Kids Craft
Design Station has crafted these adorable little critters kits for the kids to paint to their desire. Call the library at 748-7332 or stop in to reserve a kit before they are gone!
Kids Take-&-Make Craft
Our kids take-and-make kits arrived today!!! We hope you love them as much as we do! We have a limited number available, so be sure to so contact the library to sign-up and reserve your craft kit!
*Must be a resident of Big Stone County*
A big, BIG thank you to Missy Sigler for creating these for us!
“This project is funded in part or in whole with money from Minnesota’s Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.”
New in today!!!
01/31/23
Check out our new books and audiobooks that arrived today! These are the last books to come in for the month of January.
Go to the top of our page to ‘Features’ Click on the link New in for January and any items that are highlighted yellow are new for the week.
Last Day for Book Cover Coloring Contest
01/24/23
Today is the last day for the kiddos to turn in their Book Cover Coloring Contest sheets.
Once we receive all the entries, we will post these on Facebook to be judged. The one with the most “likes” will win a prize. We only have a handful that has been returned so I hope we see more soon!
You may drop them off in the drop box if it is after closing.
RECLAIMED WOOD SERVING BOARD CLASS
NEW CLASS ALERT! Sign-up for the Reclaimed Wood Serving Board Class. The class is THIS month on January 26th at 5:30 PM.Learn the art of upcycling! In this class you will learn how a little bit of labor and care can breathe life into old wood to turn it into a new work of art that you can use!
Space is limited and sign-up is required. This class is FREE to the public. Big Stone County Residents will get priority. Contact the library to sign-up!
Create Your Own Comic -Take & Make
THE LIBRARY NEEDS A HERO!
Our January Take & Make is available NOW! Swing by the front desk to pick-up your book today! No need to return them, they are yours to keep…but we would LOVE to see what you create! Tag us in your completed project photos online or stop by the library to share your creation! We hope you have a SUPER good time with them 😉
Adult Winter Reading 2023
Join Our Adult Winter Reading Program!
This is a fun, free program that we encourage you to be a part of over the winter.
The program begins on January 1st and ends on March 31st. You must sign up at the library to participate. Set a goal of books to read for those 3 months. Each time you stop in at the library, you mark down the books you’ve read so far. There are incentives for our participants, also! I will draw a name each week for a prize, but remember, you have to have read books to have your name entered. At the end of March, the person that has read the most books wins the grand prize.
The program is fun to do with friends and family and is a great way to make the cold winter months go by quickly. Don’t feel like you MUST reach your goal. If you do, that’s great! However, this is a fun, relaxed program and is to be enjoyed. Sign up now!
Kid’s Coloring Contest
WE ARE HAVING A BOOK COVER COLORING CONTEST!!
Design your own book cover for a chance to win a prize! Stop by the library to pick up your coloring sheet or click the link below to print at home.
You have until January 24th to return them to the library! They will be posted on Facebook and the most “likes” wins. 
**There is not an age requirement for this contest, depending on how many participate, we might split the contest into age groups and have multiple winners.
Fun night!
12/16/22
We were very fortunate that the weather worked in our favor Wednesday night. We had a fantastic turnout for our Christmas Centerpiece class hosted by Jill of the Flower Box. It appeared as if everyone was enjoying themselves and Jill even provided some treats and refreshments. This free program was sponsored by the library and paid for by MN Legacy. Thank you so very much, Jill, for once again bringing your touch of holiday joy and creativity to the community.
NEW COUNTY LIBRARIAN!
12/8/22
The Graceville and Ortonville libraries would like you to help us welcome our new county librarian, Michelle Botker. We are very happy to have her be a part of our library community.
I would like to share a little information about Michelle; her childhood, the first time she found her love for reading, the types of books she likes to read, her education, and her family life.
As a child, Michelle hated reading and doesn’t recall that reading was much of a priority in her home growing up. Book reports from school, (that were selections that she didn’t enjoy), where her first memories of reading. It was her Aunt, who was an avid reader, that gave her the first Harry Potter book. She thought she would enjoy it and at that moment, Michelle remembers falling in love with reading. It was the biggest book she ever attempted to read but she was determined. She was so drawn into the story that she found it difficult to put the book down.
Today, Michelle doesn’t claim to have a favorite book, but her favorite genre is Sci-fi/Fantasy. She loves a good mystery also but has to be in the right frame of mind to read them.
Michelle’s undergrad was focused on Early Childhood Education and Child Development. Early literacy became a passion for her also when she realized what the benefits of reading at an early age can be. Like many families, her childhood had drama and trauma and reading was the most therapeutic exercise she utilized as a young adult. Through those experiences, she realized she wanted to encourage other children and families to see the value of being lifelong readers.
Michelle is a past employee of Pioneerland and had worked at Ortonville library part-time. She loved working with the patrons and discussing books and authors. She found a sense of belonging there. The former head librarian encouraged her to get her Masters degree in Library Science, and she did! She graduated in 2014 with a Masters in Library and Information Science.
She and her husband, Dr. Grant Botker, met in her hometown in southern Oregon while he was doing his residency. They married in June 2014, on the weekend he graduated and left the next day to head to his home state of Minnesota. Grant grew up in Clinton where his parents still reside. Michelle was excited to have the opportunity to live in a smaller community. The ‘small town feeling’ of knowing almost all your neighbors and/or community means a lot to her. She and Grant look forward to having a family someday, but in the meantime, their 3 very spoiled pups keep them happy and on their toes. When Grant has the chance to pull Michelle away from a book, they play board games, and on weekends when Grant isn’t working, you can find them playing more board games or together with their friends.
She is hopeful with this new position that she can build a good relationship with all of our patrons so that she may provide the best options for the needs and interests of the community.
Welcome aboard, Michelle!
(Michelle is pictured below with her husband, Dr. Grant Botker)
