This year’s summer reading program theme at the Dassel Library is Level Up at Your Library! The theme encourages program participants ages 18 and under to set and reach goals, stretch their minds and muscles, and read all summer long.

The summer reading program will kick off on Wednesday, June 4. Everyone who signs up will receive a folder, a bookmark, and a game sheet or reading log. They will also be able to pick out a book to keep, thanks to donations from the Dassel Community Chest and other local community members.

For age 11 and under, the program consists of doing the Level Up at Your Library game.  Children will earn library loot for reaching spots on the game board by doing activities like reading, attending library events, and being active all summer long.  Each time a child turns in a completed game sheet, their name will be put into a drawing for additional monthly prizes, as well as prizes at the end of the summer.

Participants age 12 and up will keep track of the number of hours they spend reading. They will receive library loot for every 16 hours spent reading.  These participants will be entered in monthly prize drawings as well as an end of summer reading program drawing.

The library’s outdoor story hours will start on Friday, June 6, at 10 a.m. at the Dassel Bandstand. Outdoor Story Hour will run through Friday, August 22. In case of inclement weather, Story Hour will be moved into the community room of the Dassel City Hall behind the library. The library has several special guests planned throughout the summer who will help encourage reading and moving minds all summer long!

On June 13 at 10 a.m., CLIMB Theatre will present a show called “Babe the Blue Ox: Color our World” at the Dassel Bandstand. The show is designed for kids under age 10 and will be in place of regular Story Hour programming that day. This program is available to the Dassel Library thanks to funds from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

Join Science Heroes on a mission to turn science into an adventure on Tuesday, June 17, at 3:00 p.m. in the community room in the city hall community room. Along the way, the audience helps the performer conduct exciting science experiments that bring this story to life. Experiment with chemical reactions, air pressure, physical explosions, and more!

The Science Museum of Minnesota will be visiting the Dassel Library on Wednesday, June 25, at 10:00 a.m. They will present an interactive program where children will discover all about engineering as they test and explore options to solve a problem. The program is designed for elementary-aged children and should be fun for the whole family. This event will be held in the community room.

The annual Stuffie Sleepover will be held at the library June 27-28. Children can bring their stuffed animals to Story Hour in the morning or to the library during open hours on Friday, June 27. They can then follow along on the Dassel Library Facebook and Instagram pages to see the antics their stuffed animals get up to throughout the evening. On Saturday, June 28, they can pick up their stuffed animals during library hours, and each child will receive a commemorative photo and certificate of participation for their stuffed animal.

In July, children will have the opportunity to sign up for 3 different classes: Tabletop Gaming on July 15 and 17, Pizza Science on July 16, and Mini Hot Air Balloons on July 23. Details on sign-up dates and the programs are available at the library.

In August there will be two more events brought to the Dassel Library thanks to the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. On Thursday, August 7, a Cookie Canvas Workshop with Ma’s Sweet Shoppe will be held in the community room. Children and adults are welcome to take this fun class together. Details on how to register will be available closer to the date of the program. On Friday, August 8, at 4 p.m., the Dassel Library will host the Dragon Academy. At this exciting animatronic puppet show, kids will be trained on how to defend against and tame down dragons while traveling back to Medieval times with time traveler Brock Barnabas. No registration is required for this program, and it should be fun for the whole family.

For adults, a special program with award-winning Minnesota author Kent Nerburn will be held the Dassel History Center on Thursday, June 12, at 7 p.m. Nerburn will feature his new book “Lone Dog Road” as he speaks about his work and life. This program is made possible with funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

The Dassel Library Book Club also continues to meet throughout the summer on the 4^th Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m. in the library, before the library is open. New members are always welcome.

Many other in-library activities will be happening throughout the summer as well, so make sure to stop in and see everything going on at the Dassel Library this summer.

Stay up to date with all the library’s activities by visiting www.dassel.lib.mn.us or the Dassel Library Facebook and Instagram pages.

Dassel Library will offer curbside service indefinitely. Call the library at the number on the sign, 320-275-3756, if you’d like your materials brought outside. Have your library card number ready.

Library staff can hand your bag of library materials to you on the sidewalk or bring it to your vehicle in front of the library. Let us know where you’d like us to bring it when you call.

Curbside service may be useful if you have mobility issues or a sleeping child in the car, or because of illness. Regardless of your reason, you are welcome to use the service!

by Beth Cronk, Meeker County Librarian

Here are some useful facts about the library in a Frequently Asked Questions format. I hope you learn a little something you didn’t know before!

How much does it cost to get a library card?
A library card is free! It’s part of the public services available to you as a resident of Minnesota. Once you have a library card, it’s also free to check out anything in the library collection, both ebooks and physical items. If you had a library card and it’s lost, there is a $3 charge for a replacement card.

How many books are in the Dassel Public Library?
The Dassel Library has about 8,400 books. It also has about 1,200 DVDs and about 400 CDs.

What if I want to check out something that the Dassel Library doesn’t have?
You can request things from other libraries in the Pioneerland Library System, which has a collection of about 620,000 physical items. If Pioneerland doesn’t have something, you can often request it from another library in Minnesota, using the MNLINK catalog. You can search both the Pioneerland and MNLINK catalogs online and request things yourself, or library staff can help you and place those requests.

Does it cost money to order things from other libraries?
No, the service is free to you as part of the interlibrary loan network in place in Minnesota. Our state is outstanding at providing access to library materials! Dassel Library gets two deliveries of those interlibrary loan materials each week.

How long can I keep a book?
Most books are loaned for four weeks. Some bestsellers are limited to just two weeks while they’re new; you’ll recognize these by the sticker on the spine that says “14 day loan.”

How long can I keep a DVD I’ve checked out?
DVDs are now loaned for two weeks.

Can I check out magazines?

Yes, magazines can be checked out for two weeks.

A book I checked out had a due date coming up soon, but now I found out that it’s not really due for a few more weeks. What happened?

Automatic renewals! This is a brand-new service our library system is offering. If no one has a hold on an item that you have checked out, and you haven’t renewed it before, the library’s computer system will automatically renew it for you once, three days before its due date. If you are signed up for email updates about your account, you’ll be notified by email when those renewals happen and when you have items that will be due soon.

I’m late returning a library item. How much will I be charged?

There is a charge of ten cents per day for late items, although there is a three-day grace period before those start being charged. Materials for children and teens no longer have late fees. If your item is a month overdue, you’ll get a bill for the replacement of that item. If that happens, once you return the item the charge will drop to a $3 late fee (or to $0 for materials from the kids’ section). If an item is damaged or lost, talk to library staff about how you can resolve that charge.

Can I use my library card in other libraries?

Yes, you can. Your Pioneerland library card will work in all libraries in the system. Our system stretches from Graceville to Glencoe and from Canby to Dassel. If you want to use a different library system in Minnesota, you can do that, too. Bring your card to them, and they will help you register as a reciprocal borrower in their system.

If you have more questions, stop in or call the library, and we’ll be happy to answer them.

What are the hours at the Dassel Library?

Monday 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Tuesday 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Wednesday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Thursday 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Friday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Saturday 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Pioneerland Library System has a subscription to TumbleBooks!

https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/Home.aspx?categoryID=77

Our library has a subscription to TumbleBookLibrary, and your family can access it from home! It’s unlimited, and it’s FREE for you to use.

TumbleBookLibrary is an online collection of e-books for children.  They are a great way to encourage tech-savvy kids to enjoy reading!

There are over 250 animated, talking picture books. The site also features Spanish and French books, read-along chapter books, non-fiction books, and exciting games and puzzles.

We hope that you will get the chance to check out the collections with your child!

You can use your computer, tablet, or mobile phone. All you need is an internet connection. There are no downloads: books are streamed right to your device at the click of a button.

Happy Tumbling, everyone!

Pioneerland Library System has online magazines available for your use through the Overdrive e-book service. Access them here: https://pioneerland.overdrive.com/library/magazines