Library Closed Good Friday & Easter

The Bedford Public Library will be closed Friday, March 21 for Good Friday and Sunday, March 23 for Easter. Stock up on your favorite books and movies on Saturday, March 22 from 10:00 - 5:00 pm.

Tell Us What You Want in a New Library - Take our Survey

Have your heard? We're building a new library. The City of Bedford and Library Advisory Board invite you to complete this short survey to share your ideas for programs and services to be included in the new library. The Library wants to meet your needs and plan for the future.

For Dummies Display

The library has created a special display this month showcasing books from the "For Dummies" series. The display is the Bedford Public Library's entry in the 3rd annual "For Dummies" display contest and features the theme "Don't be a Dummy! Read 'For Dummies'" The company that produces the highly popular series of books will select 4 winners and 4 honorable mentions from among the libraries submitting entries. The Grand Prize is a collection of 50 For Dummies books for the library. Take a look at all of our photos on Flickr. You can also see photos of the past contest winners from 2006 and 2007.

National Poison Prevention Week

Poisons can hurt you - or even kill you – if you eat, drink, breathe, or get them in your eyes or on your skin. Thousands of children in Texas are accidentally poisoned each year. Many swallow medicines, polishes, drain cleaners, insecticides, antifreeze, and other household and garage products. Making sure children are not exposed to potentially toxic substances is the best way to prevent accidental poisonings.

National Poison Prevention Week is next week, March 16 - 22. The Texas Poison Center Network (1-800-222-1222) provides free 24-hour poison information and assistance. Your call will be answered by one of the specialists at the Poison Center. These experts are trained nurses and pharmacists who specialize in poisoning emergency treatment and poison prevention. So take some time to learn how to safeguard your family from poisonous substances and what to do in the event of an emergency.

Free Tax Preparation

Can't figure out all those convoluted tax rules? Neither can we. The library is pleased to sponsor free income tax preparation made available by volunteers and AARP. Registration is required. Call 817.952.2342 to make an appointment.

March 30 (Sunday) - 1:00 - 4:00 pm
April 13 (Sunday) - 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Meetings will take place in the Library Board Room.

Bedford Bookworms to discuss March by Geraldine Brooks

Join the Bedford Bookworms on Thursday, March 20th at lunchtime to discuss March by Geraldine Brooks, a story inspired by the father character in Little Women. The story is drawn from the journals and letters of Louisa May Alcott's father in which a man leaves behind his family to serve in the Civil War and finds his beliefs challenged by his experiences.

Bedford Bookworms meet the third Thursday of each month from 12:00 - 1:30 pm. No registration is required for this free library program, sponsored by the Friends of the Bedford Public Library. Copies of the selected titles are available for the discounted price of $5 at the library.

Spring Break Movies

Kids - don't be bored or sulk around your house during your week off from school . . . instead come to the Library for some free movie fun!

March 17 - Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
March 18 - The Bee Movie
March 19 - Nancy Drew
March 20 - Enchanted

We'll be showing movies in the Bonnie Finn room each afternoon from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. Free popcorn will be provided by our friends at Movie Tavern in Bedford! Be sure to join us.

Buy your Next New Book at the Library

The Friends of the Bedford Public Library are now selling new books at the Library. Why buy your books at a nearby bookstore when you can do it so easily at the Library? Save time, gas and Internet shipping fees by buying locally. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Bedford Public Library which in turn provides additional funding to the Library so we can bring you more books, more programs, more everything.

So support your reading habit and grow your mind! We've got:

Bestsellers

Children's favorites

Competitive prices

Bluebonnets and other required summer reading

AP / SAT / GED and other test prep books

Special orders are accepted

Inquire at the library checkout desk or email the Friends at bedfordbooks@sbcglobal.net

If you haven't used our Novelist databases lately you should give them a try - they've recently been upgraded with a new look and more features. Now you can enter titles, authors and subjects in a single search box instead of having to use a tabbed display. If you're looking for a series just enter the name and all books in the series will display. Click on the handy Search BPL Catalog link and you can see if the library owns the book. You'll also find Recommended Reads, Award Winners and Read-alikes.

Novelist for Kids has great Grab and Go Book Lists, Curriculum Ideas for teachers and many records provide the Lexile Reading Number.

Once you get hooked on Novelist you might want to create a folder to save items and reuse them instead of having to retype your searches. You're sure to discover new authors and titles so give it a try. Remember, when accessing the databases from home you'll need your library card number to login.

Teen Gaming Tournament Rescheduled

Due to inclement weather concerns, the Bedford Public Library has rescheduled the Teen Gaming Tournament to Friday, March 14th, 6:30 - 9:00 pm. Join on us on Friday to test your skills on Guitar Hero! You don't have to be an expert to have fun. There will be pizza and nachos for all. A big thank you to Wal-Mart for donating a Nintendo Wii system and to YALSA for the $450 dollars mini-grant to fund the tournament. We look forward to seeing you next week.

Free Software Tools

Everyone wants to get something for free. Well, here's a list of 157 free software tools. You'll find browsers and browser add-ons, antivirus, utilities, calendars, security, graphics, games and more. You're sure to find something you like. This list is provided by PC magazine. Be sure to read up on how these tools were chosen and get tips on security before you start downloading.

Celebrate Seuss Festival Photos

We hope you made it to our Celebrate Seuss Festival yesterday and if not, then we missed you. We had to move some of the activities inside due to the weather but everyone still had a great time. Over 900 people attended. Take a look at these great photos showing a reading of Green Eggs and Ham, the costume contest, the cake decorating contest, the bounce house (which was inside the library!) and more.