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.

Thanks For Reading The Signs

The other day I saw Miss Norma, our Children's Librarian, standing with a little girl of about eight or nine in the long, white hallway between the main library and the genealogy library. They were pointing at and talking about the wall signs.
Later, when I saw Miss Norma again, I asked her about the little girl's interest in the signs. She said the little girl had come to her and asked if we were serving ice cream in the library.
Miss Norma told her no, but said if we were, she wanted some too! She asked the little girl what made her think we were serving ice cream, and the girl said it was on a sign in the hallway. She took Miss Norma to look at the sign.
The specific sign is one of the "Little Known Holidays" wall display. The sign says that July 20th, the third Sunday of July, was designated by President Reagan in 1984 as Ice Cream Day. The sign has a picture of a large cone of pink ice cream on it. So, the little girl thought we were serving ice cream.
Miss Norma said that's not the only time someone has thought we were serving food.
A little boy saw the sign on the main entrance door showing a frog eating a piece of pizza. The sign said, "No food or drink in the library," but the child thought we were serving pizza.
We're glad people are looking at our signs. Most people are reading them. But I guess we need to do a better job of getting our messages across.
Now, if we could just find a way to do that about the cell phones in the library!

Questions at the Circulation Desk and the Answers

• Why isn't the book here in the library when the computer says it's on the shelf? It might be shelved in the wrong place, it might be checked out and the scanner didn't read the bar code right, or someone may have walked out with it and forgot to check it out.
• Why can't my friend sit with me at the computer? Because it is disturbing to those around you and invades the privacy of those beside you.
• Why do I have to be 18 to get a library card on my own? You must be an adult and show financial responsibility if library items are lost or destroyed, or you must have a parent or guardian with you to check out items.
• Why can't I leave my child in the Children's Libary while I'm on the computer? Library staff members are not available to babysit children. Parents should always be with their children in public places for their child's safety.
• Do you have a fax machine? This is not a service provided by the library. However, the service is available at Harvey's Supermarket and the UPS Store. We're glad to provide directions to those locations.
• How many movies can we get? Only three at one time.
• Can you copy money, checks or ID in color? It is against the law to copy money, checks or personal ID, such as a driver's license or passport.
• Do you have materials for the deaf? The library in Bainbridge has material for the deaf and handicapped. However, our library provides literature about the service, which is available on the long counter located in front of the Fiction Section.
• Can we use the Interlibrary Loan Service for movies and audio books? These are not items available to our Interlibrary Loan. We can obtain only books at this time.

Although we are a public service to the community, we cannot provide everything that everyone would like. There are rules we must follow, just as there are rules our patrons must follow. The next time you have a question about what your library can do for you, please remember we do a lot more for you than we don't do. And we sure give it a good try to make you happy.

How About "Just Be Nice" As Our Library Motto?

Several of us were standing around talking the other day about the condition of the world in general and our space in particular. One staff member said, "If people would just be nice to others, it would make all the difference in the world." In other words, don't be offensive toward others...be kind...be nice.
And we listed some of the things we've noticed in our library that could be worked on:
* There should be no bare chests showing on the women. It's embarrassing to others.
* There should be no bare fannies showing on anyone due to low-rise pants. That's more embarrassing!
* There should be no talking on cell phones, no matter if you're at a computer or standing in the hall. That's invading the quiet many people expect at a library. And the rule is to take the cell phone into the foyer or outside the building to talk, or put the phone on vibrate and take the call later. (This is another blog all by itself!)
* No one should bother another person by talking loud, running in the halls, ignoring their children who holler and cry, or making a mess in the bathroom and not cleaning it up.
* Patrons should not keep books past a due date without renewing their time. Others may be waiting for the book that is past due.
* No one should write in a book, or leave it where it can be torn or spilled on.
* And no one should get upset when library staff ask them to: take their cell phone out of the library, not talk with others while at the computers, retrieve their crying child from the Children's Library, or pay a late fine for an overdue item.
There are more things we discussed, but you get the idea.
That's when the staff member said, "If people would just be nice to others, thoughtful and respectful of others, like they want to be treated, then the world would be a better place. And especially at our library."
"After all," she said, "do you know who this library belongs to? It belongs to all of us."
Well, we didn't say, "Amen!" but she was right.
We have rules to try to make the library a nice place for everyone. If all of us can remember to JUST BE NICE in the library, maybe it will slowly seep out into other public places, into the community, into everyone's daily lives.
Now, wouldn't that be nice?

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.

One Thing Leads To Another

It always amazes me how my brain works...like a train on a track, going from one station to another. That's what happened this morning as I was making a pot of coffee for our staff.
I looked down at my new shoes. They're blue. They're what's called Mary Janes; flat-soled, wide toes and a velcro strap.
When I looked at them, they made me remember how much my co-worker Ann and I seem to like the same shoes. So, I trotted to her office to show her my new Mary Janes. I just knew she'd like these shoes.
And she did! And liked the price (cheap) and where I got them (in town).
So, from sharing my new shoes with her, my brain rolled down the track until I wondered what kinds of books about shoes we have here at the library.
A quick look in the PINES System (you can find it on our website home page) gave me lots of books, but here's just a few:
***A History of Shoe Fashion by Eunice Wilson (646.4W) - this is a study of shoe design.
***My Shoe Book by Maida Silverman (EM) - a wonderful little 1987 Golden Book.
***Shoes by Elizabeth Winthrop (E811W) - a survey of the many kinds of shoes in the world concludes that the best of all are the perfect natural shoes that are your feet.
***The Make-It-Yourself Shoe Book by Christine Lewis Clark (646.4C) - tells you how.
***Sneakers From Start to Finish by Samuel G. Woods (J685.31W) - explains how sneakers are designed, cut, sewn, embroidered, assembled, inspected, laced, and boxed for shipping.
***Blue Shoes and Happiness by Alexander McCall Smith (F MCCALL) - the fiction, mystery series of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency that has enchanted all readers.
***No Shirt. No Shoes -- No Problem! by Jeff Foxworthy (B Foxworthy) - this is funny stuff by Foxworthy.
Well, needless to say, you can understand why my brain fascinates me. Doesn't matter what it starts thinking about, it will always lead me back to books, and from there I wonder what I can find in our library. I usually always find it right at my fingertips!

This Is Our One Year Anniversary!

I've been sitting here wondering what I will write about today. Sometimes nothing comes easy. Apparently, today is no
different.
I just pulled down my Blog Book to see if anything will inspire me. That's a book I've been keeping of all our blog writings.
On July 18, 2007, we began this blog. And tomorrow is July 18, 2008. We will be celebrating our one year anniversary
tomorrow!
As I look over some of the blogs, I'm amazed to see the variety of musings for the past year.
We've written about mysteries, the library's renovation, audio books, and jokes.
We've told you about our Amazing Black Book Bag, our director, books with crazy titles, and national holidays.
There have been blogs about the Technology Lunch Bunch, our Employees of the Month program, literary birthdays, and how to get library license plates. And there have been blogs about the ten commandments of library service, voting on Super Tuesday, our town of Moultrie, and National Library Week.
And there're all those blogs about our 100 year celebration!
Just imagine! One whole year of blog musings! And I was warned writing it might last only three months.
So.... As we begin our second year, I find myself sitting here wondering what I should write about today. Really stumps me!