PCPL offers unique 'Chapter A Day' program

Victoria Honey, 5, was not shy about telling Santa she wants a bike and dolls for Christmas this year when she visited him at Visitors' Cove on the courthouse square Saturday. The daughter of William and Laura Honey, Fillmore, Victoria was afraid of the jolly old elf last year, but wasn't hesitant about getting on his lap this year. Santa will be on the square Fridays from 4:30-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. until Christmas. Photos can be purchased for $5 each.

Too busy to sit down for a long stretch with a book?

Time-challenged book lovers will welcome a new service that delivers, at no charge, an audio-book chapter everyday to their e-mail box. This service is also ideal for elderly or homebound library patrons.

The "Chapter A Day" service provides complete half hour installments of "radio reads" of newly released and highly acclaimed titles in contemporary fiction, history and biography. Titles are selected to appeal to a broad audience. The readers, from Wisconsin Public Radio, have significant radio experience ensuring a high quality listening experience.

Recent "Chapter A Day" books have included Joan Didion's best-selling memoir, "The Year of Magical Thinking", Scott Turow's "Ordinary Heroes" and "Runaway" by Alice Munro. A book is typically completed in three to four weeks. Patrons subscribing to the free service through the library will have four days to listen to each daily installment.

"Chapter A Day" joins BookLetters and BookPage, services that allow you to sign up for regular reviews and reading recommendations via e-mail. If you don't have e-mail you can still access this new service by simply logging on the library's homepage at www.putnam.lib.in.us and clicking on "Chapter A Day."

The next audio-book is "The New Woman: A Staggerford Novel" by Jon Hassler and will be read by Karl Schmidt beginning Monday, Nov. 27 through Dec. 22, 2006.

Also, new to the library homepage in conjunction with BookLetters is an online. Book Discussion Guide Database, which contains reading guides and other book & author information provided by publishers.

This resource is great for teachers, patrons and book discussion groups in the Putnam County area. Again, simply log on to the library homepage and select a title from the list of 400 "book discussion guides" provided by publishers. Approximately 15 new guides are added monthly.

For more information contact Margot R. Payne at 653-2755, ext. 118 or e-mail her at margot@putnam.lib.in.us or log on to www.putnam.lib.in.us and try one of the new services.