For a person who lives this close to several beaches, I don't get to go as often as I'd like. In my home I've created my "beach" environment. I have beachy furniture, lots of seashells, and bright colors. Most of the time I feel I'm at my beach cottage, enjoying all the pleasures of my favorite place...the beach.
Now, we're bringing the beach to you, right here at our library. We've set up seven displays to invite you to join us with some beach time.
As you come into the front foyer, you'll see all kinds of seashells in the two large lighted cases, so many I couldn't begin to name them all right here. The shells are from our Odom Genealogical Library's collection, provided by local residents. A small collection in one corner of the case is provided by Ann, who works here at the library. She's included some pictures of her family at the beach.
Our foyer table is covered with books in bright colors of sea blue, hibiscus pink, sunshine yellow, lime green, and mango orange. The table sign encourages you to "Hang out with the Summer Readers."
Next to the circulation counter in the foyer bookshelf, you'll find books to "Chill Out With Summer Reading." Keva has made special effort to find all these colorful books of the greatest interest that have to do with summer and the beach.
On the long table in the aisle heading to the Children's Library, you'll find books by three of our favorite authors. We are highlighting Nicholas Sparks, James Michener, and Carson McCullers. We're also including books by their "read-alikes," Karen Kingsbury, Leon Uris and Ken Follett, Kaye Gibbons and Richard Wright.
Heading back to the circulation counter, you'll see on the bookshelf just past it, the "Between the Covers Recommendations" shelf. This time we've reviewed "Rusty Nail" by J. A. Konrath, "Murder Walks the Plank" by Carolyn Hart, "Key West" by Stella Cameron, and "Pelikan" by David Lozell Martin. I read those reviews and I have to say, they all look like good beach reads to me. Take a peek at them next time you come in.
As you walk down our long, white hallway, be sure to look at the wall display. June is Audiobook Month. If you're looking for a great summer read for the beach, the car, or the plane, come check out our great reads - hand-held books or audiobooks. You can even download audiobooks to your MP3 player with our latest resource OneClickdigital from Recorded Books. These are downloadable audiobooks - all mobile device compatible and easy to access - 24 hours/7 days a week! See our website or one of our staff members for more details.
Right around the corner from the wall display, in the lighted glass case, we are highlighting another of our favorite author-illustrators. This time it is Allen Say, an Asian-American, with amazing talents. His children's books are wonderful stories from his history and culture. You're sure to enjoy each book displayed, which we have in our library, and especially if you have a child to read them to.
We didn't put displays just in the public library. In the Odom Genealogical Library, you'll see on an easel the painting "John Biglin in a Single Scull, c.1873" by Thomas Eakins [1844 - 1916]. This is a watercolor picture of a summer's day of boating, one of summertime's favorite enjoyments. The picture includes several questions about the painting that you'll find interesting and informational.
With July 4th coming next week, it's easy to understand if you're not able to get to your favorite beach. If that's true, just stop by our place, the Moultrie-Colquitt Library, and check out our beach finds. We have them here just for you!
Showing posts with label summer reading. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer reading. Show all posts
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Our Bookmobile and its unsung heroes
Our library has a couple of unsung heroes. Well, to me, that is. I guess it's because Sheila and Holly have an office at the back corner of the Children's Library, close to Bookmobile stacks (bookshelves).
The Bookmobile library was placed in the renovated three-bay garage when the Children's Library was moved to its present location. So...because Sheila and Holly are at one end of the main library and I'm at the other, I don't see them very often. Unless, of course, they're working at the circulation desk on the days they aren't on the road.
The Bookmobile library is just one of four libraries in the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System. Not many people think of it that way, but the system has the Bookmobile and main library (headquarters), as well as the Doerun Municipal Library and the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library.
The Bookmobile library (housed in the main library) is not a library just everyone can visit, like the others. It's actually the place where there are seven long, long stacks of over 20,000 books for Bookmobile patrons. The Bookmobile, itself, also holds over 2,500 books...the library on wheels with our unsung heroes, Sheila and Holly, taking it all over the county.
They told me they just finished their first run for June. They covered nine routes with approximately 15 stops per day, serving approximately 150 people each day. (Can you imagine how hot it was out there on all those roads in our 100-degree South Georgia weather?) Holly said their turnover is about every six weeks, with a week or two in between runs to catch up on office work and other stuff.
They'll have their second run after the July 4th holiday, starting on July 11th. Their final run for the summer will be July 25th, because when August comes around and school starts, they will begin their school runs also, bringing their routes up to a total of fourteen.
Holly told me a little something special about Sheila. I found out she's an exceptional Bookmobile librarian. Because she knows the adult patrons on her routes so well, she often bags pre-selected books for them. She knows exactly what kind of books they like. And since one little boy loves alligators, they bag "alligator" books especially for him! Now, that is personalized attention! In fact, Holly said Sheila is so organized she will have bags of books stacked in the Bookmobile library ahead of time, just waiting to be put on the Bookmobile and delivered to their patrons on each route they take.
Sheila said they have over 100 children this year on the summer routes. She and Holly call the patrons a day ahead of when they plan to be in their area and then again when they reach the designated stopping place. The mix of patrons is about half and half of adults and children. The children also include the young adults, ages 12 to about 18. There are less than ten men who are patrons, making the majority women and, I suppose, lots of children. The limit of books to check out is 25 per person and patrons are allowed to keep the books for six weeks.
Sheila recently took a trip to Jacksonville to Mumford Library Books to purchase new books for the Bookmobile, most of which were children's and young adults' books. You can bet her patrons look forward to their new selections for summer reading.
Just remember, the next time you see our Bookmobile sitting beside the library, it's not a permanent fixture. Remember it has wheels and travels the county with Sheila and Holly taking books to the many patrons who watch for them. You can bet your bottom dollar, those people don't think of our Bookmobile librarians as unsung heroes. They sing their praises as they hollar: "Here they come! Here they come!"
If you have a hard time obtaining library books and need assistance, call the library at 985-6540 and ask for Sheila or Holly. They'll see what they can do to get books to you, because they're good at their jobs!
The Bookmobile library was placed in the renovated three-bay garage when the Children's Library was moved to its present location. So...because Sheila and Holly are at one end of the main library and I'm at the other, I don't see them very often. Unless, of course, they're working at the circulation desk on the days they aren't on the road.
The Bookmobile library is just one of four libraries in the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library System. Not many people think of it that way, but the system has the Bookmobile and main library (headquarters), as well as the Doerun Municipal Library and the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library.
The Bookmobile library (housed in the main library) is not a library just everyone can visit, like the others. It's actually the place where there are seven long, long stacks of over 20,000 books for Bookmobile patrons. The Bookmobile, itself, also holds over 2,500 books...the library on wheels with our unsung heroes, Sheila and Holly, taking it all over the county.
They told me they just finished their first run for June. They covered nine routes with approximately 15 stops per day, serving approximately 150 people each day. (Can you imagine how hot it was out there on all those roads in our 100-degree South Georgia weather?) Holly said their turnover is about every six weeks, with a week or two in between runs to catch up on office work and other stuff.
They'll have their second run after the July 4th holiday, starting on July 11th. Their final run for the summer will be July 25th, because when August comes around and school starts, they will begin their school runs also, bringing their routes up to a total of fourteen.
Holly told me a little something special about Sheila. I found out she's an exceptional Bookmobile librarian. Because she knows the adult patrons on her routes so well, she often bags pre-selected books for them. She knows exactly what kind of books they like. And since one little boy loves alligators, they bag "alligator" books especially for him! Now, that is personalized attention! In fact, Holly said Sheila is so organized she will have bags of books stacked in the Bookmobile library ahead of time, just waiting to be put on the Bookmobile and delivered to their patrons on each route they take.
Sheila said they have over 100 children this year on the summer routes. She and Holly call the patrons a day ahead of when they plan to be in their area and then again when they reach the designated stopping place. The mix of patrons is about half and half of adults and children. The children also include the young adults, ages 12 to about 18. There are less than ten men who are patrons, making the majority women and, I suppose, lots of children. The limit of books to check out is 25 per person and patrons are allowed to keep the books for six weeks.
Sheila recently took a trip to Jacksonville to Mumford Library Books to purchase new books for the Bookmobile, most of which were children's and young adults' books. You can bet her patrons look forward to their new selections for summer reading.
Just remember, the next time you see our Bookmobile sitting beside the library, it's not a permanent fixture. Remember it has wheels and travels the county with Sheila and Holly taking books to the many patrons who watch for them. You can bet your bottom dollar, those people don't think of our Bookmobile librarians as unsung heroes. They sing their praises as they hollar: "Here they come! Here they come!"
If you have a hard time obtaining library books and need assistance, call the library at 985-6540 and ask for Sheila or Holly. They'll see what they can do to get books to you, because they're good at their jobs!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
I love those Pulitzer Prize winners!
I don't know about you, but I'm already planning my summer reading. For some reason, the warm weather makes me want to read more. I know...most people do lots of their reading in the winter when they have to stay inside more. But me...well, I just seem to love reading outside on my porch, in my favorite chair, with a big glass of cold iced tea, where every once in a while I can rest my eyes by looking at the tall green trees, the blue sky, and the puffy white clouds.
For this summer I plan to do my reading from the Pulitzer Prize winners list for the past ten years. I found just what I was looking for by checking out Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. Believe me, I have some good reading I'll be doing. Such as:
2000 - Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx, Waiting by Ha Jin.
2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, Blonde by Joyce Carol Oats, The Quick and the Dead by Joy Williams.
2002 - Empire Falls by Richard Russo, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead.
2003 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, Servants of the Map: Stories by Andrea Barrett, You Are Not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett.
2004 - The Known World by Edward P. Jones, American Woman by Susan Choi, Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins.
2005 - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, An Unfinished Season by Ward Just, War Trash by Ha Jin.
2006 - March by Geraldine Brooks, The Bright Forever by Lee Martin, The March by E. L. Doctorow.
2007 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy, After This by Alice McDermott, The Echo Maker by Richard Powers.
2008 - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, Shakespeare's Kitchen by Lore Segal, Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson.
2009 - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, All Souls by Christine Schutt, The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich.
2010 - Tinkers by Paul Harding, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin, Love in Infant Monkeys by Lydia Millet.
So! How about that list? Surely, there is a Pulitzer Prize winner there for everyone to read.
I noticed that Ha Jin is on that list twice. I've made Waiting one of my books to read. I think I'll put Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout on my list also. And since I've read several other books on the list, I'll just have to ponder over what my third book will be. It's really a toss up since I like Annie Proulx, Marianne Wiggins and Alice McDermott. Maybe I should read Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson, or The Echo Maker by Richard Powers, or American Woman by Susan Choi.
Gee! I didn't think it would be this hard to pick several Pulitzer Prize winners for my summer reading. Hopefully by June 1st, I'll have my list completed and will be starting on my first book.
I can hardly wait...comfortable chair on the front porch, big glass of cold iced tea, and a great read! Couldn't ask for much more than that...unless it's lots of time to read!
Join me! Pick a winner and READ.
(Source: Wikipedia, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
For this summer I plan to do my reading from the Pulitzer Prize winners list for the past ten years. I found just what I was looking for by checking out Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia. Believe me, I have some good reading I'll be doing. Such as:
2000 - Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx, Waiting by Ha Jin.
2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, Blonde by Joyce Carol Oats, The Quick and the Dead by Joy Williams.
2002 - Empire Falls by Richard Russo, The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, John Henry Days by Colson Whitehead.
2003 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, Servants of the Map: Stories by Andrea Barrett, You Are Not a Stranger Here by Adam Haslett.
2004 - The Known World by Edward P. Jones, American Woman by Susan Choi, Evidence of Things Unseen by Marianne Wiggins.
2005 - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, An Unfinished Season by Ward Just, War Trash by Ha Jin.
2006 - March by Geraldine Brooks, The Bright Forever by Lee Martin, The March by E. L. Doctorow.
2007 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy, After This by Alice McDermott, The Echo Maker by Richard Powers.
2008 - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, Shakespeare's Kitchen by Lore Segal, Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson.
2009 - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, All Souls by Christine Schutt, The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich.
2010 - Tinkers by Paul Harding, In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin, Love in Infant Monkeys by Lydia Millet.
So! How about that list? Surely, there is a Pulitzer Prize winner there for everyone to read.
I noticed that Ha Jin is on that list twice. I've made Waiting one of my books to read. I think I'll put Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout on my list also. And since I've read several other books on the list, I'll just have to ponder over what my third book will be. It's really a toss up since I like Annie Proulx, Marianne Wiggins and Alice McDermott. Maybe I should read Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson, or The Echo Maker by Richard Powers, or American Woman by Susan Choi.
Gee! I didn't think it would be this hard to pick several Pulitzer Prize winners for my summer reading. Hopefully by June 1st, I'll have my list completed and will be starting on my first book.
I can hardly wait...comfortable chair on the front porch, big glass of cold iced tea, and a great read! Couldn't ask for much more than that...unless it's lots of time to read!
Join me! Pick a winner and READ.
(Source: Wikipedia, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction)
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