Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Summer Library Fun!

Thinking Library!
Carole Stanger
May 30, 2009

New Books Upstairs @ the library!
Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
Razor Sharp by Fern Michaels
Mr and Miss Anonymous by Fern Michaels
Burn Out by Marcia Muller
Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
Age is Just a Number by Dara Torres
Venetian Judgment by David Stone

Coming Events @ the Library!
Library Hours!
Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Sundays—closed.
Friends of the Atlantic Public Library Book Sale will be held Friday, May 29 and May 30 in the Library meeting Room!
Summer Library Programs!!!!
***Reading Program Starts June 1 and runs through August 8.
K-3rd Readers Party is August 13.
4th-8th Readers Party is August 12.
***Sign Up for 6th-8th “Name That Tune Game Show: June 5-12. Limit 30 contestants!
***All Ages!!! June 9: 10:30-11:30 a.m. Blank Park Zoo LIVE! (Ages 4 and under must be with adult or older sibling.
***June 11: Reading Buddies Starts 1st-5th Grades, 11 a.m. to 12 noon.
Be sure to pick up a schedule of all the events at the downstairs checkout desk.

Did You Know… that this June will be the 12th anniversary for the library addition? The project managed to double the space to 13,000 square feet. We’ve had some changes such as new carpet for the upstairs and downstairs, roof issues, new computers more programs, and new collections; so we have continued to grow and progress. The library staff has had no easy task at trying to maintain good service to our patrons, but on the whole, I think they have done very well.

Behind My Desk… Well, school is about through. Here comes summer…ready or not! Because times are tough for a lot of families, I’m glad the library can offer a number of free programs for our youth. What a bargain! I know that there are lots of activities throughout Atlantic for all ages, but it’s nice to know the public library offers free entertainment.

I have one more month and then we start a new fiscal year. Here come those pesky statistics again! My mantra is “Excel is my friend.” When I think of all the information I can collect and then use to help with decisions, I am very grateful I have a little bit of knowledge on spreadsheets.

Thanks to all who helped in anyway with the Friends’ Book Sale.

I would also like to thank the various families of Atlantic citizens who have passed away this past year and have given the remaining subscriptions of the Atlantic News Telegraph to the library subscription. Thank you for your generous gift. We appreciate the extensions.

This fall I have been asked to speak at one of the sessions of the Iowa Library Association annual conference. It was nice to know that word got around that the Cass County Library Association is doing some good things in cooperation with one another. I will be giving a quick overview of our Family Reading Night project and our collaborations when working on our presentations to the County Board of Supervisors. The goal is to give ideas on how to cooperate among libraries in a close vicinity of each other. In this day and age cooperation is the name of the game.

Enjoy your summer, but…Keep Thinking Libraries!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Busy Library Days

Thinking Library!
Carole Stanger
May 16, 2009

New Books Upstairs @ the library!
Facebook for Dummies by Carolyn Abram
House of Cards by William Cohan
Lessons from San Quentin by Bill Dallas
Experimental Man by David E. Duncan
Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox
Don’t Look Twice by Andrew Gross
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Lost Boy by Brent W. Jeffs

Coming Events @ the Library!
Library Hours!
Monday – Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Sundays—closed.
May 20 and 21: One Stop Registration at Washington School Gym from 6-8 pm. (Sign up for public library summer reading, conservation camps, summer tennis, swim team, Red Cross swimming lessons, Guy Somers guitar lessons, and Prairie Fire Children’s Theatre!)
May 26: Library Tours for 1st Graders
The library will be closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day
Friends of the Atlantic Public Library Book Sale will be held Friday, May 29 and May 30 in the Library meeting Room!


Did You Know… one of the major fundraisers for the Friends of the Atlantic Public Library is the semi-annual Used Book Sale? It is coming up the end of this month. All donations of good or excellent condition books, tapes, cds, videos, etc are welcome. We would appreciate you waiting until the last week of May to bring in your donations. If you are interested in helping with the sale, you can give Tammy Wickman a call at 243-2777.

Behind My Desk… Doesn’t the new sidewalk on the east side of the library look great? I am hoping this will help with winter snow removal. Also, for some of us, the removal of the west curbing in the parking lot is a lot better. Many cars will be thankful for this change.

This week we added another Internet site to help people looking for new jobs, careers, colleges, etc. It’s called COIN Career Library. We have a link to it on our website. From what I can tell, this site is only available at the library, but it can help create a resume, consider other careers, practice for GED, ACT, SAT tests…just to name a few!

I am planning to add a page that will have other suggestions to help people in these times find work. The library has been busy with people trying to learn basic computer skills, looking for employment, and setting up resumes. When times get tough, the library becomes a vital source for people.

I was reading an article about the future of libraries. Of course, there will always be the ones who see no sense in supporting libraries. We are “antiquated,” “old fashioned,” “archaic,” and “on the verge of extinction.” My reply would be, “Phooey!”

I think there will always be the “haves” and the “have nots.” Somebody needs to care that everyone should have opportunities. Libraries level the differences. Will libraries continue to change and evolve? Most certainly. If we don’t, we will find ourselves extinct!

So…Keep Thinking Libraries!