MCC LIBRARY SYSTEM CLOSES

     Did you read that?  The Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System closes!
     Did that make you wonder if it went bankrupt?  Or that there was a fire or a sale or some other catastrophy that made it close?
     Well, if it made you wonder, then I'm glad.  And the reason I'm glad is because maybe it made you stop and think...what you might have to do if the public library in your community actually closed its doors for good.
     If you're a frequent visitor to your public library and it closed, where would you get your "free" books to read, your "free" audiobooks to listen to, your "free" DVDs and VHS movies to watch?  Where would you be able to use a "free" computer to job search or email family and friends?  Where would you go (other than McDonald's or Hardee's or someplace like that) where you could sit in the air conditioning on a hot day?  Where would you pick up the latest newspaper ("free") and sit for a little read?  Where would you take your children for storyhour or to check out 10 books to take home and look at?  And if you couldn't get to the public library, how would you be able to get those interesting books you love to read if the Bookmobile didn't come by your house on a regular route?
     Of course, we're not just a public library.  We're also a genealogical library, the Odom Genealogical Library, where you can research your family tree, find pictures of Grandma and Aunt Susie, where you can look in the archival tapes at old community newspapers, where you can learn about the Veterans History Project, and where you can use "free" computers for your research.
     Also, there's the Children's Library, where every summer you can bring your children for the Summer Reading Programs and special events by entertainers, where there are puzzles to do and coloring pages to work on and toys to play with, where the Children's Librarian goes to the schools and visits in the classrooms, and helps teachers and mothers find certain books for their children.
     And don't forget our branch library in Doerun.  If we were to close the libraries here in Moultrie, stop the Bookmobile routes, and turn out the lights and lock the doors in Doerun, where would you go?  How far away would you have to go to get to another library?
     OK, now.  Back to the MCCL System closing.  That's right, we are going to close.  But you're in luck.  It's only going to be for a little while.
     Beginning Monday, July 30, we will close our library system to do our annual inventory through Friday, August 3.  This is when we clean from top to bottom, when our force of janitors clean the ceiling fans and change the light bulbs, mop and wax and wipe down everything.  This is when all the books are inventoried, as well as the computers.  This is when old items, worn items, torn items, and displaced items are taken care of.  This is when we make sure our "home" is nice and clean and ready for you when we open again on Saturday, August 4, at 8:30 a.m.
     Now, isn't it wonderful to know that we'll be closed for only five days, that we will not be closed forever, and that you'll have the opportunity again to come back to a great library right here in your community.
     We'll be glad to see you also.  After all, you are what we're here for.  You are why we open our doors.  We're your community libraries.
  

Last Warning...We'll Be Closed For Inventory

Despite how much we dislike closing our doors, sometimes it just has to be done.
On Monday, August 4th, our doors will be closed for inventory. That will include the doors to the Odom Genealogical Library and the Doerun Municipal Library. From the 4th until Friday, August 8th, we will be working hard to inventory books, equipment, audio books, DVDs, and videos. We will be repairing and replacing items, straightening shelves and racks, and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. All of this with you, our patrons, in mind.
The Moultrie libraries will reopen on Saturday, August 9th, at 8:30 a.m. The Doerun library will reopen on its regular days at regular times.
We realize this will make it hard for some of you who use the library computers to check your emails, job search, or look at research material. However, we hope you'll remember the Moultrie Technical College on Highway 319 has a library and might be able to help you. You might check also with ABAC on the Square in Moultrie or on the Tifton campus for their assistance.
And don't forget the Thomas County Public Library at 201 North Madison in Thomasville.
The Cook County Library is at 213 East Second Street in Adel. And don't forget the Sylvester Worth County Public Library at 205 East Pope Street in Sylvester.
Of course, there's also the Baker County Library at 100 Main Street in Camilla. And one other -- the Coastal Plain Regional Library is at 121 Virginia Avenue South in Tifton.
All these libraries are within a 30-40 minute drive.
Hope this information helps you.
And we'll look forward to seeing you on August 9th with a nice, clean, inventoried library.

This Is Our First Warning!

I think I said something about this earlier, but I really need to make this our first warning.
The Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, the Odom Genealogical Library, and the Doerun Municipal Library will be closed for inventory August 4 through August 8. The Moultrie libraries will reopen Saturday, August 9, at 8:30 a.m.
Now is the time for you to plan where you're going to go to open all your emails, play computer games, or join friends in chat rooms. You might have to see if your best buddy will let you use his computer. Maybe even grandma will let you use hers. But you'll have to use a computer other than one at the library.
Your checked out library books will not be due during Inventory Week. That includes videos, DVDs, and audio books.
You'll have to find another soft couch on which to read the daily newspaper or take a nap.
If you have a report or paper you're working on and need reference material, you can check with the college library for the information.
Also genealogists and family researchers will have to wait until the Odom Library reopens.
But don't think we will be closed and doing nothing. This is one of the busiest times for us who work at the library.
Lots will be going on, such as: looking for lost books, repairing torn pages and bindings, reading the shelves and putting books in order, checking serial numbers on equipment, cleaning carpets and floors, dusting, straightening...assessing the library's needs. Everyone wears their "house-cleaning" clothes and goes home tired and dirty. But we always know the inventory has been done well and is complete, at least for another year.
So, beware! The libraries will be closing for a full five days the first week of August. It's inventory time again.

An Inventory of the "Inventory"

I did an inventory of the staff on Tuesday (the second day of the library's inventory). I asked what the hardest thing to do was during this particular inventory. They all agreed. It was moving the stored items out of the classroom, so the shelves could be removed and taken to the new storage area. Then the stored items could be placed back on the shelves in the new area. And, of course, there's also the cleaning of all the little places the public does not see (like the utility room and closets), where things have been stuffed until they could be taken care of. Well, as Melody, our director, said, "That time has come." It's big-time cleaning for the library. And it's not even Spring!

But...when the library opens after inventory (August 4), there will be tons of free magazines! And CDs, records, audio tapes and videos will be on sale for 50 cents each. Hardback books and large paperbacks will be 25 cents each. Small paperbacks will be 10 cents each. Now, how could you beat a deal like that???

It's Inventory Time Again!

Someone said to me the other day, "Why are y'all going to be closed so long? What do y'all do doing inventory, anyway?" So, I asked our director, Melody Jenkins, how she'd answer those questions. She said it's during inventory week (July 30 - August 3 this year) that we check every book, etc., and scan it into the computer. We look for lost books and repair the damaged ones. However, since our new computer software doesn't have the inventory module loaded yet, this year we will read the shelves, put books in order and weed out items to be removed. We'll also inventory every computer, printer, scanner, etc. We're going to put up shelves in the new storage center and move stored items from the classroom in the Children's Library area to the new storage. Then the classroom (which was recently named the Melody Stinson Jenkins Conference Room) will be available for meetings, public and library use. Melody said we've been doing inventory the same week every year for the past 20 years. And for that reason, we hope you'll bear with us as we clean, straighten, move and brighten the library for your continued happy use.