The annual used book sale was a success this year with thousands of books sold. With the help of over sixty volunteers and more than one hundred book donors we raised $3800 for the library’s operating budget. We hope all the new book owners across the area are happy with their latest purchases and are planning to enjoy them throughout the long winter.
I’m pleased to announce the library’s new Afterschool Crafts Programs, put together by library board member, Jennifer Cockerham. So far we’ve had fantastic programs on quilting and watercolors. The programs are held on Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the Mountain View Room of the library. Upcoming programs include a Halloween Craft Party on October 30th, Origami taught by David Cockerham on November 6th, a Thanksgiving Craft Party on November 13th, Bracelet Beading with Tate Swecker of Mariah Boone on November 20th, and a Christmas Craft Party on December 18th. The programs are geared toward school-age kids and are free, with all materials provided.
The next Family Movie Night at the library will be on Friday, November 7 at 7:00 p.m. We’ll be showing “Nim’s Island” (Rated PG). The movie, popcorn, candy and drinks are all free. Bring the whole family; everyone is welcome.
On Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:00 p.m., Monterey author Will Vaus will be reading from and signing copies of his latest book “The Professor of Narnia, the C. S. Lewis Story.” The author will be sharing what caused him to write this intriguing book as well as some interesting tidbits about the creator of Narnia he has gleaned over the years. Books will be available for purchase at the event. Refreshments will be served and everyone is welcome.
On Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 10:30 a.m. “Curtie the Builder” will be reading stories to preschoolers and showing them the tools of the building trade. There will be activities and refreshments too. All preschoolers are welcome.
Library use continues to grow across the country and in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This library’s September circulation numbers, referring to how many items were checked out, increased 27% over the previous year. Computer use continues to rise also.
Check out our hottest new titles on the shelves this month. We have Nelson DeMille’s “The Gate House,” Margaret Truman’s “Murder Inside the Beltway,” Danielle Steel’s “A Good Woman,” Vince Flynn’s “Extreme Measures,” Iris Johansen’s “Dark Summer,” Gregory McGuire’s “A Lion Among Men,” Jonathan Kellerman’s “Bones,” Anita Shreve’s “Testimony,” Michael Connelly’s “The Brass Verdict,” John Le Carre’s “A Most Wanted Man,” and Christopher Paolini’s “Brisingr.” In non-fiction we have Bill O’Reilly’s “A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity,” William Least Heat-Moon’s “Roads to Quoz,” and Vicki Myron’s “Dewey, the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.”
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Classic cookbooks added today
Check out one of our new classic cookbooks:
Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child
The German Cookbook - Mimi Sheraton
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan
Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico - Rick Bayless
Other more recent titles:
The Best of Mexico: A Cookbook - Evie Righter
Complete Book of Indian Cooking - Suneeta Vaswani
The Everything Chinese Cookbook - Rhonda Laurent Parkinson
Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook - Beth Hensperger
Microwave Gourmet - Barbara Kafka
Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child
The German Cookbook - Mimi Sheraton
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan
Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico - Rick Bayless
Other more recent titles:
The Best of Mexico: A Cookbook - Evie Righter
Complete Book of Indian Cooking - Suneeta Vaswani
The Everything Chinese Cookbook - Rhonda Laurent Parkinson
Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook - Beth Hensperger
Microwave Gourmet - Barbara Kafka
Sunday, September 21, 2008
More budget cuts
At their September meeting the Highland County Board of Supervisors announced that county departments receiving state aid would have that aid cut by approximately 4% this fiscal year. This cut originated with the state and it was up to each locality how it would be applied. The options were an across-the-board cut to all departments, cuts made to some departments and not others, or the county could step in and cover the costs of the cut by writing a check from their reserves. Our supervisors chose the option suggested by Virginia's Department of Planning and Budget, which seemed most fair to all departments affected by the cuts. In our case it will be a loss of $708. This money will be cut directly from the library materials budget.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Longer Saturday hours to serve you!
We recently added to our Saturday hours. You can now stop by the library on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. That's three more hours to get your stuff done!
It's fundraising time!
September is when we send out our annual letter asking for donations for the library. Since we're a 501(c)3 non-profit we are more dependent on local donations than most other libraries. We raise local funds for our operating budget, not extras. It's vitally important that our community continues to support the library with contributions if we are to continue to provide the services that everyone has come to enjoy.
For those of you who didn't receive a letter, here's what we said:
Greetings,
Since this is Chris Scott’s second year as library board president, and he had already written one of these letters, he asked me if I’d like to write it this year. I jumped at the chance.
This year the library has faced challenges as budget cuts have hit us again and again.
We understand that the cuts are happening because of a larger problem with loss of revenue across the state. Difficult economic times are hitting everyone and we realize there is less discretionary income to go around. Gas and food come first. However, hard times are when libraries really prove their worth.
When economic times are tough people seek ways to cut expenses. Books and web sites that preach frugality and debt reduction nearly always publish lists of ways to economize. On almost every one of these lists you’ll find, “Use your public library.” Libraries can save the expense of buying books, renting DVDs, and paying for internet service. In your library you can search for a better job, find books to help you improve your current job skills, or plan to start your own business. Libraries offer programs for an educational and/or entertaining evening out. Libraries are a fun and exciting destination for families with children.
This library is here for you when you need it, and recently you’ve been making good use of it. Our Summer Reading Program for the children had the most registrants ever this year, 102.
We had more children than ever complete their reading logs and return them. We had the largest attendance for a library program ever (sixty-five) when The Wildlife Center of Virginia brought their snakes and box turtle for “Scales and Tails.” In the month of July we posted the highest number of items checked out ever (3405). In our 2007-2008 fiscal year, which ended June 30th, we had our highest number of items ever checked out in a year (28,429). That’s twelve items checked out for every person in Highland County.
So that the library may continue to serve you at the level you’ve come to expect, I ask that you please consider investing in your library with your donation. The library is one place where you can enjoy an immediate return on investment and you’ll be helping the larger community.
To quote an American Library Association saying which is posted in our library, “Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.”
Sincerely,
Tomi Herold
Library Director
If you'd like to make a donation our address is listed at the top of the right side information bar.
For those of you who didn't receive a letter, here's what we said:
Greetings,
Since this is Chris Scott’s second year as library board president, and he had already written one of these letters, he asked me if I’d like to write it this year. I jumped at the chance.
This year the library has faced challenges as budget cuts have hit us again and again.
We understand that the cuts are happening because of a larger problem with loss of revenue across the state. Difficult economic times are hitting everyone and we realize there is less discretionary income to go around. Gas and food come first. However, hard times are when libraries really prove their worth.
When economic times are tough people seek ways to cut expenses. Books and web sites that preach frugality and debt reduction nearly always publish lists of ways to economize. On almost every one of these lists you’ll find, “Use your public library.” Libraries can save the expense of buying books, renting DVDs, and paying for internet service. In your library you can search for a better job, find books to help you improve your current job skills, or plan to start your own business. Libraries offer programs for an educational and/or entertaining evening out. Libraries are a fun and exciting destination for families with children.
This library is here for you when you need it, and recently you’ve been making good use of it. Our Summer Reading Program for the children had the most registrants ever this year, 102.
We had more children than ever complete their reading logs and return them. We had the largest attendance for a library program ever (sixty-five) when The Wildlife Center of Virginia brought their snakes and box turtle for “Scales and Tails.” In the month of July we posted the highest number of items checked out ever (3405). In our 2007-2008 fiscal year, which ended June 30th, we had our highest number of items ever checked out in a year (28,429). That’s twelve items checked out for every person in Highland County.
So that the library may continue to serve you at the level you’ve come to expect, I ask that you please consider investing in your library with your donation. The library is one place where you can enjoy an immediate return on investment and you’ll be helping the larger community.
To quote an American Library Association saying which is posted in our library, “Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries.”
Sincerely,
Tomi Herold
Library Director
If you'd like to make a donation our address is listed at the top of the right side information bar.
Accepting book donations now!
Actually we accept them all year long. That's what our storage building is for! The book sale is coming up in less than a month so if you've been saving your books to bring at book sale time, the time is now!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Book Sale Volunteers Needed
The Annual Used Book Sale is coming up October 10-12, 2008. We need volunteers. It takes hundreds of man hours to put on this sale so we're asking for your help. What can you do?
1. Sorting before the sale. Help arrange books by subject. It's a loose system intended only to help people find the books that interest them.
2. Moving books. We need help moving the books from our storage building to the meeting room and tents. You'll have to be able to lift boxes up to 50 lbs.
3. Selling books during the sale weekend. It's a great opportunity to meet and assist fellow book lovers.
4. Taking down the sale. Helping move the leftover books off site, taking down the tents and cleaning up the aftermath.
If you can be of any help please contact us. The sign-up schedule is on the front desk in the library right now! 468-2373.
1. Sorting before the sale. Help arrange books by subject. It's a loose system intended only to help people find the books that interest them.
2. Moving books. We need help moving the books from our storage building to the meeting room and tents. You'll have to be able to lift boxes up to 50 lbs.
3. Selling books during the sale weekend. It's a great opportunity to meet and assist fellow book lovers.
4. Taking down the sale. Helping move the leftover books off site, taking down the tents and cleaning up the aftermath.
If you can be of any help please contact us. The sign-up schedule is on the front desk in the library right now! 468-2373.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Highland County Public Library E-Newsletter August 2008
As school begins again I’d like to focus on the achievements of the kids who participated in the library’s summer reading program. Over one-hundred children enrolled in our reading incentive program. Forty-five of those kids completed their voluntary reading and returned their reading logs for a prize. Attendance at our various activity programs reached 223 people. All of these numbers are record numbers and we’re thrilled that so many children chose to participate in our programs this year. There are many people who make the summer reading program possible, and I want to express my thanks to them. Many thanks to the kids who participated with such enthusiasm this summer, to the local merchants who contribute prizes, to the people who present the programs, to the library donors who make it possible for us to hire performers, and to the library volunteers and staff who run it all so smoothly. Not the least of all, I’m thankful to the parents who bring their children to the library and inspire them to read. I fully realize that few children arrive here under their own steam and it’s the parents who deserve praise and thanks.
In less than a month and a half the library will be putting on our Annual Used Book Sale, during the Hand and Harvest Festival. We’re accepting book donations right now. In fact, actually accept them all year long. We have a storage building on our property that was purchased with that purpose in mind. We’re also starting to cast our eyes about for possible volunteers to run the sale. It takes hundreds and hundreds of man hours to put on the sale and we never seem to have quite enough help. Please consider volunteering this year. Those that volunteer to sort and arrange books the week prior to the sale may purchase books early, once they’ve put in four hours of work. We need some people who can help us move books from the storage building to the sale area. This work requires some heavy lifting and this job is where we often run short of volunteers. We’ll need people to help sell the books, a fun job and great of anyone who likes to meet new people. If you’re interested in volunteering for our book sale contact the library at 468-2373 or stop by and talk to us.
I’ve recently expanded our collection of books on farming, to better reflect the importance of farming in our community. Some of our new titles include “Grass-Fed Cattle,” “Storey’s Guide to Raising Beef Cattle,” “Living With Sheep,” “How to Build Animal Housing,” “Barnyard in the Backyard,” and the Future Farmer’s of America’s guide on “How to Raise Cattle.” These books are useful for the large-scale farmer or the small farmer who is just beginning.
Great new books continue to arrive and we’re adding them to our shelves all the time. Come check out James Patterson’s “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X,” Daniel Silva’s “Moscow Rules,” Anne Rivers Siddon’s “Off Season,” Linda Barnes’s “Lie Down With the Devil,” Robin Cook’s “Foreign Body,” Mary Daheim’s “Vi Agra Falls,” Edna Buchanan’s “Legally Dead,” Barry Brunonia’s “The Lace Reader,” Faye Kellerman’s “Mercedes Coffin,” Harlan Coben’s “Fade Away,” and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s “Being Elizabeth.” In new non-fiction we have Tom Vanderbilt’s “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us),” Evan Wright’s “Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War,” and “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip – Confessions of a Cynical Waiter” by The Waiter.
In less than a month and a half the library will be putting on our Annual Used Book Sale, during the Hand and Harvest Festival. We’re accepting book donations right now. In fact, actually accept them all year long. We have a storage building on our property that was purchased with that purpose in mind. We’re also starting to cast our eyes about for possible volunteers to run the sale. It takes hundreds and hundreds of man hours to put on the sale and we never seem to have quite enough help. Please consider volunteering this year. Those that volunteer to sort and arrange books the week prior to the sale may purchase books early, once they’ve put in four hours of work. We need some people who can help us move books from the storage building to the sale area. This work requires some heavy lifting and this job is where we often run short of volunteers. We’ll need people to help sell the books, a fun job and great of anyone who likes to meet new people. If you’re interested in volunteering for our book sale contact the library at 468-2373 or stop by and talk to us.
I’ve recently expanded our collection of books on farming, to better reflect the importance of farming in our community. Some of our new titles include “Grass-Fed Cattle,” “Storey’s Guide to Raising Beef Cattle,” “Living With Sheep,” “How to Build Animal Housing,” “Barnyard in the Backyard,” and the Future Farmer’s of America’s guide on “How to Raise Cattle.” These books are useful for the large-scale farmer or the small farmer who is just beginning.
Great new books continue to arrive and we’re adding them to our shelves all the time. Come check out James Patterson’s “The Dangerous Days of Daniel X,” Daniel Silva’s “Moscow Rules,” Anne Rivers Siddon’s “Off Season,” Linda Barnes’s “Lie Down With the Devil,” Robin Cook’s “Foreign Body,” Mary Daheim’s “Vi Agra Falls,” Edna Buchanan’s “Legally Dead,” Barry Brunonia’s “The Lace Reader,” Faye Kellerman’s “Mercedes Coffin,” Harlan Coben’s “Fade Away,” and Barbara Taylor Bradford’s “Being Elizabeth.” In new non-fiction we have Tom Vanderbilt’s “Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us),” Evan Wright’s “Generation Kill: Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the New Face of American War,” and “Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip – Confessions of a Cynical Waiter” by The Waiter.
Friday, July 25, 2008
How much is your library worth to you?
Try out this calculator provided by the Maine State Library and find out.
Seven ways your library can help you during a bad economy
This list was produced for The Consumerist, a consumer advocacy blog, by a librarian who wanted to point out all the ways a library can help you save money when money is tight.
Read the rest at The Consumerist.
1. You can get pretty much any book at the library: A book habit can be expensive. Even second hand books can add up if you read a lot. Even the smallest library can access inter-library loan, Worldcat, OCLC and other library loan services to get you even the most obscure and out of print material.
Read the rest at The Consumerist.
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