For Adults

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (November 22, 2019) – Peabody Public Library recently received a grant from the Whitley County Purdue Extension Master Gardener Program.

The library started a container gardening program last spring as a way to teach youth about growing and harvesting plants. Some of the produce from the container garden was then used for the library’s monthly cooking program.

“The container garden was planted and maintained by children and teens who visited the library,” said Peabody Public Library Youth Services Librarian Mary Graber. “We had fun together learning about the process of planting, growing and harvesting the produce.”

The library will expand the gardening program in 2020, and will host regular gardening programs in the spring, offering many hands-on learning opportunities. The $200 grant from the Master Gardener Program will help the library purchase seeds, plant starts and garden supplies.

“We plan to add more to the garden, and create a pollinator garden as well,” said Graber. “Our goal is to better connect people and nature at the library.”

The library is connecting people and nature in other ways too. Last fall, the library received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Indiana State Library for new library program, “Wild About Wetlands.”

The Wild About Wetlands program introduced at Peabody Public Library, encourages children to be explorers, spend time outdoors, and learn about the wetlands. “Our library offers unique opportunities because it’s the only public library in the State of Indiana located on a wetland,” said Graber.

To stay up-to-date with what’s happening at Peabody Public Library, connect with the library on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube or visit www.ppl.lib.in.us.

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ABOUT PEABODY PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Peabody Public Library serves all individuals as a pathway to learning, culture and entertainment. The library has served individuals in Whitley County since 1901. In 1917, Simon J. Peabody donated lands and funds build Peabody Public Library on North Main Street in Columbia City, and it continued to serve the community well for many years. In 1999, the new state-of-the-art Peabody Public Library was built in Columbia City. The 29,688-square-foot facility located off Hwy 205, sits on 14-acres, and is the only library in the State of Indiana that is located on a wetland.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mary Graber (Peabody Public Library) – 260-244-5541 or mgraber @ppl.lib.in.us

The library is hosting a gingerbread decorating contest! The contest will take place Thursday, December 5 through Tuesday, December 10, 2019.

Voting will begin Wednesday, December 11 and will continue until Tuesday, December 17. Gingerbread creations must be picked up at the library between December 20 – December 23.

CONTEST GUIDELINES:

•Max size 15″ x 15″ x 15″

•Gingerbread houses should be constructed with gingerbread, graham

crackers, royal icing or other non-perishable materials

•Decorations can include candy, toys, and other non-perishable items

•Family friendly designs

•One entry per person/group

•Do not put your name on your entry

•Staff reserves the right to refuse any entry deemed inappropriate

Download entry form here.

Happy Fall to you and your family! The library is  thrilled to launch the annual pumpkin decorating contest again this year. Patrons of all ages are encouraged to use their imaginations and get creative in decorating their own pumpkins.

Prizes will be awarded for three different categories: most creative use of decorating media, creepiest pumpkin and scariest pumpkin; and three different age groups: children, young adult and adult.

Pumpkins should be dropped off between Monday, October 14 and Thursday, October 17 at 8 p.m. 

Entries will be publicly displayed in the library. Voting will begin the afternoon of Friday, October 18 through Saturday, October 26 at 8 p.m. Winners will be announced the following week. After voting ends, participants may pick up their pumpkins.

CONTEST GUIDELINES

• Do not carve or puncture your pumpkin, or use fresh produce of any kind. No electronics or flames will be accepted. Pumpkins are subject to disposal if pumpkins start to degrade, and the library reserves the right to refuse any pumpkin deemed inappropriate.

• Participants may use real or artificial pumpkins.

• Be creative! Use paint, paper, beads, feathers, markers, etc.

• One entry per person. Participants may work together to create a pumpkin, but there will be one prize awarded if it’s deemed a winning pumpkin.

• Please make sure pumpkins are family-friendly, so everyone can enjoy it.

• Do not put names on pumpkins. Each pumpkin will be assigned a number.

• All content must be secure enough to be moved throughout the library.

• Pumpkins must be at the library by 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 27, 2019.

• Pumpkins must be picked up by November 1 or they will be discarded.

ENTER THE CONTEST

Download the contest flyer/entry form.

We are thrilled to bring Battle of the Books to the library again this year! Battle of the Books 2020 will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2020. 

Battle of the Books is an academic competition in which teams are questioned on their knowledge of six books, provided by Peabody Public Library. This competition is open to students in grades 3-5 and 6-8 in Whitley County.

• Participants may register online here

• Download the General Rules here

• Download the Letter to Educators here

Registration is open until October 4, 2019.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (September 14, 2019) – Peabody Public Library was recently awarded two grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLA) and the Indiana State Library (ISL) to provide new experiences, and expand offerings to community members.

One of the grants will help fund a new program offered by the youth services department, called “Wild About Wetlands.” Peabody Public Library is the only public library in the State of Indiana located on a wetland.

“The library sits on a beautiful 15-acre wetland, and we want to utilize this natural space,” said Peabody Public Library Youth Services Librarian Mary Graber.

The Wild About Wetlands program will encourage children who visit the library, to be explorers, spend time outdoors, and learn about the wetlands.

“Studies have shown that spending time outside strengthens mental health, improves conservation attitudes, academic achievement, and improves social skills and relationships,” said Graber. “We can offer children a space where they can explore a natural environment and learn about native wetlands.”

The library will host nature programs and organize educational activities for children. The awarded funds will provide tools for children such as: microscopes, compasses, binoculars, night vision scopes, tablets, an underwater drone and several more items.

Another grant was awarded to the library for preserving historical materials.

“With funding from this grant we’ll be able to digitize historical items such as: handwritten ledger books, board meeting minutes dating back to the library’s inception in 1901, photos, slides and more,” said Peabody Public Library Adult Services Librarian Katy Southern.

Prominent community members such as Thomas R. Marshall, former governor and Vice President of the United States, served on the library board of directors, and is mentioned throughout board meeting minutes.

The grant will fund: a large format graphics scanner, large format document scanner, two laptops, a mobile workstation and intern salary during the grant term.

“This will allow us to specifically preserve more women’s history locally as well,” said Southern. “Many women’s history collections have been lost over the course of time, because archivists traditionally deemed them less important.”

Want to stay up-to-date with what’s happening at Peabody Public Library? Visit www.ppl.lib.in.us and follow the library on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.”

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ABOUT PEABODY PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Peabody Public Library serves all individuals as a pathway to learning, culture and entertainment. The library has served individuals in Whitley County since 1901. In 1917, Simon J. Peabody donated lands and funds build Peabody Public Library on North Main Street in Columbia City, and it continued to serve the community well for many years. In 1999, the new state-of-the-art Peabody Public Library was built in Columbia City. The 29,688-square-foot facility located off Hwy 205, sits on 14-acres, and is the only library in the State of Indiana that is located on a wetland.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Mary Graber – (Peabody Public Library) mgraber@ppl.lib.in.us 260-244-5541

Katy Southern – (Peabody Public Library) ksouthern@ppl.lib.in.us 260-244-5541

Did you know if you live in Columbia City, Columbia or Thorncreek Townships your Evergreen Membership at the Peabody Public Library is already PAID for through your property taxes? High five!

If you live in a township outside of the service area listed above, but live in the Whitley County Consolidated School district, you’re eligible for student cards for just $5 per year, and adult memberships for $70 per year.

If you sign up or renew your membership during the month of September, you could be eligible to win some awesome prizes! Prizes this year include:

• A free upgrade from a student card to an Evergreen card. This card is good at other participating libraries in the state, so you can check out other libraries nearby!

• A non-resident member can get their second year of membership for FREE.

• Individuals who sign up or renew their regular (PLAC) cards will be entered in a drawing to win a $25 Bones Theatre gift card.

• Everyone will be entered to win a Google Home Mini!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (June 7, 2019) – Peabody Public Library invites patrons of all ages to be a part of their Summer Reading program, “A Universe of Stories.”

The 6-week program launched June 3, and will run through July 13. The Summer Reading program encourages patrons of all ages to participate in reading and hands-on activities throughout the six weeks.

“This summer we have something for everyone. We have family programs that include: an inflatable planetarium, HAM radio, Professor Steve, Bubble Trouble and Space Rockets with Johnny Tincap. We also have a ‘Crafternauts’ program for crafters, Universe of Stories Time, a cooking program, Escape Rooms, video game challenges and more. There’s always something to do at the library,” said Peabody Public Library Youth Services Librarian Mary Graber.

With ongoing classes and activities, the library’s Summer Reading program is a great opportunity for families to spend time with one another, and for people to meet and connect with new community members.

“The Adult Services Department, is embracing this year’s theme by offering a wide range of programs, including jewelry-making, creating space-themed terrariums, exploring various types of painting, and showing several ‘B’ movies. Our goal is to make the Summer Reading program as fun and accessible for adults in our community as possible. And of course, teens are also welcome to attend our programs,” said Peabody Adult Services Librarian Katy Southern.

The reading portion of the program is Bingo-style, meaning each patron will fill spaces on their cards after completing reading exercises. And what’s a game of Bingo without prizes? The library has lots of prizes to give away as participants fill up their cards.

Patrons can pick up Bingo cards at the library or download them online here.

Special thanks to the Friends of the Library volunteer group for helping raise funds to support the program.

Want to stay up-to-date on all events, classes and programming at the library? Follow the library on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for event and class updates, and visit www.ppl.lib.in.us and click the “calendar” icon on the homepage to check out the library’s online calendar.

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ABOUT PEABODY PUBLIC LIBRARY

The Peabody Public Library serves all individuals as a pathway to learning, culture and entertainment. The library has served individuals in Whitley County since 1901. In 1917, Simon J. Peabody donated lands and funds build Peabody Public Library on North Main Street in Columbia City, and it continued to serve the community well for many years. In 1999, the new state-of-the-art Peabody Public Library was built in Columbia City. The 29,688-square-foot facility located off Hwy 205, sits on 14-acres, and is the only library in the State of Indiana that is located on a wetland.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Mary Hartman (Peabody Public Library) – 260-244.5541 or mhartman@ppl.lib.in.us

We had another FANTASTIC Battle of the Books event this year! On Saturday, March 23 we had 168 players and nearly 200 spectators at our 2019 Battle of the Books event at the library! We had 17 teams in the elementary school division, and 14 teams in the middle school division.

Congratulations to ALL the participants who worked so hard, it was a fun day for everyone!

2019 Battle of the Books Results:

Staying home for spring break? Come hang with us at the library! Beginning April 1, we’ll have lots of spring break activities and classes happening at the library, from a scavenger hunt to balloon twisting, wild Ramen noodles and more! Bring a friend or pack up the whole family. But travel light, because you don’t have to travel far!

Check out our online calendar to see what’s happening at the library.

Peeps on Parade is back at the library! What can you create with some imagination and cute little Peep marshmallows? Make your own diorama with Peeps and enter the contest! This contest is open to all ages.

Dioramas should be dropped off between 9 a.m. Monday, March 25 and 5:59 p.m. Friday, March 29. 

Learn more about the contest, and download the contest flyer and entry form here.