshua’s clothing at the library.

    I had the chance to discuss what made Anna want to try something new at the library and what it means to her and her son.

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    What inspired you to attend one of Ms. Jeri’s sewing workshops? What type of sewing project were you working on?

    I saw Ms. Jeri with a sewing machine at the desk and struck up a conversation. I asked her about recommendations for learning to hem Joshua’s pants and shirts. She gave me some tips and told me about the sewing workshop, and I signed up.

    The reason for my interest in sewing/alterations is that Joshua was born with Achondroplasia (dwarfism). Although dwarfism is rare, Achondroplasia is the most common form. Some of the physical aspects of Achondroplasia include short arms and legs, typical-length torso, and a larger head.

    During the workshop, Ms. Jeri taught me how to measure, pin, and sew a new hem on Joshua’s jeans, and how to move the cuff on one of Joshua’s favorite shirts. I was so excited to see these altered clothes on Joshua! The shirt looked like it had been made just for him.

     

    The clothing industry is known for typically catering to specific body types. Have you had trouble in the past finding clothes that properly fit Joshua?

    Joshua in a shirt his mom Anna altered for him. The sleeves are just his size!

    Yes, Joshua’s unique physique (short arms, short legs, and a typical-length torso) makes clothes shopping a bit of a challenge. We buy clothes that fit his waist and torso, then we roll the cuffs on his pants, long-sleeve shirts, and jackets.

    At age 5, Joshua doesn’t seem to mind that his pants and shirt cuffs are rolled. But as he gets older, having clothes that properly fit him could become more important to him. And I want to be ready with the sewing skills needed.

     

    You told one of our librarians that being able to hem Joshua’s clothes made you feel empowered. Can you expand on this and tell us why is this seemingly small act to an outside person so important to you and your family?

    I think it comes down to being able to do something helpful for Joshua.

    Having a child with physical differences like dwarfism can feel overwhelming at times. Most things in life (clothes, furniture, sinks, toilets, playground equipment, door handles, light switches, etc.) are made for average-height people. So, as his mom, it’s easy to only see the challenges Joshua faces or will face in the future.

    Being able to hem his pants and shirts may seem like a small thing, but it feels empowering to know that I can learn how to make his clothes fit him.

     

    Can you describe your experience with Ms. Jeri and why it was so impactful for you?

    I feel grateful to Ms. Jeri for showing me that I can learn new things, like hemming clothes, by just taking that first step! Her workshop was fun and stress-free.

    As a bonus, I realized that once I got sewing, it was a calming activity – something we could all use more of, right?

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    Anna went on to recommend Ms. Jeri’s sewing workshops to those at all sewing skill levels. The library fosters a wonderful community for beginners and experts alike, all there to help each other with different sewing projects.

    Ms. Jeri hosts virtual and in-person sewing workshops for all ages every month at the Fairborn Community Library – sign up for one of her programs here!

    This May, try something new at your community library – you won’t know how much a new skill may impact you and your loved ones until you try! 

  • Beavercreek Adult Take-and-Make: Embroidery Hoop Pincushion

    Reserve your kit here:  https://greenelibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/6271880ae17d440c59cffb03

     

  • Discover your Family History at the Library

    In the spirit of trying something new this May, why not try your hand at genealogy? GCPL has resources for genealogy researchers of all skill levels. The Greene County Room on the Second floor of the Xenia Community Library holds one of the largest collections of local history and genealogy information in Southwest Ohio. GCR partners with the Greene County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society each month for researchers to come together and share.

    I had the chance to discuss researching your own genealogy with Ohio Genealogical Society’s Greene County Chapter President Katie Scott.

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    Can you tell us a little bit about the Greene County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society and your monthly meeting – like the meeting happening May 7?

    Founded in 1980, our chapter meetings focus on sharing ideas, information, methods, and best practices in genealogy. Our meetings are held on the 1st Saturday of the month (except July) at 1:30 p.m. in the Greene County Public Library in Xenia. We have a Zoom link as well if people would prefer to join us virtually. We start with a short business meeting, break for snacks, and then listen to a guest speaker.  A calendar of events is located on our website here.

    Our meeting on May 7th will be special – we will be celebrating our Chapter’s 42nd anniversary and getting reacquainted with old and new members now that we are able to gather in person again. We are asking all attendees to bring a photo of themselves when they were a baby, young child, teen or young adult and we will try to guess who the person is and share memories about the photo. We will also talk about our current research, what roadblocks we may have, and anything significant they would like to briefly share about their research in the last couple years that we have been mostly isolated from each other.

     

    What encouraging words would you give to those just starting their genealogical journey?

    It can seem a bit overwhelming when first starting your family research – especially if you are trying to decipher DNA connections. While it is easy to get distracted by new hints and records, try focusing on one branch/family at a time.

     

    What are some good resources available to genealogy newbies?

    Most genealogy newbies probably default to Ancestry.com, but there are many free options for researching your family history. One of the best is www.FamilySearch.org run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lehi, Utah, the site is completely free and has more than 14.3 billion searchable names and images from historical records from ancestral homelands all over the globe.

     

    How does your organization utilize the Greene County Room?

    Mostly, we promote the GCR and its resources at our meetings. We have had staff as guest speakers at meetings and during our Beginning Genealogy seminar we take students up to the room for a tour. We also coordinate with the GCR to offer special educational seminars like Beginning Genealogy and Using Online Resources. 

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    Katie also emphasized that you do not need to have Greene County ancestors or even live in Greene County to come to meetings or be a member. She says that meeting with people who share your same interest and passion will help you upgrade your skills, get one-on-one help with research, and you can meet new friends!

    Find the list of online genealogy resources GCPL provides for you here.

    OGS Greene County Chapter Treasurer and Education Committee Chair, Diana Nelson. She was presenting at a recent Beginning Genealogy course that we host in conjunction with the Greene County Room.

  • The Hunt for Red October, Week 1

    Welcome to May’s Online Book Club. This month, we’re reading The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. 

    The Online Book Club, if you’ve never joined us before, is a book discussion group that takes place entirely online. Each week, I write a new blog post that talks about different aspects of the book, and you can interact directly with me and other readers by leaving your comments. Check back each week and see what new topics we’re talking about.

    The Hunt for Red October is a thrilling book about a Soviet submarine that veers off course and starts heading towards the United States. Is the submarine full of Soviet soldiers who are looking to defect to the U.S., or is this an act of war? Jack Ryan is the only man who is able to figure out the Soviet’s motives, and he soon takes the case. This book has a very exciting and action-packed ending that is perfect reading for warmer months. 

    If you want to follow along with us but you aren’t interested in reading the book, you can always watch the movie version starring Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery.  Check out the trailer above if you want to get a feel for the movie. Feel free to still leave comments on the blog posts, even if you’re only watching the movie and not reading the book.

    We’ll read through the first seven chapters for next week, so keep reading until you get to the section called, “”The Eighth Day.” I can’t wait to hear what you think of the first chapters in the comments section!

  • End the School Year Strong with Level Up Homework Help!

    With the end of the school year right around the corner, now is the best time to get test prep, beneficial study habits, and homework help at your community library through the free tutoring program Level Up.

    Meet Michelle Newsome! Michelle tutors at the Fairborn Community Library, and she taught high school chemistry for 21 years before becoming a current chemistry professor at Wright State University.

    I had the chance to discuss Level Up with Michelle.

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    What made you want to tutor at GCPL?

    I have noticed that the educational experiences of some of my students, due to COVID, is not up to the standard I expect. I know that is happening to all teachers. Students are not prepared because online learning was hard. I wanted to help fix that gap in learning. 

    To you, what makes Level Up tutoring such an important library program for the community?

    This program gives families a support system. Students and parents need help keeping up with schoolwork, fixing the gaps in learning that were missed in the COVID experience. This program provides parents with experts in education that can help their child.

    What is a success story you’ve seen through Level Up?

    We have a 3rd grade girl who comes at least once per week. She has received awards for attendance in the program. When she started, we were working with her on her math homework. It was a struggle because the concepts were building on multiplication and eventually division. It became evident that she did not know her multiplication math facts. That became our focus. I am happy to report we are now at mastery for all but the 8 and 9’s.  We are working on those! Her reading has also progressed to chapter books instead of easy readers.  We love working with this young lady. 

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    When it comes to academic success, your library is here to help you LEVEL UP! Find tutoring times at your community library at https://greenelibrary.info/levelup/.

    This program is supported by the State Library of Ohio with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

  • Atonement, Week 4

    Welcome to the final Online Book Club discussion of Atonement.

    How many of you wish the book had ended at before the very last little section entitled “London, 1999?” I think I wish it had. It was very sad to read what happened to Cecilia and Robbie. 

    Were you surprised that the whole book was the manuscript that Briony wrote? It makes sense, then, that the first section created such a richer portrait of Briony because she was the person telling the story. Of course she knew more about the inner workings of Briony than she knew about anyone else. Do you think Briony was fair in her retelling, or do you think she put herself in a more positive light than she should have? 

    What did you think about the wedding scene between Lola and Paul? Were you surprised that he was her attacker? I really was. And, I was surprised that she ended up marrying him after the whole ordeal. It seemed like, at the end of the book, that she had a comfortable life, but I can’t imagine that she really had a lot of happiness. What do you think? Why do you think it was so important for Briony to have Lola see her at the wedding? What was Briony trying to do? 

    Do you think Briony treated her nursing as a type of penance for her past actions? It was really sad all of the things that she saw while she was nursing. The man who had lost part of his brain was especially heartbreaking. I don’t think I could have been strong enough to be pleasant and helpful for those men. It would be so hard to keep a pleasant face while seeing all of that pain and misery. The description of the man who had been burned was really hard to read, too. It seemed almost a relief when he passed away. I just didn’t see how he could recover from that sort of injury. 

    Were you surprised when Robbie made an entrance in the scene between Briony and Cecilia? I was shocked to see him. Did you think they all interacted with each other like you thought? Was the meeting friendlier than you expected? I thought it was. I didn’t even expect Cecilia and Robbie to talk to Briony. 

    How did you process the last section at Briony’s birthday party? I thought it was cool that Briony was a famous author, and I loved reading about all of the research she put into her book. But, I was flabbergasted when she revealed the truth about Cecilia and Robbie. What a heartbreaking end. I don’t even know how Briony was able to keep going. And, I thought the last part where she said she changed the ending to be more hopeful for her readers a little misleading. Do you think she really did that because readers would be too dishearted by the truth, or did she do it because she wanted to not look quite so bad. I’m not sure if she had pure motives. 

    What else stuck out to you in this section? What were your favorite parts? 

    Are you curious about the creation of the novel? Check out this article to read how the book came to be and how McEwan decided on the ending. 

    If you liked this book and want to read and watch similar titles, check out this list I created. Let me know if you check out anything on the list!

    Thanks so much for joining us this month. I hope you enjoyed the book. Make sure to let me know all of your thoughts in the comments! And, be sure to join us again next month as we read The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy. I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments!

  • Level Up Tutors Guide Your Students to Academic Success!

    At the library, our Level Up tutors are qualified to help Greene County students of all academic levels. Whether your student attends one session or 10 sessions, the Level Up tutors will help your student achieve their academic goals.                                                                  

    Meet Kirsten Gum! Kirsten tutors at the Fairborn Community Library and taught at Fairborn Intermediate for five years. She taught two years in fifth grade and three years in fourth grade.

    I had the chance to discuss Level Up with Kirsten.

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    What made you want to tutor at GCPL?

    I took this year off from teaching to be at home with my son. Tutoring is a great way for me to get back into the “classroom” and help the kids in our community while still being able to stay home with my son during the day. 

    To you, what makes Level Up tutoring such an important library program for the community?

    Level Up is a great program for all students, from those who may have gaps in learning due to COVID, to those who struggle with certain subjects, or simply those who need a little extra help on homework.

    What’s a student success story you can share?

    I have had the privilege of helping a second-grade boy from Fairborn schools. He struggles with phonics and reading. We have been working on vowel sounds and blends. He has improved greatly over the last three months. He is now to the point where he is correcting himself without being prompted. 

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    When it comes to academic success, your library is here to help you LEVEL UP! Find tutoring times at your community library at https://greenelibrary.info/levelup/.

    This program is supported by the State Library of Ohio with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

  • Atonement, Week 3

    Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of Atonement.

    This section was so hard to read! I felt like I was experiencing the horrors of war right beside Robbie. I had to push myself to keep going. How did you feel about this section? Wasn’t it so hard to read about all of the things he had to do, all the while knowing that he was injured and was not getting the medical attention he needed? 

    When I first started reading this section, I missed the fact that he was injured. His wound was barely mentioned at the beginning of the section. And, when it was mentioned, it seemed pretty insignificant. It seemed like something he could have gotten fixed pretty easily. Why didn’t he tell anyone? I would think that he would want medical attention because then, maybe, he would be able to go home? I’ve read through the second section a couple of times, and I can’t find anything that says why Robbie doesn’t ask for help. Does he not realize how bad his injury is? All I kept reading was that he wanted privacy, so that he could inspect his injury. I wish he could have found some, so he could have realized how badly injured he was. 

    In his musings, Robbie describes the relationship he had with Cecilia after he was taken to prison. He describes their loving letters, and then he describes their disappointing meet up after he was released. It totally made sense that they were awkward with each other after being apart for so long. And, I can imagine it would be weird to see each other in person after corresponding over letter for so long. Were you surprised that they wanted to keep their relationship going? They didn’t have much of a romantic relationship before he went to prison. It was a little surprising to me that they were so dedicated to each other. It’s good that Robbie had memories of Cecilia to think about, though, because I think they helped him keep going through the horrors of war. 

    Robbie mentions that he and Cecilia believe that Danny Hardman is the one responsible for the attack against Lola. What do you think? 

    This section was so different from the first. It was almost hard to keep track of what was going on because Robbie shifted so quickly from thinking about the past to experiencing the present. Was it hard for you to understand what exactly he was doing? Did you have a hard time keeping up with all of the details? Did you enjoy this section, or did you wish this section was more like the first with chapter breaks and more typical narration? 

    What war experiences stuck out the most to you while reading this section? I just couldn’t believe all of the chaos. Robbie was dodging bombs and trying to save civilians and helping with the injured–all without really taking a breath. It was just constant movement and destruction and pain. I don’t think I would have the will to keep going if I were faced with similar circumstances. 

    What do you make of the last part of the section? Do you think Robbie is ok? 

    By the end of the section, we know that Robbie eventually made it to Dunkirk. If you would like to read more about that battle to understand Robbie’s circumstances a bit better, check out this article. And, if you’d like to see how the Dunkirk section plays out in the movie version, check out the clip below. 

    I hope you’re ready and excited to finish the book for next week! I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and impressions of this second section in the comments. 

  • Students Level Up Their Academic Success at the Library!

    The Level Up program started at the Fairborn Community Library nearly a decade ago, and it’s still going strong. The program’s sustainability comes from the community’s need for accessible tutoring, but also the tutors that diligently work to help your students!

    Meet Lucas Mohme! Lucas tutors at the Fairborn Community Library, and this is his first year teaching in Fairborn City Schools. Starting out as a phonics intervention teacher, Lucas has recently taken over a third-grade homeroom position.

    I had the opportunity to discuss Level Up with Lucas.

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    What made you want to tutor at GCPL?

    I was very interested to tutor at GCPL because I knew I could help students who were struggling or who were intrinsically motivated to be there. Getting to help students between K-12 is a unique experience where I get to work on high level math and teach reading strategies in the same session.

    To you, what makes Level Up tutoring such an important library program for the community?

    Many students come into Level Up with homework they do not understand and probably would not finish on their own. We get the opportunity to not only help those students complete their homework, but we also get a one-on-one time to help them solidify their understanding of the concept. Plenty of students have even come into the tutoring sessions with their friends instead of hanging out in the common area. They see that there is homework help available and take up the opportunity to work with us.

    What is a student success story you’ve seen through Level Up?

    There is one student from Fairborn City Schools who is a regular at the library for our tutoring sessions. At the beginning of our program in October or November, she came in struggling with geometry. Her quiz and test scores were not where she wanted them to be, and she didn’t even know how to begin most problems on her homework.

    She comes in about once a week for extra help and ends up staying for an average of two hours. This gives us a chance to go really in depth on the geometry concepts that she is learning about. I will have her show me what she knows or thinks she knows on her homework so that I can see how she thinks about each concept. Then we typically use whiteboards where I do each problem with her until we have constructed enough to where she can do them independently.

    Throughout this school year I have seen her growth in understanding. Her quiz and test scores are in the A-B range where she is happier with the results!

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    Stop into the Fairborn Community Library every Monday and Wednesday from 3:30-6:30 for homework help from Lucas and our other amazing Fairborn tutors!

    When it comes to academic success, your library is here to help you LEVEL UP! Find tutoring times at your community library at https://greenelibrary.info/levelup/. This program is supported by the State Library of Ohio with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

  • Atonement Week 2

    Welcome to Week 2 of the Online Book Club discussion of Atonement. 

    How did you enjoy the reading this week? I found that by the end of the section, I didn’t want to keep reading. I just had such a hard time with Briony, and I couldn’t believe how she completely destroyed Robbie’s life with her imagination. I just didn’t want to keep reading to see how things were going to pan out for him! Did you feel that way, or were you anxious to keep reading because you hoped that things wouldn’t go poorly for Robbie? There were just so many misunderstandings. I wanted everyone to just talk to each other! 

    Do you feel like you really know anything about any of the characters after this first section? I feel like the only character that I really know at all is Briony. The rest are a little cloudy. What are your first impressions of Briony? It’s interesting that she is so creative an innovative–writing a play that is so in-depth that people could actually act it out. That’s interesting. However, her creativitiy may be her only redeeming quality for me. She is so self-centered, and she is completely uncontrolled when it comes to her thoughts and opinions. At the beginning of the book, I was drawn to Robbie. He seemed like an all-around nice guy. Maybe he had some lapses in judgement when he wrote that note to Cecilia and didn’t triple check to make sure that he didn’t give that explicit note to her, but other than that, he seemed really kind. What did you think of Cecilia? Did you feel like you knew enough about her to make a judgement about her? I felt like Cecelia didn’t know enough about herself, so it was hard for me to understand her. 

    Were you surprised by how quickly things progressed for Cecilia and Robbie? I felt like they went from casual acquantances to lovers so quickly. Why do you think they moved so quickly? Do you think they were always interested in each other but didn’t admit it? Do you think there were other encounters and flirtations that we didn’t hear about in the book? Were you surprised that Cecilia wasn’t offended by the note and then met up with Robbie in the library? I think all of Cecilia’s actions in this first section are so confusing. I couldn’t understand why she was taking off her clothes to jump in the fountain. I felt like it was a power move, but I didn’t really understand it. Do you have any insights into these two characters? 

    I felt sorry for the cousins throughout this section. They really seemed adrift. The boys just needed someone to take care of them, and Lola needed help as well. How do you think she got those bruises before the dinner? She says that the boys attacked her, but that doesn’t seem like something they could or would do. Do you think she was attacked by an adult–maybe the same person who attacked her later? What do you think really happened outside at the temple? Briony did not see the face of the person attacking Lola, but I’m sure it wasn’t Robbie. Who else could it have been? Someone at the dinner, or could it be someone who just sneaked on the grounds? 

    This section ends with Briony sticking to her story and accusing Robbie, even though she knows she didn’t see the face of the attacker. Didn’t you hope she would confess to someone that she wasn’t 100% sure what happened to Lola? What do you think will happen in the next sections? What will life end up being for Robbie? Do you think he and Cecilia will meet again? 

    Throughout this first section, the house is an important character, don’t you think? If you’d like to read about how the movie production company picked a house to film the home scenes, check out this article. And then, check out this link to find out how you can visit the house in real life! 

    Take a look at this article about making Cecilia’s iconic green dress work for the movie version. I thought this article was especially interesting!

    Finally, check out the video below to see Ian McEwan talk about his writing process. I always enjoy hearing how and where authors create their masterpieces. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0ZEE9_iZRk

    I hope you enjoyed the reading this week! Make sure to join us again next week as we talk about Part 2. 

    I can’t wait to hear from you in the comments section!