Digitizing Newspapers!

Thinking Library!
Carole Stanger
March 6, 2010

New Books Upstairs @ the library!
Last Surgeon by Michael Palmer
Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke
Big Girl by Danielle Steel
Secret Whispers by V. C. Andrews
Silent Sea by Clive Cussler
Wild Zone by Joy Fielding
Game Over by Fern Michaels

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.

Preschool Story Times are for all 3,4, & 5 year olds and invited to either Wednesday or Thursday session from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. No registration is necessary. Care givers are welcome to attend and are required to participate!
Mar. 10/11: “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring!”
Mar. 17/18: “How Does Your Garden Grow?!”
Mar. 24/25: “Make a Splash!”
Bad Weather? Library Children’s programs will be cancelled if school is cancelled as well. If school is delayed, the library programs will be held as scheduled.


Did You Know… you can now use the self checkout stations both upstairs and downstairs if you are in a hurry?

Behind My Desk… There are lots and lots of trainings going on for the 2010 Census takers. The Atlantic Public Library is partnering with the Census office to supply a place for the training. I encourage everyone to fill out those forms when you receive them and send them back in. Those numbers can help libraries, too!

Just a little information for you: the Atlantic Public Library is in the middle of installing security cameras. When the project is finished, we will have cameras on both levels and on the outside, as well. It’s already helped to catch some “sticky fingers.” It’s called stealing, folks, and I don’t like it any better than most of you. I am hoping to have one of the outside cameras “live” on our webpage, so people can check out what’s going on at the library 24/7!

We’ve started another project, too! We are planning to digitize our past issues of the Atlantic newspapers. What this means is that we will transfer the microfilmed newspapers to CDs to be able to search on a computer. They start in the 1870’s and come all the way to the present. This is an expensive undertaking (approximately $24,000), so we have invited the Atlantic News Telegraph and the Cass County Genealogical Society to help partner the project. We are looking at grants and gifts as well. Our late library board member Luther Gillett was especially interesting in Atlantic history, so the Library Board has decided to name this project as a memorial to him. All contributions are welcome!

I just got back from spending a day in Des Moines talking to our legislators about library issues. This legislative session has been and will be historic, I think, in its reorganization of state government. It’s even hit the libraries and some very “hot” issues have given us some things to rethink and reorganize. By the way, don’t ever believe librarians are meek and mild! Passionate for what we believe in is a very apt description. Dealing with librarians who are upset over an issue near and dear to their hearts is an area some should think twice before attempting and may learn to regret.

Don’t forget that Daylight Savings Time begins on March 14! You have a week to prepare. It’s also time to change the batteries in you smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.

Spring is Coming…and Keep Thinking Libraries!