A tiny lady with tight, grey curls stopped me in the hall the other day. She reminded me of a little doll in her deep red silk shirt with the Mandarin collar. Her black tote bag was nearly as big as she was.
"Excuse me," she said as she reached for my arm. "Do you have any large print books in this library?"
Her little eyes looked like the eyes of Yoda from Star Wars...all full of wisdom.
"Why, yes, we do."
Before I could say more, she asked, "Could you show me where?"
I said I'd be happy to take her to the Large Print Section. So, with a slow shuffle she walked beside me all the way to the other end of the library -- past the circulation counter, the reading area and the fiction stacks. Our large print books are located at the far side of the Fiction Section and shelved against the front wall of the library.
The little lady was happy to see we have a nice size selection of large print books. She asked if she could sit down in the chair close by and just look at the books on the lower shelves.
When I pulled the chair up to her and said I hoped she would find what she was looking for, she smiled and said, "Oh, they aren't for me. They're for my sister. She's blind and she loves for me to read to her. But, you know, it's getting harder for me to see, even with my
glasses."
I pulled one of the low library stools close to her and sat down. I told her about the audio books the library has, something they both could enjoy without her having to read. And we talked about the services provided by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
Maybe it's something you need to know also for one of your loved ones. If they are not able to enjoy books or magazines because they can't see well enough to read conventional print or because a physical disability prevents them from handling the printed materials, they may wish to take advantage of a free service from the Library of Congress.
The NLS produces books and magazines, and even music, on cassettes and in Braille, maintains a collection of many books on recorded disc, and loans them to eligible readers in the United States and to eligible U.S. citizens living abroad. You can borrow these materials through a national network of state and local libraries. The books are sent to you and returned to the library by postage-free mail.
You or your loved one can select books from a national collection that includes many kinds of popular and interesting writings, such as bestsellers, classics, mysteries, children's books, etc. Many Braille books are available directly from Internet files. You can also subscribe to recorded and Braille magazines, choosing from more than 70 popular titles.
The books and magazines are recorded at slower than conventional speeds, so you need special playback equipment to use them. NLS loans you the machines for as long as you are using the recorded materials and repairs them as needed free of charge. You can also request accessories like headphones and levers to make it easier for you to use the switches. And if you're hearing impaired, you can borrow an amplifier.
Well, back to the little lady. She was from Thomasville, she had come to Moultrie with a friend who was attending a church meeting, and the friend had dropped her off at the library. She had her library card, but she was not familiar with our library. She had at least an hour to enjoy our facility.
I showed her the brochures we have and gave her two about Books for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. I told her she could call the Bainbridge Subregional Library for the NLS (229-248-2680 or 1-800-795-2680) and talk to them also. And I showed her an application for the free National Library Service in the back of one brochure.
"Well," she said,"I'm certainly all set up, thanks to you. But, I'll go ahead and pick a book or two to take home. My friend is coming back to Moultrie in two weeks, and I'm going to ask to come with her. She can drop me off at your library again. It's nice for a change. And I'll call the Bainbridge Library also."
She thanked me and asked if she'd see me during her next visit. I assured her I'd be delighted to see her again. I told her to just ask for the Bookworm. Someone would find me.
(Source: www.loc.gov/nls, Bainbridge Subregional Library, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped)
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
We Honor Them This Morning
Today is the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks on citizens of the United States. It is this day that we remember the victims of September 11th. However, this is not the only day we remember them. Many of us remember them every day of our lives. Some of us only have to look at the skyline of New York to remember. Some of us only have to look at the Pentagon to remember. And some of us only have to hear the name Pennsylvania to remember.
The number of people who died...2,975.
Ceremonies are being held around the country today to mark the anniversary. We are remembering our fellow men and women who died in these attacks.
Please honor them with a moment of silence and prayer.
The number of people who died...2,975.
Ceremonies are being held around the country today to mark the anniversary. We are remembering our fellow men and women who died in these attacks.
Please honor them with a moment of silence and prayer.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Children's Librarians Are Coming To Visit
It's always exciting to have visitors at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library. This Monday, September 15th, we will have some very special visitors. We will have a house full of children's
librarians.
The librarians are members of the Children's Services Quadrant, who meet several times a year to review and discuss the most up-to-date services they can provide the children of Georgia. Elaine Black is the head of Children's Services of Georgia.
Monday's meeting will involve approximately 40 people from Macon, Bainbridge, Valdosta, Camilla, Cairo, LaGrange, Columbus, and other cities around the state. The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Speaker Pat Carterette will present information about early literacy and WebJunction Georgia. Lunch will be served in the Willcoxon Auditorium and library tours will be given.
Norma McKellar, Moultrie's Children's Librarian, said Georgia was one of the first states to be cohesive in Children's Services. She said one of the first workshops was held in 1978 right here in our library. That was 30 years ago!
It's a great feeling to know that they're still meeting, trying to find bigger and better ways to serve the children of Georgia. They are our leaders with the World of Knowledge that can be found in reading and libraries. We are thankful they have this deep desire to teach our children.
And we say, "Welcome to Moultrie!"
librarians.
The librarians are members of the Children's Services Quadrant, who meet several times a year to review and discuss the most up-to-date services they can provide the children of Georgia. Elaine Black is the head of Children's Services of Georgia.
Monday's meeting will involve approximately 40 people from Macon, Bainbridge, Valdosta, Camilla, Cairo, LaGrange, Columbus, and other cities around the state. The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Speaker Pat Carterette will present information about early literacy and WebJunction Georgia. Lunch will be served in the Willcoxon Auditorium and library tours will be given.
Norma McKellar, Moultrie's Children's Librarian, said Georgia was one of the first states to be cohesive in Children's Services. She said one of the first workshops was held in 1978 right here in our library. That was 30 years ago!
It's a great feeling to know that they're still meeting, trying to find bigger and better ways to serve the children of Georgia. They are our leaders with the World of Knowledge that can be found in reading and libraries. We are thankful they have this deep desire to teach our children.
And we say, "Welcome to Moultrie!"
Monday, September 8, 2008
A Book In The Bag
One of my favorite television shows is Sunday Morning. It covers a wide range of interesting topics. This past Sunday, I especially enjoyed Andy Rooney's segment.
He talked about noticing that everyone now days is carrying a bag of some sort...large tote bag, back pack, huge purse, laptop case, etc. The segment showed people hurrying on city sidewalks, going through business store doors, riding subways or commuter trains, and everyone had some sort of big bag filled with all kinds of stuff.
But the thing that impressed me the most was when Andy Rooney said everyone...everyone they interviewed...had a book in their big bag. It was a book to read while they were either on a work break or while they were traveling. And all agreed they did not read their books during work hours. But it was impressive to me that people are still reading books even when the pollsters say "books are on the way out." Well, paper books, anyhow.
So! What with everyone carrying a huge bag of some sort and me working here at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, it just seemed natural that I should remind you of our book bag.
The Amazing Black Book Bag is 17-1/2 inches long and 12 inches deep with a 4-inch wide bottom. That's a generous size! It has two handles and a side pocket with "Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, Moultrie, Georgia" printed in gold on it. The entire bag is a canvas-like polyester and waterproof inside. And the best part is...
(ta-da!)...it's only $5.00!
Can you imagine what you can stuff in this bag? Not only books to read, but notebooks, your lunch and a bottle of water, pens and pencils and markers, maybe a magazine, your wallet and Blackberry and iPod and cell phone and on and on!!!
All you have to do is ask anyone at the circulation desk and they'll be glad to see you get as many as you want.
Be one of those people seen on the Sunday Morning show. Join the thousands of us who carry a big bag everywhere we go. Stuff a bunch of library books in that bag and show those pollsters that books made of paper are not on the way out!
He talked about noticing that everyone now days is carrying a bag of some sort...large tote bag, back pack, huge purse, laptop case, etc. The segment showed people hurrying on city sidewalks, going through business store doors, riding subways or commuter trains, and everyone had some sort of big bag filled with all kinds of stuff.
But the thing that impressed me the most was when Andy Rooney said everyone...everyone they interviewed...had a book in their big bag. It was a book to read while they were either on a work break or while they were traveling. And all agreed they did not read their books during work hours. But it was impressive to me that people are still reading books even when the pollsters say "books are on the way out." Well, paper books, anyhow.
So! What with everyone carrying a huge bag of some sort and me working here at the Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, it just seemed natural that I should remind you of our book bag.
The Amazing Black Book Bag is 17-1/2 inches long and 12 inches deep with a 4-inch wide bottom. That's a generous size! It has two handles and a side pocket with "Moultrie-Colquitt County Library, Moultrie, Georgia" printed in gold on it. The entire bag is a canvas-like polyester and waterproof inside. And the best part is...
(ta-da!)...it's only $5.00!
Can you imagine what you can stuff in this bag? Not only books to read, but notebooks, your lunch and a bottle of water, pens and pencils and markers, maybe a magazine, your wallet and Blackberry and iPod and cell phone and on and on!!!
All you have to do is ask anyone at the circulation desk and they'll be glad to see you get as many as you want.
Be one of those people seen on the Sunday Morning show. Join the thousands of us who carry a big bag everywhere we go. Stuff a bunch of library books in that bag and show those pollsters that books made of paper are not on the way out!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
She Said She Likes It When I Roam Around...
My friend in Thomasville said she reads the Bookworm Blog. She said she gets good information from it about our library, what to read, events we hold, etc.
But she said what she likes best is when I roam around and tell what's going on at the library on a particular day at a certain time. She said that doesn't necessarily mean she's nosy, but that it's interesting to read about what people do at the library. So, today, to please my friend, I took another little roam around the place at 2:45 p.m. and here's what I found.
I was surprised to find two young ladies sitting in the reading area, working on their laptops; one at a table and the other in a comfy chair next to the sofa. Laptopers are usually sitting in the reference section. You know we have wireless access to the Internet now. That means people can come in with their laptops and work in various areas of the library. Kinda cool, I think.
There was a boy of about ten working a giant puzzle in the Children's Library. His grandmother sat on one of the primary-colored couches, reading her book.
And a middle-aged man was sitting at a table near the magazine racks, reading a newspaper.
As I walked from the Children's Library toward the circulation counter, I saw four people in the nonfiction stacks, peering at books on the shelves. Then I noticed a woman using her laptop (which was plugged in) in the reference section. That's the area I like to use because it's really quiet, not many people, and just the right place to study.
As I walked past the circulation counter, I saw ten people working at the bank of Dell computers. That surprised me, because usually all twenty computers are busy.
There were four people being helped at the circulation counter, one person looking at books in the new fiction section, and two people walking toward me in the long, white hallway.
As I entered the foyer on my way to the Odom Genealogy Library, I saw a woman sitting on one of the three benches in the foyer, with another woman coming in the library door from outside.
In the Genealogy Library, three people were working in the workroom; a man and woman with heads bent toward each other as they poured over records, and a woman using one of the five public computers.
I thought that was a nice number of people to be in the library on a Wednesday afternoon around 2:45.
Now, yesterday was a different story, and I'm glad I didn't try to count the people in the library during the morning hours. The Willcoxon Auditorium was filled with homeschooled children and their teachers. The Melody Jenkins Conference room held the board meeting for retired teachers, and the back half of the public reading area was filled with members of the Magnolia Garden Club, who were holding their monthly meeting.
I can honestly say I've never seen a day when the library has not been busy.
My neighbor said her teenage son asked her one day when they were driving by, "Who still goes to the library?" Of course, he has Internet at home, and television, and games to keep him busy. Made me wonder how much he reads...like a good mystery or teen fiction or a book about sports. I wish I could have been there to invite him to come visit our library. On just any day! We always have gobs of stuff going on here. He might be amazed at what he would find.
You, too! Come visit us. The more, the merrier! This is an exciting place.
But she said what she likes best is when I roam around and tell what's going on at the library on a particular day at a certain time. She said that doesn't necessarily mean she's nosy, but that it's interesting to read about what people do at the library. So, today, to please my friend, I took another little roam around the place at 2:45 p.m. and here's what I found.
I was surprised to find two young ladies sitting in the reading area, working on their laptops; one at a table and the other in a comfy chair next to the sofa. Laptopers are usually sitting in the reference section. You know we have wireless access to the Internet now. That means people can come in with their laptops and work in various areas of the library. Kinda cool, I think.
There was a boy of about ten working a giant puzzle in the Children's Library. His grandmother sat on one of the primary-colored couches, reading her book.
And a middle-aged man was sitting at a table near the magazine racks, reading a newspaper.
As I walked from the Children's Library toward the circulation counter, I saw four people in the nonfiction stacks, peering at books on the shelves. Then I noticed a woman using her laptop (which was plugged in) in the reference section. That's the area I like to use because it's really quiet, not many people, and just the right place to study.
As I walked past the circulation counter, I saw ten people working at the bank of Dell computers. That surprised me, because usually all twenty computers are busy.
There were four people being helped at the circulation counter, one person looking at books in the new fiction section, and two people walking toward me in the long, white hallway.
As I entered the foyer on my way to the Odom Genealogy Library, I saw a woman sitting on one of the three benches in the foyer, with another woman coming in the library door from outside.
In the Genealogy Library, three people were working in the workroom; a man and woman with heads bent toward each other as they poured over records, and a woman using one of the five public computers.
I thought that was a nice number of people to be in the library on a Wednesday afternoon around 2:45.
Now, yesterday was a different story, and I'm glad I didn't try to count the people in the library during the morning hours. The Willcoxon Auditorium was filled with homeschooled children and their teachers. The Melody Jenkins Conference room held the board meeting for retired teachers, and the back half of the public reading area was filled with members of the Magnolia Garden Club, who were holding their monthly meeting.
I can honestly say I've never seen a day when the library has not been busy.
My neighbor said her teenage son asked her one day when they were driving by, "Who still goes to the library?" Of course, he has Internet at home, and television, and games to keep him busy. Made me wonder how much he reads...like a good mystery or teen fiction or a book about sports. I wish I could have been there to invite him to come visit our library. On just any day! We always have gobs of stuff going on here. He might be amazed at what he would find.
You, too! Come visit us. The more, the merrier! This is an exciting place.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
How To Feed The World With Words
When my son told me about this website, I didn't think at first that it would be appropriate for the library blog. But then, after talking about it with a friend, I had to agree it is a website about words, and our library is a building full of words. And our library is about learning. So, it made sense that telling you about this website could help you learn more about words.
But that's not only what this website is about. It's also about helping to feed the world. And that made it even more interesting to pass on to you.
It's called FreeRice. The website is http://www.freerice.com/ and it's a fun website. It helps feed the world and build your vocabulary at the same time. For every correct word you get, 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. One right word equals 20 grains; five right words equals 100 grains. Yesterday 92,963,720 grains of rice were donated. Over 42 billion grains have been donated to date.
FreeRice gives you a word and four meanings to choose from. And it also gives you a warning: This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance, etc. FreeRice has a custom database of over 12,000 words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are 60 levels in all, but it is rare (they say) for people to get above level 50. (Now, that's a challenge if I've ever heard one!)
You can hear the word pronounced also. Whenever you get a word wrong, it will be repeated a few turns later to give you another chance to learn it. And there are other subjects, such as math, science, geography, art history, other languages, and more.
The rice is paid for by sponsors, who have banners listed on the bottom of the FreeRice screen. The money generated by these banners is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for rice donated to hungry people.
It's a two-fold website: good for you and good for the world.
Check out the website and learn more about words, free rice, and the UN World Food Program.
(Source: FreeRice website)
But that's not only what this website is about. It's also about helping to feed the world. And that made it even more interesting to pass on to you.
It's called FreeRice. The website is http://www.freerice.com/ and it's a fun website. It helps feed the world and build your vocabulary at the same time. For every correct word you get, 20 grains of rice are donated to the United Nations World Food Program. One right word equals 20 grains; five right words equals 100 grains. Yesterday 92,963,720 grains of rice were donated. Over 42 billion grains have been donated to date.
FreeRice gives you a word and four meanings to choose from. And it also gives you a warning: This game may make you smarter. It may improve your speaking, writing, thinking, grades, job performance, etc. FreeRice has a custom database of over 12,000 words at varying degrees of difficulty. There are 60 levels in all, but it is rare (they say) for people to get above level 50. (Now, that's a challenge if I've ever heard one!)
You can hear the word pronounced also. Whenever you get a word wrong, it will be repeated a few turns later to give you another chance to learn it. And there are other subjects, such as math, science, geography, art history, other languages, and more.
The rice is paid for by sponsors, who have banners listed on the bottom of the FreeRice screen. The money generated by these banners is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for rice donated to hungry people.
It's a two-fold website: good for you and good for the world.
Check out the website and learn more about words, free rice, and the UN World Food Program.
(Source: FreeRice website)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
It's "Smart Card" Time Again!
Once again it is National Library Card Sign-Up Month. Every September is the designated month. This is the time when we want everyone who does not have a library card to get one. It's been determined that if you have a library card, you are among the two-thirds of Americans that carry the smartest card of all -- a library card.
To get your "free" library card, all you have to do is fill out an application, show that you are a resident of this county (bring your electric bill or phone bill) and you will have your card in just a couple of minutes.
Your card is free because public libraries today acquire the bulk of their funding from local property taxes. So, the local economy pays a major role in your library's budgetary success or failure. Local taxes help pay for your library card.
Maybe you think all you can do is check out books with your library card and you don't feel that is enough. Let me tell you, your library card is the key to opportunity! Come to the library and pick up one of our flyers that tells 52 ways you can use your library card, such as:
To get your "free" library card, all you have to do is fill out an application, show that you are a resident of this county (bring your electric bill or phone bill) and you will have your card in just a couple of minutes.
Your card is free because public libraries today acquire the bulk of their funding from local property taxes. So, the local economy pays a major role in your library's budgetary success or failure. Local taxes help pay for your library card.
Maybe you think all you can do is check out books with your library card and you don't feel that is enough. Let me tell you, your library card is the key to opportunity! Come to the library and pick up one of our flyers that tells 52 ways you can use your library card, such as:
- Ordering a book from the Inter-Library Loan Service,
- Using a computer to update your MySpace page, learn about candidates for office, or find a list of childcare centers in your area,
- Learning how to use a genealogy database or the PINES Online Catalog,
- Checking out a DVD or video,
- and, of course, checking out a new novel to read.
There are other things you can do in the library also. You can read a newspaper from another city, research your term paper or job opportunities, bring your children to story hour, hold a meeting in one of our meeting rooms, find out about your ancestors in the genealogy library, or use your laptop in our wireless library.
So, you see, you really need to come get a library card. Make sure every member in your family has one. Afterall, it's the key to their opportunities also. Sign-up for the "Smart Card" now!!!
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