Our library will be closed for Labor Day, Monday, September 3rd, but we'll be open again on Tuesday the 4th, regular time of 8:30 a.m.
When I came to work this morning, I asked several coworkers what they would be doing on Labor Day.
Cray said she'd probably be babysitting her little grandson, Qaden, who is now four months old.
Johnnie said she'd probably be cleaning house and that her husband would probably cook, while she cleaned house. (That's a blessing in itself.)
Ann said she was definitely going to take Friday, Saturday, and Monday to clean her home office, which is covered with her genealogy projects.
Monique will be working the weekend at her second job, but her sister and husband will be visiting all weekend. Luckily, Monique will be off on Labor Day and enjoying a cookout the evening before.
Me, well, I'm going to be doing the same thing that Irene will be doing...just resting and piddling around at home.
Of course, all of these activities made me check with one of my favorite sources, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, to see what it had to say about Labor Day.
We all know it's a federal holiday observed the first Monday in September. But how many really know why.
Labor Day is supposed to pay tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It's usually a time of parties and parades and athletic events.
Oregon was the first state to make it a holiday in 1887. By the time it became a federal holiday in 1894, thirty states officially celebrated Labor Day.
Wikipedia says, "The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public 'the strength and spirit of corps of the trade and labor organizations', followed by a festival for the workers and their families."
Nowdays the holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties. Speeches and political demonstrations are more low-key than the May 1 Labor Day celebrations in most countries. Our Labor Day in the United States is also known as the symbolic end of summer, a time when high society once considered it the last day of the year to wear white or seersucker clothes.
I wonder how far away we've come from celebrating the original thought of Labor Day. Do we still think of the contributions and achievements of our American workers? If so, how much? And in what ways?
Look in your local newspaper and see what your community will be doing. And remember...our library will be closed during this time of acknowledgement to all who work to make our nation strong and free, whether they be in trade and labor organizations, or just out there working...just plain working.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE SO NICE
We don't praise our volunteers enough, do we? Sometimes we don't even think about them until something really nice happens. And that's a shame. We need to think of our volunteers all the time and praise them all the time...especially to their faces.
I say this because two things happened today to me and I began to think about volunteers in a different way.
The first happening occurred as I was pulling books to place in one of our displays. I was roaming through the bookshelves and a lovely, little lady said to me, "Your library has the best books of all the libraries I go to."
Of course, I said thank you. But she continued as she rearranged some of the shelved books into alphabetical order under one author's name. "You have your labels all the same and they're easy to read. I go to two other libraries, too, but they don't do that. In fact, it's rather hard to find the books I really want."
Again, I said thank you, and we took a little time to talk about our recent shelver, who had moved to another job. I mentioned how we really missed her and noticed the lady was still working with the books, rearranging them and lining them up straight on the shelves. (Thanks, Miss Shirley.)
When I went to the front counter, I told one of our staff members about the "volunteer" who really liked our library. You just can't praise a person like that enough.
Then, in the afternoon, another volunteer appeared.
This woman approached me as I was working with the lighted cases display. She leaned toward me and talked over the case: "Do you work here?" she asked.
When I said I did, she said, "Would it be all right if I clean that little table over there where the big plant is?"
I looked and I could see what she meant. The table has this huge, "many-leaved, many-limbed" plant in a big clay flower pot setting on it. And where it's been watered so many times and run over the rim of the clay saucer, the table was stained and dusty.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked.
"Oh, I don't mind at all. I'll just get some wet paper towels and clean it off." She smiled and walked way. And I continued my display work and marveled at this wonderful volunteer.
Once again, I went to the front counter and told the staff member about this volunteer, and she was able to tell me the volunteer's name. (So, I can say thanks, Miss Joyce.)
Of course, I could tell you the last names of the volunteers, but they might not want their last names mentioned. I didn't ask them.
Instead, I want to say to ALL our volunteers, whether they are our Friends of the Library volunteers, who come in and help shelve books (I know who you are, Angie), or whether they are the silent angels that appear out of nowhere to do something, we DO so appreciate you and all you do. We welcome your help and are so glad that you take the time to help shelve books, or straighten them, or wipe off our dusty tables.
You just make our days bright!
I say this because two things happened today to me and I began to think about volunteers in a different way.
The first happening occurred as I was pulling books to place in one of our displays. I was roaming through the bookshelves and a lovely, little lady said to me, "Your library has the best books of all the libraries I go to."
Of course, I said thank you. But she continued as she rearranged some of the shelved books into alphabetical order under one author's name. "You have your labels all the same and they're easy to read. I go to two other libraries, too, but they don't do that. In fact, it's rather hard to find the books I really want."
Again, I said thank you, and we took a little time to talk about our recent shelver, who had moved to another job. I mentioned how we really missed her and noticed the lady was still working with the books, rearranging them and lining them up straight on the shelves. (Thanks, Miss Shirley.)
When I went to the front counter, I told one of our staff members about the "volunteer" who really liked our library. You just can't praise a person like that enough.
Then, in the afternoon, another volunteer appeared.
This woman approached me as I was working with the lighted cases display. She leaned toward me and talked over the case: "Do you work here?" she asked.
When I said I did, she said, "Would it be all right if I clean that little table over there where the big plant is?"
I looked and I could see what she meant. The table has this huge, "many-leaved, many-limbed" plant in a big clay flower pot setting on it. And where it's been watered so many times and run over the rim of the clay saucer, the table was stained and dusty.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked.
"Oh, I don't mind at all. I'll just get some wet paper towels and clean it off." She smiled and walked way. And I continued my display work and marveled at this wonderful volunteer.
Once again, I went to the front counter and told the staff member about this volunteer, and she was able to tell me the volunteer's name. (So, I can say thanks, Miss Joyce.)
Of course, I could tell you the last names of the volunteers, but they might not want their last names mentioned. I didn't ask them.
Instead, I want to say to ALL our volunteers, whether they are our Friends of the Library volunteers, who come in and help shelve books (I know who you are, Angie), or whether they are the silent angels that appear out of nowhere to do something, we DO so appreciate you and all you do. We welcome your help and are so glad that you take the time to help shelve books, or straighten them, or wipe off our dusty tables.
You just make our days bright!
Thursday, August 23, 2012
GALILEO IS A POWERFUL TOOL
We're offering you something very helpful from our library and you don't even have to be sitting in our library to use it. You can use it from your own home computer, too.
As of July 1, the Georgia Public Library Service began offering the LearningExpress Library and its Job & Career Accelerator(tm) to all the state's public libraries through GALILEO, Georgia's Virtual Library.
The services we now have in GALILEO will allow you to:
So, the rest is up to you. If you have a Moultrie-Colquitt County Library card, just call the library at 229-985-6540 and ask for the current GALILEO password.
We've just begun to find out what's in all these databases and they are awesome! We'd like to encourage you to do the same. And if you need help, come see us. We'll be glad to help.
As of July 1, the Georgia Public Library Service began offering the LearningExpress Library and its Job & Career Accelerator(tm) to all the state's public libraries through GALILEO, Georgia's Virtual Library.
The services we now have in GALILEO will allow you to:
- Prepare for tests (GED, Compass, SAT, ACT, Praxis, GRE, etc.)
- Prepare for occupational exams
- Access U.S. Citizenship test information
- Write resumes and apply for jobs
- Learn to use computers and Internet through tutorials
- And many more features!
- Go to GALILEO on the library's website home page
- Click on Databases A-Z
- Type LearningExpress (all one word) in the empty box and click on Find Database
- You'll see the links to both of the databases
- 1. Job and Career Accelerator for resume, cover letter, job listings, occupation descriptions and more
- 2. LearningExpress Library for test preparation, career certification, skills improvement and more.
So, the rest is up to you. If you have a Moultrie-Colquitt County Library card, just call the library at 229-985-6540 and ask for the current GALILEO password.
We've just begun to find out what's in all these databases and they are awesome! We'd like to encourage you to do the same. And if you need help, come see us. We'll be glad to help.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
OUR BOOKMOBILE'S NEW FACE LIFT
Maybe you've seen it around town, or parked in its little spot beside the library, or out in the country on one of its many routes.
It's a bus with a couple of air conditioner units on top, a couple of side windows and back window, and two really neat ladies who take it to our away-patrons, Miss Sheila and Miss Amanda. (We use Miss in the South to denote respect for our ladies.)
It's the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library's bookmobile. (And I usually capitalize the word "bookmobile" because of my great respect for it, too.)
Our Bookmobile had for many years been painted red, white and blue. Paint was the way to refresh the look whenever needed. But lately, a new thing has been happening not only to Bookmobiles, but semi-truck rigs, city buses, cars, and a host of other traveling machines. (We won't count the knit-wrapped bicycles.)
When Melody Jenkins, our since-retired director, approached Sunbelt Signs, Inc. with the idea of redesigning our Bookmobile, she envisioned the bus with bright colors, a beautiful landscape on it, little children reading, and a bunch of books.
Well, the sign company went out of their way to please her. It dreamed up a "wrap" that looks like something out of a storybook. The new look shows people reading their books in a field where trees made of books grow. The name "Bookmobile" is in large letters on the bus, easy for people to read. There is a larger-than-life bookshelf wrapped all around the bottom of the bus, stacked with colorful books.
Many people along the routes that the Bookmobile travels thought there was a new bus coming their way. But with several budget cuts at the library, no new bus was on the library horizon. Instead, this clever graphic wrap has given our Bookmobile a new life, a new look, and a new talk about town.
The next time you're by our library at 204 Fifth Street, Southeast, in Moultrie, see if it's parked in its corner spot and admire the gorgeous new look. However, chances are it won't be there. You see, our Bookmobile librarians, Miss Sheila and Miss Amanda, are often out and about on their many routes, taking books to home-bound patrons and schools.
But if you're interested in knowing about the Bookmobile's routes, call the library for more information at 229-985-6540. Be sure to ask for the Bookmobile librarians...they have all that information. If they're out, be sure to leave your name and number so they can return the call.
And if I were you and I was on one of their routes, I'd have my camera ready to take a picture of the storybook Bookmobile. It's a delightful sight to behold!!!
It's a bus with a couple of air conditioner units on top, a couple of side windows and back window, and two really neat ladies who take it to our away-patrons, Miss Sheila and Miss Amanda. (We use Miss in the South to denote respect for our ladies.)
It's the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library's bookmobile. (And I usually capitalize the word "bookmobile" because of my great respect for it, too.)
Our Bookmobile had for many years been painted red, white and blue. Paint was the way to refresh the look whenever needed. But lately, a new thing has been happening not only to Bookmobiles, but semi-truck rigs, city buses, cars, and a host of other traveling machines. (We won't count the knit-wrapped bicycles.)
When Melody Jenkins, our since-retired director, approached Sunbelt Signs, Inc. with the idea of redesigning our Bookmobile, she envisioned the bus with bright colors, a beautiful landscape on it, little children reading, and a bunch of books.
Well, the sign company went out of their way to please her. It dreamed up a "wrap" that looks like something out of a storybook. The new look shows people reading their books in a field where trees made of books grow. The name "Bookmobile" is in large letters on the bus, easy for people to read. There is a larger-than-life bookshelf wrapped all around the bottom of the bus, stacked with colorful books.
Many people along the routes that the Bookmobile travels thought there was a new bus coming their way. But with several budget cuts at the library, no new bus was on the library horizon. Instead, this clever graphic wrap has given our Bookmobile a new life, a new look, and a new talk about town.
The next time you're by our library at 204 Fifth Street, Southeast, in Moultrie, see if it's parked in its corner spot and admire the gorgeous new look. However, chances are it won't be there. You see, our Bookmobile librarians, Miss Sheila and Miss Amanda, are often out and about on their many routes, taking books to home-bound patrons and schools.
But if you're interested in knowing about the Bookmobile's routes, call the library for more information at 229-985-6540. Be sure to ask for the Bookmobile librarians...they have all that information. If they're out, be sure to leave your name and number so they can return the call.
And if I were you and I was on one of their routes, I'd have my camera ready to take a picture of the storybook Bookmobile. It's a delightful sight to behold!!!
Thursday, August 16, 2012
"Where you been?" he asked
That's what he said. "Where you been?"
I knew the minute I glanced into the little mirror I keep on my desk, the one that shows me who is coming toward my door behind my back, that I was in for it. My favorite critic and advisor tapped on the door, then poked his head in and said, "Where you been?"
"I've been right here," I said.
"Well, you haven't been doing your blod!"
A long time ago, my friend and I had a discussion about it not being a blod, that it's really a blog, but it didn't make much of an impression on him.
"I know," I said. "Just been too busy doing other things."
He stepped over to my the file cabinet next to my computer, leaned on it and stared at what I was working on.
"So, what's kept you so busy you can't write about what's going on here? How're we supposed to know what's going on in this place if you don't write about it in the blod? I mean, I read it ever-day, but if you can't write it, how'm I gonna read it?" That was a mild form of chastisement, right?
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'll try to do better and get something done today. OK?"
He didn't look much happier, but he nodded his head at me and left. I watched in my mirror as he walked away from the office. Then he stopped at the end of the hallway and looked back, shaking his head at me.
So, I'm here today, compliments of my friend, to tell you that we have some upcoming events you will be interested in. Such as:
I knew the minute I glanced into the little mirror I keep on my desk, the one that shows me who is coming toward my door behind my back, that I was in for it. My favorite critic and advisor tapped on the door, then poked his head in and said, "Where you been?"
"I've been right here," I said.
"Well, you haven't been doing your blod!"
A long time ago, my friend and I had a discussion about it not being a blod, that it's really a blog, but it didn't make much of an impression on him.
"I know," I said. "Just been too busy doing other things."
He stepped over to my the file cabinet next to my computer, leaned on it and stared at what I was working on.
"So, what's kept you so busy you can't write about what's going on here? How're we supposed to know what's going on in this place if you don't write about it in the blod? I mean, I read it ever-day, but if you can't write it, how'm I gonna read it?" That was a mild form of chastisement, right?
"I'm sorry," I said. "I'll try to do better and get something done today. OK?"
He didn't look much happier, but he nodded his head at me and left. I watched in my mirror as he walked away from the office. Then he stopped at the end of the hallway and looked back, shaking his head at me.
So, I'm here today, compliments of my friend, to tell you that we have some upcoming events you will be interested in. Such as:
- Sunbelt Writers will hold their monthly meeting in the auditorium on Saturday, August 18, with a program by Sandra Giles of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton. Ms. Giles will talk about creative nonfiction and how to make memoirs more than just memories.
- On Sunday, August 19, a "drop-in" retirement reception will be held for past-library-director Melody S. Jenkins. Ms. Jenkins held the post for 37 years and will be honored at the reception held by the MCCLS Friends and the Junior Woman's Club of Moultrie. The community is invited to attend. Time is from 2 to 4 p.m. in the library's reading area. Refreshments will be served.
- The MCCLS Friends will meet on Monday, August 20, in the auditorium at 6 p.m. This group has several things they are working on. They are the advocates for the library and are presently involved in Melody's retirement party and a play-fundraiser for the library. For more information about being a Friend of the Library, call the library or pick up a Friends' brochure in the library foyer.
- It is always necessary to let the public know when the library is closed and one of those times is coming up. On Monday, September 3, the library will be closed for Labor Day, but opening again on Tuesday the 4th. That includes the Odom Genealogical Library. The Doerun Library will be closed for the same holiday and opening on Tuesday at 2 p.m.
- There will be a combined meeting of the library Boards in September. The Odom Genealogical Library Board and the MCC Library Board will meet on Monday, September 10, at 4 p.m. due to the director being out of town on Thursday the 13th, when the MCC Library Board would normally meet. New library director Holly Phillips will present "facts and figures" at the meeting.
- On Tuesday, September 11, at 6:30 p.m. you'll find the Library Book Club for Adults meeting in the auditorium. At the last meeting there were 11 women present to share snacks and lemonade and talk about the books they read during August. Books to be read for the September meeting will be "Night Time Adventures" about mysteries and detective stories. All adults with a reading passion are encouraged to join in the fun.
- Constitution Week is September 17 through 23. Plans call for a display to be assembled on the round table in the library's front foyer by members of the John Benning Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The week-long celebration commemorates the adoption of the U. S. Constitution.
- Friday, September 21, at 7 p.m., the community will enjoy the first "Mystery @ the Library," presented by the MCCLS Friends as a fundraiser. Tickets for $25 will include admission, desserts and gourmet coffee and tea, as well as participation in trying to solve the crime and become the winner of big prizes. Tickets will be on sale at the library and from members of the Friends of the Library.
- Other events planned at the library include September's National Library Card Sign-up Month and Banned Books Week during September 30 through October 6.
- Of course, there are various displays around the library to encourage you to pick up a book and read, or listen to an audiobook, or watch a good movie on one of our DVDs.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
You're invited to a baby shower
No...no one here, working at the library, is expecting a baby. But there are lots of lovely women out there in our community who are new mothers or are expecting a little one.
For that reason you're invited to join us for a special baby shower celebration.
The event is presented by AMERIGROUP Community Care and it will be a "Community Baby Shower" on Thursday, August 16th, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. here in the library auditorium.
The baby shower is for new and expecting moms. There will be important health information, games, prizes, food, and so much more.
There also will be an AMERIGROUP representative present to answer questions about member benefits and health care programs and services. All eligible individuals are welcome into the health care programs, regardless of health status.
If you have any questions concerning the baby shower, call Michele, our Children's Librarian, at the library, 229-985-6540, or call 706-868-4412 if you plan to attend.
This is just another community event held here at your Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, 204 5th Street, Southeast, in Moultrie, Georgia. We welcome your inquiries about eligibility requirements for using the library meeting rooms.
For that reason you're invited to join us for a special baby shower celebration.
The event is presented by AMERIGROUP Community Care and it will be a "Community Baby Shower" on Thursday, August 16th, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. here in the library auditorium.
The baby shower is for new and expecting moms. There will be important health information, games, prizes, food, and so much more.
There also will be an AMERIGROUP representative present to answer questions about member benefits and health care programs and services. All eligible individuals are welcome into the health care programs, regardless of health status.
If you have any questions concerning the baby shower, call Michele, our Children's Librarian, at the library, 229-985-6540, or call 706-868-4412 if you plan to attend.
This is just another community event held here at your Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, 204 5th Street, Southeast, in Moultrie, Georgia. We welcome your inquiries about eligibility requirements for using the library meeting rooms.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Special events with author Janisse Ray
Writer, naturalist and activist Janisse Ray, author of “The
Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food,” will discuss her new book
on Friday, August 10, at 6:30 p.m. The
event, which is hosted by the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, 204 5th
Street, SE, Moultrie, will be held in the library’s reading area. The talk and book signing is free to the
public.
From Janisse we hear: "Across the country, a renaissance of local food, farming, and place-based culinary traditions is taking hold. And yet something small, critically important, and profoundly at risk is being overlooked in this local food resurgence: seeds. Of the thousands of seed varieties available at the turn of the 20th century, 94 percent have been lost - forever."
It is Janisse Ray who brings us the inspiring stories of ordinary gardners whose aim is to save time-honored open-pollinated varieties like Old Time Tennessee muskmelon and Long County Longhorn okra - varieties that will be lost if people don't grow, save, and swap the seeds.
It is in "The Seed Underground" that Janisse introduces us to dozens of seed savers like the eccentric sociology professor she dubs "Tomato Man" and Maine farmer Will Bonsall, the "Noah" of seed saving who juggles hundreds of seeds, many grown by him, and him alone. And Janisse tells her own story about her grandmother saving squash seed, about her own tiny garden, and about the one seed, the Conch cowpea, that got away from her.
So, it is in "The Seed Underground" that we are reminded our underlying health, food security, and sovereignty may be at stake as seeds disappear, as well as the stories, heritage, and history that passes between people as seeds are passed from hand to hand.
Then on Saturday, August 11, Janisse will present “Writing Your Own Story,” a workshop in creative nonfiction and memoir. The event will be from 9 to 4 p.m. Participants will have lunch on their own. Pre-registration is required by August 7. A $10 fee is payable at the library’s front counter. Class size is limited to 24.
Ray is a seed-saver, seed-exchanger, and seed-banker, and has gardened for twenty-five years. She is the author of several books, including “Pinhook” and “Ecology of a Cracker Childhood,” a New York Times Notable Book. She has won numerous awards, is on the faculty of Chatham University’s low-residency MFA program, and is a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. Ray lectures widely on nature, community, agriculture, wildness, sustainability and the politics of wholeness. She lives on a farm in southern Georgia with her husband, Raven Waters.
If you've never met Janisse Ray, now is your golden opportunity. You certainly won't want to miss these special events.
From Janisse we hear: "Across the country, a renaissance of local food, farming, and place-based culinary traditions is taking hold. And yet something small, critically important, and profoundly at risk is being overlooked in this local food resurgence: seeds. Of the thousands of seed varieties available at the turn of the 20th century, 94 percent have been lost - forever."
It is Janisse Ray who brings us the inspiring stories of ordinary gardners whose aim is to save time-honored open-pollinated varieties like Old Time Tennessee muskmelon and Long County Longhorn okra - varieties that will be lost if people don't grow, save, and swap the seeds.
It is in "The Seed Underground" that Janisse introduces us to dozens of seed savers like the eccentric sociology professor she dubs "Tomato Man" and Maine farmer Will Bonsall, the "Noah" of seed saving who juggles hundreds of seeds, many grown by him, and him alone. And Janisse tells her own story about her grandmother saving squash seed, about her own tiny garden, and about the one seed, the Conch cowpea, that got away from her.
So, it is in "The Seed Underground" that we are reminded our underlying health, food security, and sovereignty may be at stake as seeds disappear, as well as the stories, heritage, and history that passes between people as seeds are passed from hand to hand.
Then on Saturday, August 11, Janisse will present “Writing Your Own Story,” a workshop in creative nonfiction and memoir. The event will be from 9 to 4 p.m. Participants will have lunch on their own. Pre-registration is required by August 7. A $10 fee is payable at the library’s front counter. Class size is limited to 24.
Ray is a seed-saver, seed-exchanger, and seed-banker, and has gardened for twenty-five years. She is the author of several books, including “Pinhook” and “Ecology of a Cracker Childhood,” a New York Times Notable Book. She has won numerous awards, is on the faculty of Chatham University’s low-residency MFA program, and is a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. Ray lectures widely on nature, community, agriculture, wildness, sustainability and the politics of wholeness. She lives on a farm in southern Georgia with her husband, Raven Waters.
If you've never met Janisse Ray, now is your golden opportunity. You certainly won't want to miss these special events.
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