Novi Celebrates National Library Week

The is celebrating National Library Week this week with several events and an invitation for residents to stop by and see what the library has to offer. 

"What we love about National Library Week is that it's a time where we can tout what we do for the community," said Novi Public Library Director Julie Farkas.

This year's theme for National Library Week is "You Belong at Your Library," which Farkas said couldn't be more perfect.

Farkas said the Novi library, which was awarded , is all about the people. She said the library offers events and programming that patrons will find entertaining and informative.

"We try not to brag, but we want to make sure the community knows what we offer," said Assistant Director of Public Services Margi Karp-Opperer. "There really is something for everyone here."

Residents and visitors are asked to help celebrate the week by decorating a foam door hanger with their favorite title from the library. The door hangers will be displayed in the library's lobby throughout the month.

Library Week events

The library kicked off National Library Week Tuesday with its annual breakfast for its volunteers. More than 65 volunteers attended.

Farkas said that the volunteers have put in more than 7,000 hours in the past year, compared to 1,500 five years ago.

"I think that really shows that the community is just embracing the new building," Farkas said.

A new was also dedicated Tuesday.

The library originally planned to have best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow speak on Wednesday night, but Zaslow was killed in a car accident this winter.

Zaslow is the co-author of The Last Lecture and was a former columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He also contributed to the book Gabby: A Story of Courage & Hope by Gabrielle Giffords and Mike Kelly. He was going to speak in Novi about Gabby as well as The Magic Room: A Story About the Love We Wish for Our Daughters.

Farkas said Zaslow had always been a strong supporter of libraries, and they wanted to honor his memory by not finding another keynote speaker.

"He's been so wonderful for libraries, we just didn't want to replace him," Farkas said.

Library week concludes with the ninth annual Battle of the Books, an event in which a dozen or so teams of fifth and sixth grade students read six novels and are quizzed about them in a dueling competition. The event is Saturday at 1 p.m. at the .

The teams of 4-6 students were formed in December and have been working with a coach and meeting regularly to prepare for the battle.

You can find out more about the Novi Public Library at www.novilibrary.org.