Check out our upcoming events!

Click HERE for a printable pdf of our May events.

The Summer Reading Program is a great way to keep kids reading (and entertained) over the summer.

Only kids under 18 can read to earn prizes, but all ages are welcome at our events!

Sign up opens May 23rd. All you need is a library card!

Scroll down to see our event flyers and rules. Use the links to download flyers, rules, and the reading log.
All materials are available at the library too!

Click HERE to download our Events Flyer.
 

Click HERE to download the Rules and Reading Log.

Welcome, photographers! 
We're looking for photos of wild Wisconsin Birds. We want to display YOUR work-- and you might win a prize!
For more information, keep reading.
Want to download this information as a printable pdf? Click HERE.

Call for Art
WI Wild Bird Photography
Art Show 2022

The Princeton Whooping Crane and Nature Festival, the Princeton Public Library, and Marsh Haven Nature Center are working together to hold an art show featuring photography inspired by the conservation of wild Wisconsin birds. It is hoped that this show will inspire artists and the general public to become interested in bird and nature conservation. We also seek to promote the wonderful learning opportunities associated with each of the three organizations. Last, but not least, we want to promote local artists. We are seeking submissions from Wisconsin adults and high school students, whose work will be shown extensively in the local area.

Last year, we focused on 2D mediums and excluded photography. This year, we are asking for only photographic entries.

Judging / Voting

This year, we will award prizes based on popular votes. Photographs will be shown on Facebook, with each “like” netting one vote. Only individuals (not business or social pages) may vote. Facebook voting will close at 3pm on Friday September 9th. Photographs will also be shown in person at the Whooping Crane and Nature Festival on Saturday, September 10th. Each attendee at Cranefest will be given three votes, even if they have already voted on social media. These three votes can all be used on one photograph or not, at the discretion of the attendee. Competitors are encouraged to invite friends and family to vote on Facebook and in person at Cranefest. Awards will be presented at Cranefest at 3pm, after the last speaker and before the basket raffle winners are announced.

Deadlines

All photos must be turned in to the Princeton Public Library by Friday, June 24th at 5pm. (Please do not drop off art sooner than June 17th.)
The Princeton Public Library is located at 424 W. Water St, Princeton, WI 54968. 

Awards will be announced at the Princeton Whooping Crane and Nature Festival at the Princeton High School, 604 Old Green Lake Rd, Princeton, WI 54968, on Saturday, September 10th.

Artists may take their photos home immediately after the art show ends. If artists do not take their pieces home after the show, they will be transported to the Princeton Public Library. Remaining art MUST be picked up from the Princeton Library by 5pm on Saturday, September 17th unless previously arranged. Any art not picked up before the deadline will be discarded or donated.

Prizes

First place winners in each age category (under 18 and 18+) can choose between two very special opportunities, to be scheduled at the winner’s convenience:

1. Each winner and two guests of their choice will be invited to Marsh Haven (located in Waupun) for a personal, up-close raptor experience at Marsh Haven Nature Center. Raptors that may be available to meet winners include owls, hawks, and a turkey vulture.

OR

2. Each winner and two guests of their choice will be invited to attend a guided birding hike with naturalist and photographer Rick VantHoff. Winners can choose to do this at one of several locations, including the famous Horicon Marsh Bird Festival guided tour. Winners will discuss scheduling and location with Rick VantHoff.

First, second, and third place photos in each age category will receive ribbons and a free admission pass to Marsh Haven Nature Center. In addition, top-scoring artwork may be featured on Cranefest promotional material along with the artist’s name and/or business.

How to Submit

All photographs must be turned in to the Princeton Public Library as physical prints by Friday, June 24th at 5pm. No digital submissions will be accepted. The Princeton Public Library is located at 424 W. Water St, Princeton, WI 54968. 

Photographs must be no larger than 11X14. Photographs must be ready for wall mounting, either on canvas or in frames, with bracket or wire hangers. All art must be stable and secure enough to be moved to and from public locations.  Protective materials such as plastic sleeves and bubble wrap are encouraged in order to prevent damage during transport.

All photographs MUST have a label affixed to the back of the art piece with the information below. Other than the artist's name and the title of the piece, this information will not be shared with the public. It will only be used for art show organization and to ensure that art is returned.

Title of the Piece:  _____________________________
Photographer’s  Name: _____________________________
Date Photo Was Taken: __________
Age of Photographer: ________
Address: _________________________________________
Phone Number: _____________________________
Email: _____________________________

Listing the image properties (including f-stop) may be included for the educational benefit of the public, but is not required.

Traveling Photography Display

After submission, photos will be displayed locally, including at the Princeton Public Library, Marsh Haven Nature Center, and other public locations. Art will be rotated between locations during July and August. Finally, all art submissions will be displayed at the Princeton Whooping Crane and Nature Festival at the Princeton High School on Saturday, September 10th.

Rules

All photos must somehow include the theme of wild Wisconsin bird conservation. This could include, but is not limited to, art featuring birds, bird watching, bird habitat, nests, migration, feathers, volunteer and professional people working to help birds, eggs, and symbolic representations of themes like migration, nature preservation, flight, endangered species protection, and the science of ornithology. 

There are no restrictions in regards to digital manipulation of photos, but contestants are asked to keep this to a minimum.

All participants must be living in Wisconsin.
Participants may be of any age. Photos will be judged in two age categories: 0-17 years old and 18+ years old.
Each artist may only submit one photograph.
Art other than photography is not accepted in this contest. We may focus on other art mediums in future art shows.

Absolutely no plagiarism will be tolerated. Any art found to be direct or partial plagiarism will be disqualified. When the photographs of others are used for reference, the art should not simply be a reproduction of the photo in another medium. When photographs are taken of the works of others (including art pieces, buildings, or sculptures, etc), this should be done in such a way as to place the emphasis on the art of the photograph, not the subject.

All submissions must not have been previously exhibited at an art show. This rule is intended to keep the art show fresh, as well as accessible for amateur artists. It does not preclude art shown at high school or college events.

No sales are allowed during the show, but artists may give out business cards or brochures at the show and sell work privately. 

Cranefest committee members are not allowed to submit art in the show.

Photographs must be no larger than 11X14. Photographs must be ready for wall mounting, either on canvas or in frames, with bracket or wire hangers. All art must be stable and secure enough to be moved to and from public locations.  Protective materials such as plastic sleeves and bubble wrap are encouraged in order to prevent damage during transport.

Guidelines

Creativity combined with research is strongly encouraged. Various birds hunt, wade, swim, fly, dance, chase predators, and raise offspring. They have unique behaviors, personalities, and adaptations. Birds can be representative of wisdom, intelligence, freedom, and other qualities. They are found in many environments, in many weathers, in pairs or flocks. Birds have unique feather types and markings. Even when a bird is not present in a scene, their influence (though tracks, nests, habitats, feathers, etc) might be emphasized. Photos which includes several of these elements will be judged as higher quality than a single bird sitting still on a plain background.

While we recognize that hunters and hunting play an important role, we hope that participants will chose to focus on other aspects of conservation.

We are looking for wild Wisconsin birds. This does not include peacocks, chickens, flamingos, parrots, etc. Artists are encouraged to research bird species. This does not mean that artistic interpretations aren't allowed, merely that some effort to portray a Wisconsin species is requested.  Example: a rainbow-colored Ruffed Grouse is preferred over a realistically colored Emperor Penguin.

Attendance

Contributing artists are required to attend the art show during the Whooping Crane & Nature Festival on Saturday, September 10th at the Princeton High School. Showing up to the event demonstrates respect for the sponsoring organizations and your fellow artists. 

Disclaimer

While all staff and volunteers will do their utmost to care for all art entries, none of the art show organizers or sponsoring organizations are responsible for any loss or damage before, during, or after the art show. 

All submitted photos may be used by the Chamber of Commerce and the Whooping Crane and Nature Festival Committee for advertising, merchandise, social media and website posts, and other promotional purposes. Artists will have their names and/or businesses displayed on any art used.

The Library Board usually meets on the first Monday of every month at 6pm. 
 

Public Notice:

The Princeton Library Board Meeting will be held at the library
424 W. Water St. Princeton WI 54968
at 6pm on Monday, June 6th, 2022

Agenda:

• Call to order
• Roll call of members
• Approval of minutes from May
• Friend's Report
• Director’s report
  • Review & approval of bills from April
• Director's vacation request
• Backyard / garden plans
• Adjournment

 There will be no library board meeting in July.
The next meeting will be at 6pm on Monday, August 1st, 2022

You may need a library card to access some of our resources. If you don't have one right now, go here to get one, free: https://vulgus.winnefox.org/onlineregFAQ.html

Overdrive is our most popular online resource-- download ebooks and audiobooks for free!
If you have a smartphone or tablet, download the Libby App. 
All you need to do is sign in with your library card number and PIN. Your library card number is all the numbers on the back of your library card, with no spaces. Your PIN is four numbers, the last four numbers of the phone number you gave us when you signed up. Books are available for all ages, and we recently added many more titles. You may have to wait to download some books, but others are available 24/7. J.K. Rowling recently released the audio and ebook versions of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for unlimited checkouts with no waiting until April 30th.

Need financial assistance? UW Madison has put together a great list of resources.

Do you have a young student at home? Check out Story Time Online, KidLit TV, Scholastic's Learn at Home, a list of 30 online "field trips" with live cameras or virtual walk-throughs, a sample daily schedule for kids, a great list of resources at Read Wonder & Learn, Live Learning videos with LivBits, Mystery Science lessons for grades K-5, and 1 Hour Coding for Kids for K-9th grades. Finally, here's a HUGE List of at-home educational entertainment resources, including live webcams, activities and more.

Do you have an older student at home?
Check out the Winnefox Tech Skills Center, where you can learn technology skills at your own pace by watching these video tutorials on popular software and computer basics.
You should also visit our Research Page for more great links, including homework help, genealogy resources, automotive repair guides, Consumer Reports, language learning, and lots more.

Want more free ebooks?
Sesame Street is offering some free ebooks for kids right now.
The Internet Archive's Open Library has textbooks, classics, and even some juvenile chapter books like The Giver by Lowis Lowry, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and Matilda by Roald Dahl.
 Open Culture has a nice list of older classics.
The National Emergency Library is a collection of mostly older non-fiction books that supports remote teaching, research activities, independent scholarship, and intellectual stimulation.
Project Gutenberg has over 60,000 titles (mostly older).

Forgot to grab a free copy of our Book Page magazine? Sign up to get a digital copy.

Need to connect with people digitally? Here are some resources for online meetings:

• Microsoft Teams https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
• Facebook Live https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/solutions/facebook-live
• Google Hangouts https://gsuite.google.com/products/meet/
• Zoho https://www.zoho.com/meeting/
• Zoom https://zoom.us/
• Join.me https://www.join.me/

The Winnefox digital resource collection has hundreds of free Gale Courses on almost everything. From accounting to photoshop, alternative medicine to web design, you can advance your career, build your resume, or just learn a new hobby!

    - 375+ interactive online courses, available 24/7.
    - Courses run for six weeks.
    - New sessions begin every month.
    - Taught by college instructors who are experts in their field.
    - Certificate of Completion awarded.
    - Students who have enrolled in a course must log in and VIEW (not complete) lessons one and two within 13 days after the start date of the course, or they will be automatically dropped.
    - Students who are dropped from a course will be able to enroll in the course during a later session.

Click here to view courses.