River of Words, a creation of environmental beauty

     We're fortunate for the fourth or fifth year to have the River of Words display at our library.  It is in the adult reading area and will be here until Tuesday, November 8th.  I hope you get a chance to see it.

     This morning I toured the two-sided display...a dark blue background on a curve of panels with wonderful squares of pictures and poetry by children in grades kindergarten through twelve.  These children are from high schools, elementary schools, middle schools, an art studio, and an academy.  They live in Georgia in the communities of Cumming, Lilburn, Covington, Fayetteville, Roswell, Monroe, Woodstock, Gainesville, Marietta, and a host of other towns.

     The display shows their talent in poetry, photography, watercolor, crayon, acrylic, colored pencils, markers, soft pastel, and oil pastel.  One picture also shows a sculpture of nails, wood, and plastic.  The colors are amazing.  Their talent, beyond amazing.  Their pictures show fish, ducks, birds, frogs, a snail, a tortoise, and a bunny.  The locations are of ponds, streams, and rivers.  When you read the poetry, you'll be surprised at the depth of thought and ability with words that come from even the youngest child.

     River of Words is coordinated in Georgia by the Georgia Center for the Book and Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), a program of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

     River of Words is a national poetry and art competition for students who create visual art or poetry that shows an understanding and appreciation of their natural environment, and specifically of  their own watershed.

      It's our delight to share this event with the community.  Some of the poetry you read and the pictures you see will astound you.  Children...kindergarteners to twelfth graders...our children, children of Georgia who are displaying their finest works.  These are our future generations, showing us how they appreciate their natural environment and hope you'll take the time to do the same also. 

     Be amazed.  Visit the display before it leaves our library.  You have until we close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8th. 

     And watch for the blog that tells you what else will be happening on November 8th!!!

We Might Be Able To Have A Library License Plate!

Yep! Surprised me too! Melody was telling us about it. She said the goal is to have 1,000 people sign up for the license plate before December 31, 2008, so it can be produced.
Currently, the state lists 30 people as having signed up. That's a long way to go (970) by the end of December 2008. But we need to be positive in our thinking. The first year cost will be $70 plus the regular tag fee. Thereafter, it's only $45 plus the regular tag fee.
To some people that might seem like a lot of money, but think about what it will mean to support Georgia's public libraries. All the books and reading and sources of knowledge...and on and on!
In case you didn't notice, you can see the license plate on our website's home page. It is just under where you clicked on the Bookworm blog. There's a picture of a child sitting under a tree, reading a book. The words around the oval picture are: Georgia Center for the Book. Under that, the words are: Support Georgia's Public Libraries.
We were told you could sign up for the license plate at the local tag office. In Moultrie, that's right down town in the Courthouse Annex. Look for the Colquitt County Tax Commissioner's office on the first floor. Most everyone in town knows where the office is, so just ask if you get lost.
If you go to the Georgia Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division's website, you can pull up an Application for a Special Interest License Plate. The box you need to check says: Georgia Center for the Book. Be sure to retain your receipt when you get it. When the manufacturing requirements have been met (1,000 paid requests), you will need the receipt to register your vehicle with this license plate.
And while I have your attention, let me tell you about the Georgia Center for the Book. This organization is the state affiliate of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The Center, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008, has a mission of supporting libraries, literacy and literature, particularly Georgia's rich literary heritage. There are centers in each of the 50 states. The Georgia Center was chartered in early 1998 with the DeKalb County Public Library serving as the host site.
William (Bill) W. Starr, a native of Atlanta, has been executive director of the Georgia Center for the Book since 2003. He is assisted by an advisory council of distinguished authors, librarians, publishers, scholars and journalists from around the state of Georgia.
The Georgia Center is now the largest non-commercial literary presenting organization in the South and one of the largest in the nation. Its free public programs reached nearly 90,000 people throughout Georgia in 2006 and drew more than 160 authors to the state.
If you'd like to know more about the Georgia Center for the Book, check out their website at www.georgiacenterforthebook.org.
And don't forget to sign up for one of the library license plates. It will be well worth your money.