Our Heroes

There is a group of people here in town that almost everyone knows. However, many people might not know they are library board members. They are the people that set the policies for the library system - the main library, the Doerun branch, and the Odom Library. They are the people responsible for overseeing the director for hiring and firing, submitting budgets, and general administration of the libraries. They oversee the investing of monies and spending of the endowment that runs the Odom Library. They are the people who request monies from the Board of Education, County Commissioners and State, and advocate on the State level for more funds.
These people come from all walks of life: business executives, insurance agents, homemakers, retired (and not retired) educators, a farmer, a mayor, and a pastor.
Library Director Melody S. Jenkins said: "As the economy fluctuates, the Trustees always have to be big advocates for the library. Some people feel you don't have to have a library, that it's not a necessity, but when the economy is low that's when library usage is at its height. People use it more to find jobs, learn about a new trade, take online classes or borrow books on ways to improve their lives, and they check out more movies and DVDs, etc."
That means the Trustees, who persevere in advocating for the library by finding funds and continuing to seek increases, are our heroes! They are the people who run the gauntlet to keep the libraries operating. They are the seekers of the funds. They help give life to our community libraries.
So, I'd like to tell you who these heroes are.
The Odom Genealogical Library Board Members are: Brooks Sheldon, Merle Baker, James Jeter, Jack Bridwell, Virginia Horkan, William McIntosh and Lauren Howell.
The Moultrie-Colquitt County Library Board Members are: Diane Stephens, Sharon Demott, Joanne Smith, Sharrod McCall, Jr., Terry R. Clark, Dr. Michael Helms, Alice Slocumb, Melinda Wright, Ed Willis, Jimmy Taylor and Jim Soos.
Doug Strange is the chairman for both Boards.
I hope if you see these people in town, you'll take a minute and tell them you're glad to know that they are the heroes for so many library patrons and staff members. We need to let them know we're glad they are the people who make sure our town continues to have these fine libraries: The Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, the Doerun Municipal Library, and the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogical Library.
Remember, they're your heroes too!

Do You Know About The Indian In The Cupboard?

I don't know how many of you know about this delightful little book, The Indian in the Cupboard, but our children's librarian, Miss Norma, has selected the book as her Children's Book Pick for February. Written in 1980 by British author Lynne Reid Banks, it is a Junior Read about a young boy, who discovers that when he locks a toy plastic Iroquois Indian in an old bathroom cupboard, the figure comes to life.
The boy, Omri, got the cupboard from his brother for his birthday. If used in conjunction with a key that had been his great-grandmother's and the plastic Indian from his friend Patrick, the combination brings the spirit of historical people forward in time, where they are imposed within plastic toys. The Indian turns out to be from the 19th century and is called Little Bear (although some renditions call him "Little Bull"). Patrick finds out about the cupboard and this leads to more trouble when he brings a cowboy, Boone, into the present. Between the Indian wounding the cowboy, the magical key getting lost, and Omri's brother's pet rat escaping, the story never ceases to excite the reader.
This was such a wonderful book that it was made into a movie in 1995 with the same title and starred Hal Scardino, Litefoot, Lindsay Crouse, David Keith and Rishi Bhat. The film marked the debut of Litefoot, a Cherokee rap music performer. The movie's running time is 96 minutes and rated PG. A DVD was released July 3, 2001. And it's such a famous story there is even a trivia game about it at www.kidsreads.com/funstuff/trivia/indian01.asp.
But there's more!!! In The Return of the Indian (1985), Omri discovers that any container can be made magic if locked with the leaden key. In this book he and his friend, Patrick, travel back in time contemporaneous with the Indian and the cowboy, where they discover Little Bear's village is in danger.
In The Secret of the Indian (1989), Omri and Patrick find a way to go back in time using a chest. Patrick ends up in the cowboy's time and must find a way to survive.
The Mystery of the Cupboard (1992) tells how Omri and Patrick learn the origin of the magic key and its history of time travel. And they learn about Jenny, Elsie, Bert, and numerous other historical plastic figures who have been moved in time, including Omri's "wicked" great-great aunt. In the end, Omri's father finds out about the "little people" and is let in on their adventures.
The final book is The Key to the Indian (1998), where Omri and his father have to help the Indian when his people are threatened with annihilation by American colonists; can twentieth-century British allies help them - or should they even try?
So, there you are!!! A wonderful book to read. In fact, several. And a movie. And a DVD.
You can find The Indian in the Cupboard in the children's library. Or you can find it and the other books by Lynne Reid Banks in the PINES catalog and place your order. They are great stories!!!

We Can Help You Save Money!

Yesterday when I clicked on my Yahoo! button, the home page had an item that caught my attention. An article told me how I could save $1,000 this year by using seven easy steps. Written by Margarette Burnette and provided by Bankrate.com, the article listed the library as one of those steps. Yep! The library!
On the list of seven items, #4 said: Check out materials from the library. And there were several good suggestions.
For instance, the next time you plan to buy or rent a favorite movie classic, instead borrow the video for free from the library. We even stock DVDs - movie classics and new titles - and CDs with generous borrowing periods. There are also children's videos of cartoons and educational subjects.
Just think, you could save $10 each time you visit the library, which would give you an annual savings of $120 or more per year, depending on how many items you borrow and how often you visit the library.
While you're there, check on the latest book releases. We post best-seller lists for your convenience and may have several copies of many books. By borrowing from the library, you won't have to buy that latest book you'd like to read. From the library, it's free!
And it's good to remember to return everything on time, because libraries charge late fees just like the rental stores do.
So, what does it take for you to save money by borrowing from the library? Just a library card! All you have to do is come to the circulation counter and ask for an application. And if you like to use a computer, be sure to ask for the computer application also. We have 20 nice Dell computers for public use.
We're just one of the seven easy steps that can help you save $1,000 this year!

We're Working Puzzles Together!

We've been having so much fun with the community puzzle!
At the first of the month, Miss Aileen put a large puzzle on a round table in the reading area. The 1,000-piece puzzle was a landscape of mountains, trees, Indians, horses and tepees. People visiting the library were encouraged to work on it. We all worked hard on it; staff members, mothers and their children, single people with a few minutes to help.
But it was really hard!!! So, we abandoned it in exchange for an easier one. And we had great fun with the second one! It was a picture of a small town fair with popcorn and food vendors, children running and playing, adults walking or sitting on benches along a winding path. There were buildings decked out with red, white and blue bunting, and a uniformed band playing in the gazebo.
For several days my coworker and I would take our breaks and work on the puzzle. I saw other staff members wander around the table, putting a piece in here or there. One Saturday, as I waited for my meeting to begin in the Willcoxon Auditorium, I worked the puzzle with a mother and her two daughters, ages 8 and 11. On another day, I saw my neighbor sitting at the table and joined her to work on the puzzle for a while.
And the puzzle went fast! In fact, so fast that this past Tuesday, Miss Aileen put a new puzzle on the table and sent the town-fair-one to the Doerun Branch for their enjoyment. They'd already finished one puzzle and were ready for the next. They're fast puzzlers over
there!
Now we have another new puzzle on our round table in the reading area. It has a birdhouse, four bright-colored birds and beautiful flowers. And people are already working on it.
This morning I saw my neighbor again. She says working the puzzles are addictive and she's really enjoying her time at the library. Anna and I talked for a while, then I left her to continue her fun.
You can be part of this puzzle fun also. Our big puzzle event will be held next Tuesday, January 29th, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Willcoxon Auditorium right here in the library. We're going to begin another 1,000-piece puzzle titled "Dragon Storm," and we will definitely need your help. Hopefully, it will be easier than the other one.
There will also be 200-piece puzzles for ages 10 through adult, as well as word searches and crossword puzzles. And puzzles for the little tykes will be available, too, including a floor puzzle that is 2 feet by 3 feet, called "The Policeman is on the Job." We'll have dominoes (regular and Dora, the Explorer), checkers and Scrabble for non-puzzle enthusiasts.
And we have more. . .we have books about puzzles that you can check out. You can see a sample of them when you come up the front steps of the main foyer. They're lined up on the top of the collection cases.
We hope you'll join us in our library endeavor of hosting an evening of community fun. Bring your family or come on your own. We're going to look for you!

The Power Of One Book

I was just sitting there, minding my own business, when the thought the power of one entered my head. Confused, I asked myself, "You mean the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle?" "No," was the answer, "the power of one. If you had the ability to give the power of one book to children, what would it be?"
Well, I knew what my answer was. But when I went to work this morning, I decided to ask several coworkers.
Miss Norma said she'd give them Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, a Newberry Honor Book that was made into an enchanting movie. It's about ten-year-old India Opal Buloni, who moves to Naomi, Florida, with her father, a preacher...and she's lonely. Her mother left when she was three, and her father won't talk about her mother at all. When Opal finds an unusually friendly dog at the Winn-Dixie supermarket, she adopts him and calls him Winn-Dixie. From that point on, her whole life changes. Soon she finds herself making more than a few unusual friends. And ultimately, she and her father realize that although they have had quite a bit of melancholy in their lives, they still have a whole lot to be thankful for. The Boston Sunday Globe said: "Books like this give us hope for the world, and a fine blueprint for surviving childhood."
A Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith is the power of one book that Miss Cray selected. The story is about Jamie, a special boy, whose exuberance and harmless prank ended in sudden tragedy. The boy who is narrating the story must find the strength to bear his grief and his guilty feeling that somehow he might have saved his friend. It is the story of an often ignored subject and a courageous young boy. The author is mother to five school-age children, four of her own and one for whom she and her husband are permanent guardians. The Smiths have also been parents to more than 22 foster children. Her experiences have given her exceptional insight into the problems of being young, as well as those of growing up.
When I asked Miss Edna about a power of one book, she grinned and said, "Little Red Riding Hood." Now, most everyone knows the story about the little girl wearing a red riding cape with a hood. She met a large wolf while on her way to visit her sick grandmother. The wolf, of course, turned the story into trouble. He gobbled up the grandmother and then pretended to be the grandmother when Little Red Riding Hood showed up. But, lo and behold, a woodsman with an axe rescued Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, and I won't tell the rest. I asked Miss Edna why she picked that particular book and she said, "Because the story shows that people can get through difficult circumstances." How true!
Another fairy-tale-like story was the selection by Miss Aileen. She said she would give The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper (a pseudonym by the publishing house Platt & Munk). That's the story of the little railroad engine that was asked to pull a long line of freight cars up a steep mountain, because two larger trains felt they could not. The little locomotive went up the steep grade with the encouraging words, "I think I can - I think I can." When it went down the other side, it congratulated itself by saying, "I thought I could - I thought I could." Miss Aileen said, "So much of what you do depends on how you think of yourself." Her power of one book is about bravery and determination, among many other things.
The last person I asked was Miss Johnnie. I was surprised to find out that she and I had picked the same book, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The story is a short morale tale about the relationship between a young boy and a tree in a forest. They become best friends, and the tree always provides the boy with what he wants: vines to swing from, shade to sit under, apples to eat, etc. In the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, the tree lets the boy cut her down so he can build a boat. The boy leaves the tree, now a stump. Many years later, when he is an old man, he returns and the tree says it has nothing left to give him. But the boy replies that he only needs a quiet place to sit and rest as he awaits death. And the tree happily obliges. That was our power of one book. A story about giving and giving and giving, but happily.
Now it's your turn to think about what book you'd select. There are so many to choose from. Give it some thought, then select your power of one book and let us know what it is. You can post your comment at the end of this blog.

Do You Know What "CCC" Stood For Way Back When?

Occasionally, Ann from the Odom Genealogy Library hands me something of interest for the blog. The other day she brought me information about the CCC.
Many of you will have no idea what CCC stands for or stood for way back in the late 30's and early 40's. It was the Civilian Conservation Corps, a work relief program for young men from unemployed families that was established March 19, 1933 by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of his New Deal legislation. The program was designed to combat poverty and unemployment caused by the Great Depression.
The CCC was limited to young men 18-25 years old who were unemployed. The average age of the enrollees was 18-19. There were two exceptions to the age limits: Veterans and Indians, who had special programs and their own camps. In 1937 Congress changed the age limit to 17-28 and dropped the requirements that enrollees be on relief.
The young men went to camps of about 200 men each for six-month periods where they were paid to do outdoor construction work. They built roads, picnic shelters, bathhouses, dams, bridges, and fences. They dug irrigation canals and fought forest fires. They learned trades and took education classes.
The men worked a 40-hour week and were paid $30 per month (roughly equivalent to $425 today) and were required to send $25 of their monthly pay home to families. The CCC provided two sets of clothes and plenty of food. The Army operated the camps. Discipline was maintained by threat of "dishonorable discharge." There were no reported revolts or strikes. Late afternoon and evening activities were sports and classes. Weekend bus service was provided (or their own trucks could take them) into town or they could attend dances and religious services in the camps.
The separate Indian Division was a major relief force for Native American reservations during the Depression.
The CCC became the most popular New Deal program among the general public. There were 4,000 camps in 48 states, as well as the Hawaii and Alaska territories, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
But the CCC lost its importance as the Depression ended about 1940. As unemployment fell, so did the need for the CCC. After the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1941, national attention shifted away from domestic issues in favor of the war effort. Rather than formally disbanning the CCC, the 77th U.S. Congress ceased funding it after 1942 fiscal year, causing it to end operations.
There are 34 North Georgia camp sites listed at the website Civilian Conservation Corps North Georgia Camps. Look at http://ngeorgia.com/feature/cccl.html for more information.
If any of your relatives served in the CCC, there are a number of resources available for researchers. The National Archives in Washington, DC, has extensive records on the CCC in its Record Group 35, including photographs, official correspondence, camp directories, inspection reports, and accident reports. You can also check the state archives where your relative served for additional records. And you can request copies of the enrollee's records from the Civilian Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.
To learn more about the CCC, go to the Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni website at http://www.cccalumni.org/. You'll also find information about the CCC Museum in St. Louis.

February's Spotlight On The Library Calendar

Something different happened to me yesterday. I zoomed around the corner on the way to the office and nearly ran into a small boy, who was standing in front of the library calendar, reading it.
The Spotlight on the Library calendar is in a lighted glass case on the wall just across from the restrooms. At the end of every month, a new calendar is put up with pictures and quotes of famous people, special events and holidays, the book pick of the month from the genealogy and children's librarians, story time and bookmobile calendars, and other items of interest.
The boy looked to be about 11 years old, cute with dark blond hair and brown eyes. He had his hands stuffed in his jean pockets while he stood reading the calendar.
"Got any good ideas about what we can put on the calendar?" I asked.
He shook his head no.
"Do you like the pictures of famous people?" I asked. "Do you know who they are? Well, that was dumb," I continued, "since it says under their pictures they are authors." We both laughed.
"What would you suggest we put on the board sometime?" I asked again.
He shrugged his small shoulders and his hands never left his jean pockets.
"How about toys?" I asked.
"Yeah, that'd be good," he answered.
"What kind of toys?" I was full of questions.
Thoughtfully he answered, "Old toys." Now, that really surprised me!
"What kind of old toys?"
"Like old cars." His eyes got a small sparkle in them.
"And trucks...like the old Tonka trucks...and trains?" He nodded.
"Why old toys?" I asked.
"Because they don't break like the new kinds do." Another surprise!
"What could we put up about old toys?"
Again he was thoughtful. "Like when they were made," he replied.
"And what they were made out of, and maybe where they were made? That sound all right?"
He nodded his head yes and smiled.
"What kind of toys do you play with? Any old ones?" I asked.
"No. I usually play video games."
"Oh," was all I could muster up to reply. But it was obvious he might like to have some old toys.
We stood for a while and looked at the board, then I said," Well, tell you what. I know we're going to have to put up valentines and things that are red for February. But I'll work in old toys, too. How's that sound?"
He grinned and said, "OK." He made nice eye contact.
I raised my eyebrows at him and smiled. "Thanks for your help," I said and turned to walk into the office.
Then I turned back around, looked at him and said, "By the way, what's your name?"
"A.J.," he said with another cute little smile.
So, thanks, A.J., for reading our Spotlight on the Library calendar and making us feel like what we're doing is worthwhile. And even better, thanks for the suggestion. The February calendar will be dedicated to you...and old toys, as well as those valentines.