State Library Name Change

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

September 3, 2011

New Magazines for Parents/Teachers Downstairs @ the library!

Parenting Early Years—For parents with babies & toddlers

Parenting School Years—For parents with school-age children

Disney’s Family Fun—Fun ideas for spending quality family time

Yum: Food & Fun for Kids—Fun ideas for meals & activities with your family and child’s classroom

The Mailbox: The Idea Magazine for Teachers—Great ideas for preschool teachers, daycare providers, and parents with preschool-age children

Halloween is just around the corner, so stop in and check out these magazines! They have some wonderful ideas.

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

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board regular meeting Monday, Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Story Time Programs for 3, 4, & 5 year olds will start back up on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 7 & 8 from 10-11 a.m.
• Wednesday/Thursday, Sept. 21/22 --Preschool Story Times for 3-5 years old from 10-11 a.m.
• The Atlantic Public Library will be closed on Monday, September 5 in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
• Tuesday, Sept. 13 Anita Public Library, 12 noon-1 p.m. Library and Lunch—Driving to Clarinda’s Rosanne Bachman will be speaking! Bring your own lunch and join the discussion.

Did You Know…that if you know your library card number for the Atlantic Public Library, you can renew and reserve library items over the Internet? Stop by the checkout desk and ask about this free service!

Behind My Desk… Time to get back into the “Fall” routine. Boy, that summer went fast!

The library is trying to get some things taken care of before the winter weather sets in. We are working on replacing some of our exterior metal doors. Metal tends to corrode and then we start having problems with the doors, so this is a good step before they get too bad. After they get taken care of, we’ll be working upstairs to repair some of the water damage from roof problems. It’s always something.

I’m hoping it won’t be much longer, and we will be replacing our telephone system, too.

The State Library of Iowa is no more. It is now called Iowa Library Services. I know. I know. Why the heck did they do that? Remember I mentioned way back last year that changes were coming for the library community in Iowa? It happened at the end of July.

I have a secret pleasure in watching the DesMoines office deal with this little fact. About ten years ago the “Regional” library offices had to change their names to Library Service Areas. That was a pain. Addresses had to be changed, letterheads had to be changed, companies that they did business with had to be informed…the list goes on. The State Library sat in their state office building and smugly looked on. Now it’s their turn…and Surprise! It’s a pain!

The Library Service Areas are now districts of the Iowa Library Services…it’s all together as one agency under the Department of Education. Library Services does not mean just public libraries. It includes academic (college, university, and community colleges), special (law, medical, company), and school libraries, as well. Why did this all come about? Money. I’m hoping this will stop some of the squabbling and put everyone on the same page. With the economy the way it is, I doubt that it will help; but I can hope, can’t I?

Have a safe holiday weekend… and Keep Thinking Libraries!

Fall into Books!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

August 20, 2011

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Accident by Linwood Barclay

Back of Beyond by C. J. Box

Acceptable Loss by Anne Perry

6S by Kate White

Bye Bye Baby by Max Allan Collins

Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind

Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

Mice by Gordon Reece

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

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board regular meeting Monday, Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Story Time Programs for 3, 4, & 5 year olds will start back up on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 7 & 8 from 10-11 a.m.
• The Atlantic Public Library will be closed on Monday, September 5 in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Did You Know… that the Atlantic Public Library has WiFi 24/7? You can even pick it up in the parking lot after library hours!

Behind My Desk… First of all, I need to make a correction about the Anita Public Library’s “kick off” program for the All Cass County Reads Events. It will be on Tuesday, September 13 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Please note this.

Now, about a certain advertisement in our paper last week…Let me say first a tried and true saying: “You reap what you sow.” The bond issue in Carroll for the Carroll Public Library failed. It was a very high turnout. 78% of the voters marked NO on their ballot with 22% voting YES.

I could stop there, but I won’t. I’m going from my perspective as a library director. There is something to be said for community pride, but I would not have been happy to see something like that to promote a library issue. I have always felt that libraries were for everyone. All this did was to give off negative vibes and create hard feelings with neighboring communities. That one article may take years to recover from. (Some people may not care, but some will.)

I know that each community has its own “personality.” I also know that if you look for negative things in a community, you will find negative things-- Just as looking for positive things will find positive things.

The Pre-School Story Times will start back up in September with the theme: One World, Many Stories! Boys and girls ages 3 to 5 years are invited to attend either Wednesdays or Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. No need to pre-register, just show up! The 2011 dates are:

Sept. 7or 8

Sept. 21 or 22

Oct. 5 or 6

Oct. 19 or 20

Nov. 2 or 3

Nov. 16 or 17

Nov. 30 or Dec. 1

Dec. 14 or 15

Dec. 28 or 29

This theme is the same one that was used this summer, and I can see lots of possibilities for this fall and our pre-schoolers. By the way, these summer themes come from a consortium of librarians. They put together ideas for activities and programs and all sorts of clever things. More power to them!

It’s back to school… and Keep Thinking Libraries!

Get Ready for School!

Thinking Library!

Carole Stanger

August 6, 2011

New Books Upstairs @ the library!

Split Second by Catherine Coulter

Hotwire by Alex Kava

Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddens

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner

Silent Killer by Beverly Barton

Dick Francis’s Gamble by Felix Francis

Justice by Karen Robards

Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel

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

• Check out our website http://www.atlantic.lib.ia.us

• The Library Board regular meeting Monday, August 8, 5:30 p.m. upstairs

• Story Time Programs for 3, 4, & 5 year olds will start back up on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 7 & 8 from 10-11 a.m.

Did You Know… that there were 410 boys and girls registered for the Atlantic Summer Library Programs?

Behind My Desk… I mentioned in an earlier column that the Cass County Library Association is planning an “All Cass County Reads” set of programs starting this September. We have decided to read Driving to Clarinda by Rosanne Bachman. This will be our first year of trying something like this on a local level, so be patient with us! As of now, there will be five different programs dealing with this book. The first program will be a Library and Lunch Program at the Anita Public Library on Wednesday, Sept. 21 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. Roseanne will be the guest speaker that day! Extra copies of the book will be available at the host library the month prior and up to its event.

We know quite a few of you have already had a chance to read the book, so we are hoping for nice attendance at our events. Atlantic will have a program next spring in March. Griswold and Lewis will co-host the final program in May.

The Cass County Genealogical Society is sending out a request for Javelins for the following years to fill in their collection. They need 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2007 through 2011. Anyone wishing to donate a copy would be greatly appreciated.

The 2011 Summer Library Programs for Atlantic are officially done! What a summer! Thank you to all the parents and care-givers who brought their children to our programs and helped in any way.

I finished the State annual library report for this past fiscal year. There are ten sections to that thing, and every year “they” tweek it just a little bit. I did pretty well, though. It’s totally done online now. I still somehow manage to have my desk covered with paper! How does that happen????

Next week the State Fair starts. For those planning on going, have a great time and stay cool… and Keep Thinking Libraries!