Manchester City Library

I didn’t realize it until this morning but this is Green Commute Week in NH.

To participate, individuals are asked to bicycle, walk, carpool, or take the bus or train to and from work during the week of May 11th. In addition to helping the environment by reducing congestion and emissions, alternative transportation options can be beneficial for your mental and physical health! If you complete the equivalent of at least two round trips via these alternative modes of transportation during the week, you will qualify for a raffle drawing [from Bike-Walk Alliance of NH], which includes a grand prize of an overnight stay and breakfast for two at the Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH.

To Register for the raffle drawing: Participants must complete a post event on-line survey found on the Bike-Walk Alliance of NH website www.BWANH.org. (Note: the survey can be reviewed, but is not available for data input in advance). The survey will be available starting at 6:00am on Friday, May 15th until midnight on Tuesday, May 19th. Raffle awards will be announced on May 22nd. [Via the Manchester Health Department]

I’m going to spend the evening dusting off my old bike and taking the WD-40 to it. If you’re a more by-the-book kind of person, there’s some great stuff about bike maintenance around here.

Other resources:

• Carpooling: NH Rideshare provided by the NH Department of Transportation
• Manchester Transit Authority

*On Wednesday, May 13th, get One FREE Fare in exchange for a PASTA item to be donated to the local food bank.

• Bike-Walk Alliance of NH: Event information and listing of trails
• NH Department of Transportation: Bicycle/Pedestrian Information Center

We hope you will be able to participate!

Due to a scheduling conflict, we won’t be showing “Under the Bombs” on Tuesday, May 12th. Please call Steve Viggiano at 624-6550 x 323 if you have any questions or concerns.

This month’s process art storytime for ages 2 to 5 will happen Thursday, May 7th at 11:00 AM in the Winchell Room.  After we read our stories, we’ll be playing with mud.  Mud is fun!  It’s great for squeezing and poking and mashing, which help to develop fine motor skills and provide new textures for small  hands.  By varying a play dough recipe, we can make our own nontoxic, sanitary mud to play with.  Believe it or not, we can also turn it into a pretty neat mother’s day gift when we’re done.

This storytime promises to be very messy, so be sure to wear something you don’t mind getting dirty.  You can register online or by calling 624-6550 ext. 328.  Hope to see you there!

-Ms. Amy

Is public speaking one of your greatest fears? Would you like to find a source that could offer tips and advice on how to conquer those fears? Well, we have received a donation of just such a resource from a thoughtful citizen. Toastmaster is a magazine that is chock full of interesting and useful tips and information for people who have some involvement with public speaking. Some of the many articles included in this magazine are: “How to Handle a Heckler”, “How much personal information should a speaker share?”, Disarm the with debate skills – Learn to sell your ideas by using complete arguments”.

If you think these articles could be useful to you in your job or personal life, come on down to the Manchester City Library and check out an issue Toastmaster magazine. We’ve been receiving this generous gift since January 2009 and we’re trying not to keep it a secret!

Due to a scheduling conflict, this Thursday’s Movement Storytime has been postponed.  We have rescheduled it for Thursday, April 30, at 11:00 am in the Winchell Room.  What is Movement Storytime?  If you have an active 2 to 5-year-old, let them use up some of their energy at our monthly movement-oriented storytime, where sitting still is kept to a minimum.  We’ll dance, stretch, jump, play, and maybe run (a little).  With any luck, we may even have a positive impact on flexibility and coordination.  For more information, contact Amy Graves at 624-6550 ext. 328.