Kindergarteners from South Ripley Elementary visited Tyson Library Friday, May 13 to learn more about libraries. The students’ field trip included a tour of the different sections of the library’s collection and resources, a scavenger hunt in the children’s section, a fun storytime, and getting to choose one of the library’s official 2022 bookmarks to use at home. Some of the students have visited the library before, but for others this was their very first visit!

We enjoyed showing the students around our library and are hoping they will stop by and see us again to find some books or to enjoy a free program!

For more information on our programming, check out our events calendar!

Tyson Library celebrated their 2022 Bookmark Contest winners Thursday evening (March 31, 2022) with a reception at the Tyson Activity Center. Our winners and their families gathered to receive their certificates, copies of their designs now in bookmark form, and enjoy some delicious treats provided by Jen and Jules Custom Cookies.

The winning bookmark designs will not only be on display at the Library, but will also serve as the library’s official bookmarks for the year with copies of each available for patrons to choose from.

This year’s winners are: Blaine Brown, kindergarten; Cooper Seabolt, kindergarten; Rose Sharp, kindergarten; Sydney Finney, first grade; Lillian Perry, first grade; Ada Janicki, first grade; Bristol Landwehr, third grade; Alexander Brown, second grade; Khloe Miller, third grade; Anna Schmaltz, fourth grade; Chelsea Baumgartner, fifth grade; Zoe McGuire, fifth grade; Ellery Libby, ninth grade (not pictured); Destinee Kissell, eighth grade; Alysia Janicki, seventh grade; Rayden Piepmeyer, twelfth grade; Shy-Ann Holmes, tenth grade; and Bree Walston, eleventh grade.

Click here to view all of Tyson Library’s official bookmarks for 2022.

We want to congratulate this year’s Bookmark Contest Winners and thank all of our participants. The Tyson Library staff continues to enjoy seeing the different designs and interests shown in our young patrons’ entries.

The winning bookmarks will not only be on display in our Children’s Section, but will be available for patron’s to use as the official set of Tyson Library bookmarks for the year.

This year’s winners are:

• Blaine Brown, Kindergarten
• Cooper Seabolt, Kindergarten
• Rose Sharp, Kindergarten
• Sydney Finney, 1st Grade
• Lillian Perry, 1st Grade
• Ada Janicki, 1st Grade
• Bristol Landwehr, 3rd Grade
• Alexander Brown, 2nd Grade
• Khloe Miller, 3rd Grade
• Anna Schmaltz, 4th Grade
• Chelsea Baumgartner, 5th Grade
• Zoe McGuire, 5th Grade
• Ellery Libby, 9th Grade
• Destinee Kissell, 8th Grade
• Alysia Janicki, 7th Grade
• Rayden Piepmeyer, 12th Grade
• Shy-Ann Holmes, 10th Grade
• Bree Walston, 11th Grade

We will host the winners and their families for a celebratory reception next week. Please, watch our Facebook page for pictures from the event.

Readers of all ages will dive into the ocean depths this summer as Tyson Library presents “Oceans of Possibilities” during our summer reading program. Our fun and free activities will begin June 11 with a special kickoff event. This event will be open to the public – even those who are not signed up for summer reading.

Tyson Library’s staff is preparing programs including group games, ocean-related crafts, art projects, sessions on historical nautical events, science and engineering experiments, and more.

The 2022 Summer Reading Program is open to young people, preschool through young adult, with programs, prize drawings, storytimes, a reading club, and more. Our full calendar of events will be available on our Events Calendar. Registration for “Oceans of Possibilities” begins in April.

For more information, call the library at 812-689-5894 or stop in. Like and follow us on Facebook, where we post more information and updates about all of our programs. 

We are wrapping up our Library Lover’s Month activities today here at Tyson Library. We had so much fun reading patrons’ “Love Notes” left on our display! Our little community is wonderful and we are fortunate to play our role and see people of ages from all walks of life use the resources housed in this local library.

We want to congratulate our drawing winners one last time: Tammy Osborne, Ella Dieterlen, Brian Trowbridge, and Jeanette McMurray.

To the local businesses that sponsored prizes for our weekly drawings: thank you, thank you, thank you! Versailles is lucky to have you right here in our town. This list includes: Emily’s Brew, Pat’s Bulk Food, The Quilter’s Nook, and the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce.

To our patrons, remember to shop local and shop often.

Tyson Library is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Our programming schedule is available on our events calendar and we post updates to our Facebook page regularly. Please, do not hesitate to call us at 812-689-5894 or email info@tysonlibrary.org if you have any questions, comments, or program ideas.

Tyson Library patrons now have access to a new book drop out in front of their local library. The new book drop features a slot for returning DVDs and CDs, saving patrons from walking up steps to drop them through the front door afterhours as was necessary with the previous book drop.

“We wanted to replace the book drop because our previous one was very old and rusty,” said Tyson Library Director Margaret Marcy. “On days with bad weather, some of the books would get wet or damaged as it was not weather proof anymore.”

The library received grant funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to purchase the book return bin. The book drop was installed on February 1, just in time to protect any returned materials from the first snow and ice accumulation of the year. The bin was manufactured and installed by American Security Cabinets, and the previous book return was recycled.

The staff at Tyson Library has set some tall – or short, in some cases – reading goals for 2022.

Children’s Programming Coordinator Aly Wright brought the fun challenge to the group: each staff member has to read until their finished books stack up to be as tall as they are.

Aly was inspired by an elementary teacher she saw online, who measured each of her students and encouraged them to read to their height by the end of the school year. We’re giving ourselves until December 31, 2022 to reach our individual goals.

Our team member with the tallest challenge is Trey Bradshaw, who works at our circulation desk. Margaret Ann Riley, another circulation clerk, has the shortest, though not by much.

Be sure to follow our progress throughout the year by checking the displays on the ends of the bookcases in the fiction, non-fiction, and large print sections! And, as always, feel free to ask us about what we’re reading and what we’d recommend.

Please click the bookmark entry form above to find the printable form OR stop by the library during business hours to get your copy!

Any child preschool through grade 12 can submit an original drawing about Tyson Library, books, or the fun and adventure of reading. Winning designs will be printed as the official Tyson Library bookmarks for 2022 and will be used throughout the year beginning National Library Week, April 4-10. Winners will be selected from six age/grade groups to ensure an equal representation of artwork from all age groups.

(1) preschool

(2) grades K-3

(3) grades 2-3

(4) grades 4-6

(5) grades 7-9

(6) grades 10-12

Contest rules:

The bookmark design MUST fit in a space 8 inches by 2 inches (included on printable form).

Drawings can be hand or computer drawn in color or black & white using ink, crayon, paint, or other media. (Note: pencil drawings are often not reproducible, thus not accepted.) Computer graphics may be submitted electronically (aly@tysonlibrary.org), however, an official paper entry form must also be submitted with appropriate name, age, and parental signature. These can be scanned to the above e-mail.

Limit one drawing per person.

Drawings must be received in the library by 6:00 p.m. March 7, 2021. (Entries can be dropped off at the library, attached to an e-mail (aly@tysonlibary.org) or faxed to 812-689-7401.

Submitted drawings must have the child’s name, grade, and parent’s signature (authorizing the library to use the winning drawing).

Winners of the bookmark contest will be notified prior to March 21, 2021 and the printed bookmarks will be available after April 11, 2021.