Ahoy, mateys! Grab yer eye patch, bandana, frilly shirt and favorite parrot or tiny monkey–and break out Treasure Island or Pirates of the Caribbean (movies and books for each title are available at HCPL)!
PSA: Though this is a day to mimic pirates, you are strongly encouraged to not pillage, steal or brawl.
Instead, may we recommend that you don your pirate garb and do the fun activities below.
Copies are also available to pick up at any library branch.
Tony Award-winning performer, actress, singer-songwriter, and philanthropist Idina Menzel and her sister, author and educator Cara Mentzel, have been named honorary chairs of Library Card Sign-Up Month. This September, Idina and Cara will join the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries nationwide to sing the praises of a library card. Also in September, the sisters’ debut picture book, Loud Mouse, about a little mouse named Dee who loves to sing very loudly, will be released by Disney Hyperion.
As honorary chairs, Idina and Cara will remind everyone that one of the best places to find your voice is at the library. And during Library Card Sign-Up Month, they want you to explore all the library has to offer, like new children’s books, access to technology, and educational programming.
“It’s a little card that goes a loud way. Let your imagination sing at the library,” says Idina.
Cara adds, “The library is where your imagination sings. Get your library card and ‘check it out’ today.”
You can apply for an HCPL resident library card or renew your existing card online, or visit yourlocal HCPL branchto sign up for your card today.
Join the Indiana Center for the Book and the Rhode Island Center for the Book for An Evening with Laird Hunt, author of the 2021 National Book Award finalist, “Zorrie.” This title is being featured by both Indiana and Rhode Island at the National Book Festival. “Zorrie” tells the story of one Hoosier woman’s life convulsed and transformed by events of the 20th century, specifically the Great Depression. Set in Clinton County, Indiana, Zorrie is orphaned twice, first by her parents and then her aunt. She ekes out a living, eventually finding work in a radium processing plant in Illinois. However, when Indiana calls her home, she returns and works to build a new life, yet again. Laird Hunt’s novel is a poignant study in rural Midwestern life and an exploration of the passage of time through individuals and communities. Join us to learn more about the author and this fascinating novel.
Date: Aug. 2, 2022
Time: 7:00 – 7:45 p.m. Eastern
Location: Zoom
Cost: Free of charge
Participants must register online. Registered participants will be sent a Zoom link upon registration. The event will be recorded and will be available on the Indiana State Library’s YouTube channel in the days following the event. This program is eligible for one LEU for Indiana library staff.
About Laird Hunt Laird Hunt is the author of eight novels, including the 2021 National Book Award finalist “Zorrie.” He is the winner of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for Fiction, the Grand Prix de Littérature Américaine, the Bridge Prize and a finalist for both the Pen/Faulkner and the Prix Femina Étranger. His reviews and essays have been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Daily Beast, the Guardian, the Irish Times and the Los Angeles Times, and his fiction and translations have appeared in many literary journals in the United States and abroad. A former United Nations press officer who was largely raised in rural Indiana, he now lives in Providence, Rhode Island where he teaches in Brown University’s Literary Arts Program.
The following steps will assist HCPL users through the installation of the Google Play Store on Kindle Fire tablets to enable the installation of the free new HCPL app. The following instructions are adapted from the How To Geekarticle by Joe Fedewa and Chris Hoffman, updated on
Amazon Fire Tablets restrict users to the Amazon Appstore, but runs on Fire OS, a custom version of the Android operating system. That means that you can install the Play Store to install not only the HCPL app, but all other available Google Play apps as well.
Installing the Google Play Store is simply a matter of downloading and installing a few APK (Android package) files from the Fire tablet itself, and you will be up and running with the Play Store just like your regular Android phone or tablet!
Download the Play Store Files
Before we begin, make sure your Fire Tablet is from 2014 or later. This process may not work with old Kindle Fire tablets as you need to enable “Apps From Unknown Sources.”
First, open the “Settings” app from the “Home” tab on the home screen.
Now go to “Security & Privacy.”
Select “Apps From Unknown Sources.”
Find “Silk Browser” and then toggle on “Allow From This Source.” This is what will allow us to install an app from outside of the Amazon app store.
With that out of the way, we can start downloading the Play Store files. There are four APK files we will need to get the Play Store up and running, and they’re specific to your Fire Tablet.
To find out which Amazon Fire Tablet model you have, go to Settings > Device Options > About Fire Tablet. You’ll see your “Device Model” name here. To see your Fire OS version, go to Settings > Device Options > System Updates.
With the device model in mind, we can download the appropriate files below. Simply copy and paste the links from the tables below into the Silk Browser on your Amazon Fire tablet. We’re just downloading the files at this point, DON’T OPEN THEM YET.
Google Account Manager
Note: Ignore the message about a newer version being available.
A tip from Jessica Stroud about downloading the Google Play Store APK file: the July 19, 2022 version of the com.android.vending file would not open, but the July 13, 2022 version of the file could be successfully installed.
Install the Play Store
With all the downloaded APK files to your Amazon Fire Tablet, we can begin installing them one by one. Open the “Files” app from the home screen.
Select “Downloads” from the side menu and switch to the list view for the files. You should see the four files we just downloaded.
It’s important to install these APKs in a specific order. For each APK, follow this process: Tap the file name > select “Continue” > tap the “Install” button. After it installs, tap “Done.” Don’t open the Play Store yet.
Install the files in this order (the file names on your device will be longer):
com.google.android.gsf.login
com.google.android.gsf
com.google.android.gms
com.android.vending
With all the APKs installed, it’s time to reboot the tablet. Hold down the power button and select “Restart.”
After the tablet restarts, you’ll see the Play Store on the home screen. Open it and sign in with your existing Google account. If you do not have a Google [email] account, you will have the option to create one.
Once you’re signed in, you’ll have a functional Google Play Store, just like on any other Android device.
You may experience some problems when trying to use the Play Store right away. The Play Store and Google Play Services will automatically update themselves in the background, so just give it some time. This may take as much as ten minutes.
Download and install the HCPL app
Launch the Play Store app, then search for “Harrison County Public Library”:
The HCPL app prioritizes a library user’s needs and places the Harrison County Public Library virtually in their hands. One can quickly see the items that they have checked out or on hold, search the entire online catalog that now includes digital content from OverDrive and hoopla. Library users can view, listen or download titles directly from the app.
The new app offers one-stop access to browsing and registering for library activities for all ages, all HCPL eResources, current HCPL news, and links to social media. The app also features a handy virtual library card to present to library staff when checking out items.
“By using the library app, a person only has to look in one place for everything—they don’t have to go to separate websites or browse multiple apps. The app gives users easy access to HCPL services and resources wherever they are whenever they need them,” said Alisa Burch, Library Director. “If you have a phone or mobile device you can easily borrow eBooks and electronic audiobooks, stream movies and locate and reserve traditional print books and DVDs all from one app.”
If you have a question about the app, please visit www.hcpl.lib.in.us and click on “Contact Us”, or call your local HCPL branch.
Harrison County Public Library employee Eden Ransdell took the Nature Club into Indian Creek for science fun. Families visited 3 stations to learn ways to identify the health of Indian Creek.
At Ms. Eden’s station, families used a kick net to sample macroinvertebrates (insect larvae and other small critters) that cling to rocks and plants in the creek’s riffles. Indian Creek’s diverse insect life earned a score of 30, which is considered Excellent Water Quality.
Volunteer Calvin Hall led students in conducting chemical tests for fertilizer pollution as well as measuring the water’s levels of oxygen and acidity. Indian Creek earned 3 points out of 4, a rating of Good Water Quality.
HCPL Youth Services Manager Diana Lasky’s explorers used water viewers and dip nets to find even more aquatic life in the shallow edges of the creek. Some highlights were baby dragonflies and a very beautiful leech.
When asked, “Why take the kids into the creek?” Ms. Eden replied, “I want the children and families to know that there are small creatures in the water and by identifying those creatures, you can tell how healthy the water is.”
The Friends of Harrison County Library sponsored Daisy Doodle of Silly Safaris at the Boys and Girls Club for a live animal show on June 20. The Friends raise funds by selling gently used books on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. from The Book Box in the library parking lot.
The audience was enthralled with the animals featuring: Remington the Yorkie puppy, an armadillo, a milk snake, a hermit crab, a tarantula, a baby alligator, Hoosier the Eurasian eagle-owl, a tortoise and a rabbit.
All 235 guests were offered a chance to take two fingers and gently pet the backs of Remington, Hoosier, the armadillo, the rabbit and tortoise; and view the tarantula and hermit crab up close.
The nomination period for the local Farm Service Agency County Committee Election begins June 15, 2022 and ends August 1, 2022. Elections across Indiana will take place this fall.
Locally, elections will be held in the following Local Administrative Areas (LAA):
LAA 3- Harrison County (Franklin and Harrison Townships)
LAA 5- Floyd County
Agricultural producers may nominate themselves or others as candidates. Organizations that represent minority and women farmers may also nominate candidates. Nominees must participate or cooperate in a program administered by FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the LAA in which the person is a candidate. To become a nominee, eligible individuals must sign nomination form FSA-669A. This form is available at the local FSA county office and online at www.fsa.usda.gov/elections.
The County Committee system is unique within the U.S. government and it ensures fair and equitable administration of FSA farm programs. It is important for the CC to be representative of all agricultural producers in the area, including women, minorities, and beginning farmers.
If you have any questions about the nomination process or FSA programs, please feel free to contact Jennifer Anderson, FSA County Executive Director, at 812-738-8121.
The library announces the addition of three Special Olympics Young Athletes Packs to the Library of Toys. They are recommended for children ages 2- 7 of ALL abilities.
Each pack contains 3 books, 4 beanbags, 2 disc markers, 3 balls, 4 scarves, and a Ring-bound Play Guide. (Please note that the books differ in each pack.)
Reserve your pack through the Card Catalog at https://hapl.ent.sirsi.net/ or the Corydon Branch Children’s Desk at 812-738-4110. The packs were provided by the Special Olympics Indiana (SOINDIANA.ORG) as a part of the Young
Athletes in the Library program.
The Library of Toys now includes: LovEvery Kits for ages newborn – 4, Adventure Packs for families to use on the Indian Creek Trail, and Special Olympics Young Athlete packs.
Teens can now pick up crafts to make at home from Harrison County Public Library’s Corydon branch. A new craft will be available each month in the teen scene area of the library. Teen crafts are designed and prepped by the library’s teen volunteer group. This month teens can pick up a kit to make paper hyacinth flowers. All supplies and step-by-step instructions are included in the kit. Teen take and make crafts are for students in grades 7-12 and are first-come, first-served while supplies last.
