Tomorrow Is The First Of May!!!

If you're like me, you're wondering where the time is going so fast. Tomorrow is the first of May!!! The fifth month of the year!!! Already!!! It is also "Get Caught Reading Month." I thought that was a great idea.
We have lots going on here at the library during May. Here are some of them...
Saturday, May 2, Overeaters Anonymous. And in Doerun at the Municipal Library the GACHIP, Georgia Child Identification Program, will be held from 11 to 3 p.m.
May 3 through 9 we have designated as "Tie One On" Week in honor of Mother's Day, May 10th. On the 5th through 7th library staff members will wear favorite aprons, whether their own or their mother's, to honor all mothers.
Monday, May 4, Retired Educators Board.
Tuesday, May 5, Magnolia Garden Club.
Thursday, May 7, the Georgia Department of Human Resources.
Monday, May 11, the DAR will meet, as well as the Odom Library Board.
Thursday, May 14, the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library Board meets.
Saturday, May 16, Sunbelt Writers.
Tuesday, May 19, the Genealogy Study Group; also the Lapband Group.
Monday, May 25, the library is closed to observe Memorial Day.
Tuesday, May 26, the Magnolia Garden Club Board meets. And from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. the second annual authors' event hosted by the Library, "Books & Bar-B-Q," will be held. But we'll give you more information about that a little later.
On Friday, May 29, school is out and on Saturday, May 30, graduation exercises will be held at the school.
This is just a sample of what May will look like. Of course, we are always adding meetings and events as the month goes along.
Where is the time going so fast? Before you know it, I'll be telling you about our June events!!!

You Have Another Chance To Protect Your Child

If you have children, you often consider them your most precious treasures. And as most people do, you try your very hardest to protect your most precious treasures, no matter what they are...your car, your home, your bank accounts, your family.
Well, you have another chance to protect your child.
The Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System and the Georgia Child Identification Program (GACHIP) will team up once again to provide a public safety event to protect children.
The event will be held at the Doerun Municipal Library, 185 North Freeman Street in Doerun, on Saturday, May 2, from 11 a.m.
to 3 p.m.
Last Saturday, April 25, approximately 40 children were processed at the Moultrie Library in four hours.
The GACHIP is free of charge to the public and offers a valuable tool for parents or guardians of a child, as well as police, media, and the Amber Alert Program.
Each child progresses through several stations taking about 10 to 15 minutes for the entire process. A small computer disk includes full color digital photographs of the child, a complete set of digital fingerprints, dental impression, information about the child and a laminated ID card. The disk will also provide contact information for parents or guardians.
All the identifying information collected at the event about the child is given to the child's family. GACHIP retains nothing but the permission slip that must be signed prior to participation. All other data is permanently erased after the child's document is prepared. Privacy is the number one criteria.
So! You have another chance to protect your child. This Saturday, May 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Doerun at the Municipal Library at 185 North Freeman Street.
It's a smart thing to do. You'll never be sorry you took the time.

Good Reading At The Book Club

We had our regular monthly book club meeting last night with our regular eight members. That's a nice number. We usually meet for an hour, but sometimes it's a little longer. Leaves time for everyone to talk about what they've been reading. And we had some good discussions last night.
It was interesting to note there were quite a few "deep"reads in the group. Of course, there are a few like me who had a lighter read, but look at what the group was reading:
**The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren
**Self Matters by Phil McGraw
**The Last Juror by John Grisham
**Lee and Grant by Gene Smith
**Truman by David McCullough
**The Washington Century by Burt Solomon
**The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood, and
**Nine Women by Shirley Ann Grau.
If you have a book club, is it one where everyone reads the same book? Or do they read different books to report about? Do you meet in the homes of your members or in a community room of a bank or restaurant? Do you limit your membership or have it open to as many who want to attend? If you don't have a book club, would you like to start one? Or would you like to be part of one?
I'm a firm believer that books will never go away and that people will always want to talk about what they're reading. That might be one of the things we start here at the library. It's certainly something to think about. Right?

The Aprons Are Coming

We're looking forward to our May special events. Some we have for the public, but some we have for us as library workers, also.
We found out that May 14th is National Apron Day. So, in honor of Mother's Day, we have decided to play up the aprons.
Many of our kids today don't know what an apron is, but when our grandmothers wore them, it was a multipurpose tool. Just look at what the apron was used for:
** drying children's tears and cleaning out dirty ears,
** carrying eggs or baby chicks,
** wiping a prespiring brow bent over a hot stove,
** carrying wood and kindling, vegetables, or peaches,
** dusting the furniture fast as company drove up the road, and
** waving to the workers in the field when lunch was ready.
Of course, no one ever thought about all the germs that must have been hiding on those aprons, but it seems no little child ever got sick from hiding behind one.
And to tie in with the aprons, our Children's Book Pick of the Month will be Ma Dear's Aprons by Patricia C. McKissack. It's illustrated with beautiful pictures by Floyd Cooper. The story is a tribute to the author's great-grandmother, Leanna Crossley Bowens, who was lovingly called Ma Dear (a short form of mother dear), and the countless other domestic workers of her generation.
On May 5th through 7th, you'll see some of us ladies here at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library with our aprons on. And while we wear them, we'll be thinking about our mamas and all they did for us, and still do for us.
Then, when Mother's Day comes on Sunday, May 10th, we'll honor them even more with white and red flowers, and share our memories of them with others.

Popular This Month With BookNews

Wondering which books are popular with us this month on BookNews?
All you have to do is click on the BookNews icon in the center of our home page, pick your favorite genre and click, to read about our latest picks. There are book reviews with each book selected, all with you in mind.
Here's a small preview:
New Fiction
Cursed: A Regan Reilly Mystery by Carol Higgins Clark, plus three other books.
Audio Books
The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, plus three more books.
Christian Fiction
Take One by Karen Kingsbury, plus three more books.
Mysteries
Artic Drift by Clive Cussler and Dirk Cussler, plus three more mysteries, and
Children's Books
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems, with three more cute books. Personally, I want to read wordplay master Jon Agee's Orangutan Tongs, Poems to Tangle Your Tongue. Even the picture of the Orangutan is cute!
Every month we will be giving you new books to choose from. All you have to do is select the one, or two or three, you want and before long you'll have a great read (or audio book) in your hands.
If you haven't signed up to receive our email BookNews newsletter, now's the time to do so. We're hoping this new service will be one you'll look forward to every month.

That "Street" Behind Our Library

Our local newspaper carries a column titled Rant and Rave. I've never placed my comments in the column, but that doesn't mean I don't have things to rant and rave about.
Today I'm going to make the library blog my Rant and Rave about that "street" behind our library. And because it's behind the library, it's library-related. So, here goes....
There are a good many of us employees who park behind the library. It's a designated parking area for library staff, and the two green signs stuffed next to the curb in front of our cars say so. But it's a very dangerous place for us to park.
The reason...well, it's on a one-way street. It's really not wide enough to call a street, but I guess that's what it is. When I was growing up, we used to call them alleys, but I realize times have changed.
Anyway, this one-way street often becomes a two-way street. That doesn't mean two cars can pass each other. It means cars drive the wrong direction on the one-way street. There is a stop sign at the end next to the Bert Harsh Park, but there's not a stop sign at the entrance where the Windstream building is. There's not even a sign that says it is one-way.
The danger comes when we attempt to back out. It's normal for us to look to our left to see if a car is coming, because that's the right direction for them to appear. However, when a car is coming from the wrong direction (and usually sailing down the "street"), that's when we are nearly hit. Not the whole side of our cars, but the backend; right rear bumper and fender to be exact. The situation of nearly being hit leaves you breathless...just sucks the air right out of your body! No honks to let us know they're coming. They just
sail past.
Now, granted sometimes we can see them coming from the wrong way, but most of the time we can't. I had one of those experiences yesterday. In fact, yesterday's event was the third time someone has sailed down that "street" and nearly nailed me. Even though I had looked both ways. All I could figure out was they came out of the library parking lot and turned right (a no-no), going in the wrong direction. There's even a green sign at that library parking exit with a yellow arrow and the word "ONLY" in yellow indicating they are to turn ONLY to the LEFT.
I've talked with other staff members and they say the same thing. There have been instances when someone coming from the wrong direction nearly hit them also. I suppose it's time we got in touch with the city for more signs with different words. In this day's economy, that won't come with a welcoming smile.
OK, you say, enough is enough. I've ranted and raved long enough. You get the message. I know.
Thanks for letting me get it all out of my system. Well, until I nearly get hit again....

Touring Moultrie and Colquitt County

I took a little time this morning to tour Moultrie and Colquitt County. But I didn't even have to leave my chair in front of my computer while I did it!
If you've found the Bookworm Blog, then it'll be easy for you to find the UGA-Colquitt County Archway Project, a historic tourism initiative.
Go back to the home page and look to the left of the Inter-Library Loan (ILL) link in the center of the screen. You'll see UGA-Colquitt County Archway Project. Click on that and you'll find yourself able to take the same tour I did.
It's an interesting tour. If you're new to Moultrie, it's a great way to learn about some of the history of Moultrie and the county. If you're not new, but still don't know where some of these sites are, you're going to enjoy the virtual tour. It's going to make you want to get in your car and drive off to see these historical sites for yourself.
The Historical Tourism Maps of Moultrie-Colquitt County are maps powered by Mapicurious and include the:

Downtown Walking Tour of Moultrie - On the righthand side of the screen for each tour is a box providing map information for that particular screen and lists the sites on the map. When you move your mouse to a "pin" on the map, you'll see the name of the site; when you click on the pin, a picture is shown of the site with a related website given. Click on the related website and you'll be able to view GeorgiaInfo, a website telling what's new on GeorgiaInfo, this day in Georgia history (really fun with pictures!), instructional handout masters (pdf's of maps, the State Seal and flag, government information, etc.), and trivia questions.

Driving Tour of Moultrie-Colquitt County,

Historical Markers and Placques Tour,

Monuments and Memorials Tour - This is where you can read about the Elephant Grave Marker that everyone wants to see when they visit Moultrie,

Cemeteries Tour - A great find for all you genealogists,

National Register of Historic Places Tour,

Moultrie African American History Tour, and

Other Historical Sites of Interest.

I think you'll enjoy going through this interesting tour of Moultrie and Colquitt County. While your touring, see if you can find the information about our library. It's there! Believe me!

The President Read At The Easter Egg Roll

Did you watch when the scenes of the Easter Egg Roll at the White House came on television? I did.
It's always great to see children and bunnies and Easter eggs and fun and games. It was nice to watch the children and their families enjoying the special event. Not only was the Easter Bunny there, but Clifford the Big Red Dog was, too. Everyone looked like they were having a great time rolling the eggs, playing basketball, and singing songs.
The annual event on the White House lawn began in 1878 by President Rutherford B. Hayes. I wonder if they did some of the same things this year's attendees did.
But I thought one of the best things that happened was the book reading. And what a great book the President picked to read and act out the scenes. He read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. (Jenna Bush was there to read part of it also, as were President Obama's daughters Malia and Shasha.)
Where the Wild Things Are was written and illustrated in 1963 by Sendak. In 1964 it received a Caldecott Medal. (We talked about those award-winning books before, remember?)
The book is a children's picture book about the imaginary adventures of a young boy named Max, who is punished for making mischief by being sent to his room without supper. He wears a distinctive wolf suit during his adventures and encounters various mythical creatures, the "wild things." Although the story is only ten sentences long, the book is generally regarded as a classic of American illustrated children's literature. A most delightful book for anyone to read, as well as look at.
We have that book right here in the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library. We have two, but you may have to put them on hold to get one. Seems they are very popular now and are frequently checked
out.
But, while you're waiting for Where the Wild Things Are, look for these two books by Sendak that we have: Higglety, pigglety pop! Or, There Must Be More to Life and Pierre: a cautionary tale in five chapters and a prologue.
I would have loved being in that crowd of little kids, listening to the President read Sendak's story. Wonder how scary he made it sound?

If Genealogy Is Your Thing, Check This Out

We've got an interesting genealogy event coming up on Tuesday, April 21st. The Moultrie-Colquitt County Genealogy Study Group will have Judge Wes Lewis, probate judge of Colquitt County, as guest speaker.
The meeting begins at 6:15 p.m. for a "meet and greet," with the program following at 6:30. It will be held in the Willcoxon Auditorium at the library.
Aileen, our webmaster, has been chairing the group. She encourages everyone who's interested in genealogy to attend. She said all skill levels are invited and it's free, so bring a friend.
And...if you'll stop by our "Spotlight on the Library" bulletin board, you can see the Genealogy Book Pick of the Month. Irene, our genealogist, has chosen Your Guide to Cemetery Research by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack, who is a certified genealogist and editor of Betterway genealogy books.
In this book you'll learn how cemeteries can help fill the holes in your family history, including how to:
* determine when and where a person died,
*locate the exact cemetery in which a family or individuals is interred,
* analyze headstones and markers,
* use cemeteries to find your living relatives,
* and more.
With this book you'll also gain a comprehensive overview of American burial customs, attitudes toward death, and funeral rites for a variety of ethnic and religious groups.
Be sure to stop by the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library and talk to Irene if you have any questions about this book or others in the library. We're loaded with genealogy!!!

We've Had Lots Of Rain And Spring Cleaning

Remember that little diddy...rain, rain, go away; come again another day. Well, that's what we're saying around here. Since our blog tells you of things that happen here at our library, I'll have to tell you about this.
We've moved out of our office because the rain came down so much it flooded our floor. That made the carpet wet and the whole place smell. So, today we're out of the office while the maintenance men pull up the carpet and take it away. Then they will clean the concrete under the carpet with bleach and let the place air dry. We hope we can get back in there before the end of the week. But.... Is there more rain in the forecast?
Of course, our office was not the only area in the library to be affected by the rain. Or should I say water? Or is rain and water the same thing?
Our children's librarian had some of her prized possessions drenched. And the break room carpet was wet, as was part of the auditorium's and reference area's carpet. The genealogy library, however, stayed pretty dry. The maintenance men sand-bagged some of the outside areas and that helped. It could have been much worse.
All in all, it's a good time, I suppose, to clean and straighten and throw away stuff that probably needed to go. And it's a good time to air out and freshen up.
Maybe we should say thanks to the rain, the water, the flooding of carpets and drenching of prized possessions.
Maybe we should welcome our spring cleaning. But, boy! It sure is a lot of work!

We're Losing The Dinosaurs. Do We Care?

On a Sunday television program recently, we were told we're losing our newspapers. This is the end of the newspaper business. Everything is going online and people don't have to pay a dime.
The Internet has it all - the ads, the news, the comics, etc. They say the Internet papers have more readers, the online newspaper looks prettier, and is faster in delivering the news.
It's all on the Internet. Anyone with a laptop can sit in the park on a beautiful day and come up with an online newspaper. There's no paper involved, no presses, no overhead.
One newspaper editor on the television program said newspapers are like a lamprey beating off another predator.
Another editor thinks the papers can adapt. After all, they are the originators of investigative reporting. And he thinks people will eventually have to pay to read an article online.
As for the reporters, they know that text, music, and videos are changing every minute. Reporters not only have to write now, but blog, use a video camera, text message...they have to do it all or their job is lost to someone who can and will.
It's generational. People under 50 don't know what a newspaper is like, was like, and they don't care...so said the television program.
But the dinosaurs do!
They are those people who don't have a laptop or desktop, a blackberry or blueberry, IPod or IPhone. And don't want one! They love the newspapers. They love to hold it in their hands and get that printer's ink all over their fingers. It gives them time to sit down with a cup of coffee or iced tea or whatever, kick off their shoes and prop up their feet, and relax while mulling over all the things the newspaper holds...want-ads and all.
Some people don't think we've figured out yet a new menu to distribute the news. I'd like to say for us here at the library: "That's great!" We still have newspapers here. They're on the tall racks in the reading area.
So, until then, when the world figures out that "new menu," come on in to your library and enjoy the newspaper. You don't even have to pay a dime (or dollar) or show your library card.

Read Books In Your Email

We're constantly trying to find ways to grab your attention and make you feel that the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library is the best thing that's ever come into your life.
That said...let me tell you about a new service we will be providing: a newsletter that will tell you about new books each month, a wide variety of books, with sample chapters, where you can meet the authors, and discuss books. All you have to do is take a five-minute reading break every day.
You can visit our library website's home page to join the online book club. Look for the "Book News" icon to sign up and receive a copy each month in your email. Can't be any simpler than that, huh? Remember now, we're just getting it started and have some designing to finish.
We'll have new nonfiction and fiction, best selling fiction and nonfiction, mystery, Christian fiction, and children's picture books. And we have the option of adding later audio books, business, sci-fi, horror, home and garden, large print titles, book club picks and more.
There's even a place where you'll be able to click on a letter of the alphabet to find your favorite author's website, or a new author you want to check out, or just browse the list of authors and see what you can find. I found some of my favorites: Alexander McCall Smith (with music, no less), James Patterson, T. C. Boyle, Alice Hoffman, and Joshilyn Jackson (a Georgia girl), just to mention a few.
And there will be books you can pull up from Award lists, such as PEN/Faulkner, Booker, Hugo, Christy, and Edgar Awards, as well as National Book Awards, and Pulitzer Awards.
We're excited here at the library about this new addition to our services. Check us out. We think you'll be excited, too.