Do you need to learn a foreign language for business or travel?

Are you interested in learning a new language just for fun?

¿Te gustaría aprender cómo hablar en Inglés?

With Mango Languages, you can learn a language in the comfort of your own home; on your own schedule. All you need is a high-speed internet connection and a resident Elkhart Public Library card. Learning a new language with Mango Languages is FREE to all resident EPL card holders.

Mango offers 40 foreign languages, as well as ESL (English as a Second Language) courses for speakers of 14 different languages. Each lesson combines real life situations and audio from native speakers with simple, clear instructions.

Get Mango

To access Mango Languages from the Elkhart Public Library website:

• Go to myepl.org/info247.
• Find “Language” on the list.
• Click on the plus sign and choose Mango Languages.
• Create a profile. You will be asked to sign in each time you use Mango, so you can track your progress;
  • OR Click the “Start Learning” button to use Mango without creating a profile.
• Select a language course or click on the “Translate” tab, which uses the Google translation tool to interpret the ‘gist’ of conversations from one language to another. It is not a substitute for human translations.

Try the first lesson in any language on the Try Mango page.
NOTE: While it is helpful to have a microphone for a more interactive experience, you can benefit from the lessons without one.

Mango in Action

Watch this short video to see Mango Languages in action and learn about how this language learning software actually helps you converse in the language(s) of your choice.

Go Mobile

Take your language learning everywhere you go with Mango Mobile Library Edition.  Download  for Android, iPhone or iPod. For the apps to work, you must first have Mango account set up through the Library.  Download the app for your iPhone/iPod or Android device,enter your Mango Languages log-in information, download a course and start learning at your own pace with or without an Internet connection!

Kids! Create your own animations, games, music, art, interactive stories with Scratch! Scratch is a free program you can download to your computer. Check it out:

If you are 8 to 11 years old, you can sign up to learn Scratch at the Main Library. We will have three classes, each one about a different part of the program. Each session is independent of the others, so you can take any or all of them. These are hands-on classes, so class size is limited.

Scratch Classes at the Main Library for children, ages 8 to 11:

• February 26, 4:00 pm: Introduction to Scratch Details and sign-up
• March 26, 4:00 pm: Learn to make music with Scratch – Details and sign-up
• April 23, 4:00 pm: Making “costumes” for your characters –  Details and sign-up

Access the Scratch website and download the program to your own computer at scratch.mit.edu

Parents, here is an excerpt from the About Scratch web page:

Scratch is a programming language that makes it easy to create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art — and share your creations on the web.

As young people create and share Scratch projects, they learn important mathematical and computational ideas, while also learning to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively.

And the winner is…

Newbery

Katherine Applegate’s THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN was awarded the 2013 John Newbery Medal for outstanding children’s book of 2012.

2013 Newbery Honor Books:

• SPLENDORS AND GLOOMS by Laura Amy Schlitz
• THREE TIMES LUCKY by Sheila Turnage
• BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD-AND-STEAL THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON by Steve Sheinkin

Caldecott

THIS IS NOT MY HAT, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, received the Randolph Caldecott Medal for outstanding illustration.

                2013 Caldecott  Honor Books:

• CREEPY CARROTS illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds
• EXTRA YARN illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett
• GREEN  illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• ONE COOL FRIEND illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo
• SLEEP LIKE A TIGER illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue

The Newbery and Caldecott awards are the American Library Association’s top honors for children’s literature.

Bro Bowl

Many of us will be watching this Sunday as the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers face off in Super Bowl XLVII. The NFL Super Bowl website is calling it “Bro Bowl” because the opposing coaches, John and Jim Harbaugh, are brothers.

Game Coverage

This year’s game will be played in New Orleans on Sunday, February 3, 2013. Game day coverage will begin  at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on CBS. Kickoff will be at 6:30 p.m. (ET)

Books and Links

To read more about past Super Bowls, teams & players check our book list at www.myepl.org/super-bowl.

For online information about football and other sports, visit the sports links on our website: www.myepl.org > Research & Homework > Links > Sports.

Earlier this month, we asked our staff and Facebook friends to share their favorite football movies. See what they said in our January 17 blog, Favorite Football Flicks.

Mystery and Fiction readers,

Have we got a sale for you!

The Friends of the Elkhart Public Library will hold a
Mystery and Fiction Book Sale at the Main Library:

• Thursday, January 31, 2-6 p.m. (This day is for Friends of EPL, but you can purchase a membership at the event.)
• Friday, February 1, 12-6 p.m.
• Saturday, February 2, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

At $3.00 a bag, this is a great opportunity to stock up!