In October 2021, the Syracuse Public Library's microfilm was packed and sent to Digital Divide Data in Maryland. The vendor then scanned the microfilm through a high-speed feed scanner to produce the digitized pages into several formats. During the process, newspaper pages were cropped, de-skewed, and organized into folders. Following that, they were sent to another team, where metadata was created for each page, issue, and microfilm reel.

Once that process finished, the team at the Indiana State Library performed quality review on the work to catch minor issues, such as missing pages, duplicate pages, and incorrect labeling. Fixes were sent back to the vendor before final approval and the newspapers' inclusion on Hoosier State Chronicles.

Digitalized historic local newspapers include:

• Syracuse-Wawasee Journal
• The Indiana Journal
• The Mail-Journal
• The Syracuse and Lake Wawasee Journal
• The Syracuse Enterprise
• The Syracuse Journal
• The Syracuse Register

All of these historic newspapers are now available on the Hoosier State Chronicles website. Uncover headlines for national and local events, enjoy old advertisements, or retrace the steps of your ancestors. Users can also use the website's search feature to do targeted searches for family members. You never now what you will uncover!

​Red and her five friends are on a road trip to the beach for Spring Break when disaster strikes on an isolated road. The RV's tires are shot out by a sniper who is threatening the six until they give up a particular secret. Will Red and her friends be able to give him what he wants before the deadline at dawn? As the eight hours pass, find out the deadly secrets of each, who will turn on who, and ultimately, which of them will make it out alive. 
 
While the second half of this book is an exciting whirl-wind, be prepared to push through the first half. If you enjoy this one, check out Holly Jackson's series, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, in my opinion, even more of a thrill ride than this one!

At least 90 people attended the open house located at the North Webster Community Public Library, where Friends from the North Webster and Syracuse libraries provided appetizers and SPL’s Rebekah Sceniak performed live with her violin.

Prizes were awarded in three brackets based on grades. In the sixth through seventh grade group, winners were Raily Klinefelter (first place), Emerie Walker (second place) and Eva Kennelly (third place). Eleanor Nightingale (first place), Julia Stover (second place) and Kendall Toumey (third place) were the winners in grades eighth through ninth. Finally, Skye-Leigh Kitson (first place), Katianne Bolinger (second place) and Jackson Hayes (third place) were the winners in grades 10-12. Because of an anonymous donation, the gift card amounts were increased, so first-place winners received $100 gift cards, second-place winners $50 gift cards and third-place winners $30 gift cards.
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Pieces were judged by five volunteer judges, all of whom are local artists: Emily Austin of Emily Austin Design; Deb Connett; Angie Deak of Made on Main; Fred Clark of Sturdy Oaks; and Golden Seaton, whose art is currently displayed at 2nd Floor Gallery & Studio. Wawasee High School art teacher Christi Ziebarth and her students also helped with the judging.

All art pieces will be displayed at NWCPL from Jan. 16-27 and then at SPL from Jan. 30-Feb. 10. At the end of these displays, teen artists can pick up their pieces from their home library, which they had listed on their entry forms.

OverDrive Inc. removed the OverDrive app from the Apple App Store, Google Play and the Microsoft Store on Feb 23, 2022, and now it plans to fully discontinue the legacy OverDrive app at the end of April 2023. At that time, users who try to access their library’s collection in the OverDrive app will need to upgrade to Libby.

OverDrive stated in a its FAQs about the switch, "We believe that Libby is the best reading experience for all users. With valuable partner and user feedback, we’re constantly enhancing the app and adding new features to engage your readers. Discontinuing the OverDrive app will allow our development teams to focus their efforts on Libby."

OverDrive app users currently see the following message in the app:

This change is only for the app. Patrons will still be able to visit the Indiana Digital Library's OverDrive website at ​https://idl.overdrive.com/.

Kindle Fire users can download Libby onto their device manually, as Libby is not currently available to download directly from the Amazon Appstore. OverDrive has requested information and a timeline for approval from Amazon but has not yet received an update.

Users can also deliver Kindle Books to a Fire tablet from a device that supports libbyapp.com (US only).

The OverDrive app will also remain available for Kindle Fire users to download and access until further notice.

Yes, when a user sets up the app, Libby prompts them to sync their OverDrive wish list using an in-app notification.
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Learn more about wish list syncing on Libby Help.

The 2023 summer reading theme will be "All Together Now," and teens are encouraged to embrace that theme by sharing their thoughts about what they would like the program to look like. Fill out the online survey about the type of programming you'd like to participate in, what prizes would be best, etc.

Finally, mark your calendars to attend the "Help Plan Teen Summer Reading" session from 4-5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the Rosalyn Jones Room/YA space. Help build the summer reading program of your dreams!

For information, contact Michelle at mparker@syracuse.lib.in.us.

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As infants, twin sisters Charlie Yates and  Magnolia Heathwood were secretly separated after the brutal lynching of their parents, who died for loving across the color line. Now, at the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement, Charlie is a young Black organizer in Harlem, while white-passing Magnolia is the heiress to a cotton plantation in rural Georgia.

The sisters reunite as teenagers in the deeply haunted town of Eureka, Ga., where ghosts linger centuries after their time and dangers lurk behind every mirror. They couldn’t be more different, but they will need each other to put the hauntings of the past to rest, to break the mirrors’ deadly curse — and to discover the meaning of sisterhood in a racially divided land. 

Pick up copies at the library. Digital e-books and audiobooks are available on Libby.

Discussions occur from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, and from 12-1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in the Rosalyn Jones Room/YA Space.

Email Michelle, mparker@syracuse.lib.in.us, or Amber, aweber@syracuse.lib.in.us, with questions.

Fleeing a disastrous and humiliating arrest of her husband-to-be on the eve of their wedding, Celia Kilbride, a gems and jewelry expert, hopes to escape from public attention by lecturing on a brand-new cruise ship — the Queen Charlotte.

On board she meets eighty-six-year-old Lady Emily Haywood, “Lady Em,” as she is known throughout the world. Immensely wealthy, Lady Em is the owner of a priceless emerald necklace that she intends to leave to the Smithsonian after the cruise. Three days out to sea Lady Em is found dead — and the necklace is missing.
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Discussions will occur at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, via Zoom and at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19, in the downstairs meeting room.

Books are available at SPL. Patrons can access a digital e-book and audiobook on the Libby app. For information about the adult book club or to receive a Zoom invitation, contact Becky Brower at bbrower@syracuse.lib.in.us.

Join In the Garden at 1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, in the downstairs meeting room to try your hand at winter sowing with native seeds! Bring translucent gallon jugs (such as those used for distilled water) and potting soil for the project. The Syracuse Public Library will provide native seeds (you can bring seeds if you want to), duct tape and permanent markers.

Not interested in doing winter sowing this year? You are still invited to attend and watch the process. You'll also learn about what In the Garden has planned for 2023.

​​While at the library, don't forget to pick up 2023's recommended reading: "The Triumph of Seeds" by Thor Hanson; "The Book of Eels" by Patrik Svensson; and "The Invention of Nature" by Andrea Wulf. These books tell a story about the natural world while crafting a tale about how that story became important to the author. Hanson shares the love of seeds with his young son; Svensson gets to know his father through eel fishing; and Wulf follows the arduous trek of Alexander Von Humboldt in South America. Another recommended book that will amaze and has many examples is "An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us" by Ed Yong.