Welcome to the
Hall County
December
2007
In This Month’s Edition
What’s Hanging
in the Galleries
Web Picks: Cool Stuff on
the Web
The
Hall County Library System will be closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,
December 24-26 for the holidays.
The
library will also close at 5:30 pm on Monday, December 31st and
remain closed on January 1, 2008 for the New Year holiday.
Blackshear Place Book Sale
Working
on your holiday shopping? Be sure to
stop by the Blackshear Place Branch November 30-December 2 for a major book
sale featuring hundreds of used children’s books and other materials. The event will take place in the Blackshear
Place meeting room.
Book sale dates and times:
Friday, November 30 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, December 1 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday,
December 2 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Hall County Library System, a cooperating collection with the
Foundation Center of New York will once again offer Grant Writing 101-How to Get Started. This class is taught by Angel Randolph and is held in the Bill
& Melinda Gates Computer Lab at the Gainesville Branch from 10:30 am until
noon. There are three opportunities to
participate in 2008: February 14, June 12 and September 11. Click here to download a
registration form. One may also register
by asking for a form at the Gainesville Branch Information Desk. For more information please call
770-532-3311, ext. 114 or e-mail
Scrapbooking
Workshop
There
will be ongoing Scrapbooking Workshops once a month at the Blackshear Place
Branch. The next meeting is scheduled
for Monday, December 3rd from 5:30-7:30pm. Experienced scrapbooker Arneshia Echols will demonstrate
useful techniques and creative ideas to showcase family memories or create
clever pages for your memorabilia. Experienced scrappers and “newbies” are
welcome, but advanced registration is required. Beginners may purchase an
optional starter kit for $12, payable upon registration. Attendees are
encouraged to bring their own photos or clippings.
During a recent event, Representative James Mills was
gifted with a framed sketch of Stone Mountain to recognize his support of
libraries and historic preservation in Georgia. Presenting the portrait is Hall
County Library assistant director Lisa MacKinney.
What’s
Hanging in the Galleries
Carol Cutts will be featured
in the Gainesville Branch galleries from November 15 through December 15. Her
specialty is realistic watercolor.
There will be no computer classes in
December. Happy holidays!
The
next pajama storytimes will be held at 6:30
p.m. at the Gainesville Branch (with a special
guest reader) on December 3 and at the Blackshear Place Branch on December
11. Everyone is welcome. Children may wear their jammies and bring their
favorite bedtime buddy.
The
fall session of all storytimes ended in November. Winter session will begin the week
of January 7th. Storytimes are held at the
Jump Start Reading Club (for children who
cannot read on their own) and Reading Patch Club (for K-5 students
who can read on their own) are currently in session. There are new guidelines
for participation in Reading Patch Club so be sure to click on the link to
check them out. These programs end the day before the Memorial Day holiday in
May.
New titles for children and teens:
Just So
Thankful
by Mercer Mayer
Little
Critter thinks the rich boy next door is “so lucky” because he has so many
toys, a swimming pool, a fancy house, a huge t.v., and servants to clean up
after him and take him to school in a limousine, but H.H. thinks Little Critter
is the lucky one with his wonderful family and simple pleasures. (EFC)
Trout,
Trout, Trout (A Fish Chant) by April Pulley Sayre
Amusingly
illustrated chant using the names of a variety of freshwater fish found in
North America north of
Key
Lardo: A Chet Gecko Mystery by Bruce Hale
When
the new penguin at school turns out to be a private eye, Chet confronts not
only a devious sparrow but also his own jealousy. (JFC)
Water
Street
by Patricia Reilly Giff
In
the shadow of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, eighth-graders and new
neighbors Bird Mallon and Thomas Neary make some decisions about what they want
to do with their lives. (Large Print, JFC)
Temping
Fate
by Esther Friesner
Ilana
takes a summer temp job and works for the characters in Greek mythology which
makes her job very interesting. (YAF)
The
Stone Light
by Kai Meyer
While
Merle and the Flowing Queen travel to Hell to enlist Lord Light’s help in
New titles
in the adult area:
Stormy
Weather: A Novel
by Paulette Giles
The Stoddard women have only known an itinerant life following
their father Jack from town to town as he searches for work. After an unexpected accident, they must find
a way to survive alone in Depression-era East Texas.
The Last
Empress by
Anchee Min
This novel, sequel to Empress
Orchid, tells the story of the later years of Tsu His, Lady Yehonala, the
last leader of the Ch’ing Dynasty.
The
Museum of Dr. Moses: Tales of Mystery and Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates
“In this gripping new collection…Oates explores with unnerving
instinct the fraught relations between women and men, children and parents, and
strangers whose lives briefly but fatally intersect.”
Led to Believe by Billy Graham
Billy Graham has
touched the hearts and souls of millions with his message of faith through more
than fifty years of crusades, radio broadcasts and best-selling books. Led to Believe is a personal portrait of
one man’s purpose and his lasting impact on the world.
Snog: A
Puppy’s Guide to Love by Rachael Hale
Popular
animal photographer Rachel Hale features sixty original and captivating images
of puppies and their view of the world.
Donating a book to the library in honor or memory of a loved one
is a great way to show affection. Titles of suggested book donations are listed
on the library’s Amazon.com Wish List.
For the price of a book, anyone can help the library keep the most
current materials available. To view the list, see the library website and
follow the link to amazon.com. Book
donors may request that a commemorative plate be placed inside the front cover
of the book in recognition of a loved one or to honor a special occasion.
The Hall County Library System is a non-profit government agency and a
charitable 501(C) (3) organization; therefore, all donations are tax
deductible. The library is pleased to
announce that it has now received 200 plus books through this program.
Dear
Patron,
Motoko
Rich recently wrote an editorial for the New
York Times on a “Good Mystery: Why We Read.” He never answered his question
because no one really knows what makes a reader, not even Rich.
This
question pops up periodically this time of year because sales during the winter
holidays make or break most bookstores. Only book sales during the two summer
months when most people are vacationing come near rivaling those leading to the
winter solstice, or the time of year when all the major faiths are celebrating
and their believers giving.
I
know what I like when I read. I like an author’s characters. I am in the
library business and have met many an interesting individual over the last
thirty years. I handled Atocha gold before the discovery was ever announced. I
spoke to Ted Bundy before he was electrocuted. I enjoy James Lee Burke’s
mysteries since I recognize his people, and I have spoken to more than my share
of the type of human shells found stumbling through Cormac McCarthy’s
landscapes.
I
also read because I enjoy a good story. I have met many of the individuals that
peopled William Faulkner’s stories and have known my own “A Rose for Emily.”
Living in the South, Eudora Welty’s “The Ponder Heart” was not a stranger to me.
Archie Carr’s black beach could have been on some of the very sands I strolled during
my youth in Florida and - while I never had to wade into the water – I have
fought off alligators wanting to eat my dog just like the young Jack Rudloe in
the Florida Panhandle.
I
have no idea why I read but know what I like in what I read. Our library staff
shares with you in the monthly e-link what they are reading. The library also
maintains a blog on its web page for you to share what - or even why – you are
reading. It is as much fun discovering what people are reading as why. Why is a
question that will probably never be answered even if some of us know where the
blame for our habits lies. In his article for the Times, Rich informed us that Native
American Sherman Alexie (an author I read) blames his reading habits on the
children’s author Ezra Keats. I bet Alexie discovered Keats in his local public
library stacks when he was just a child which is just where I hope to discover
you with your family and friends next year.
I
hope you have an opportunity to settle into a good long read this holiday. Have a good one!
Adrian
Mixson
Library
Director
To get
more information on your library account, please call the library’s Circulation
Manager at 770-532-3311 ext. 110 or visit the library website and enter your account through the library's
catalog. You will need your library card and pin number, which may be
obtained by visiting any library branch. You may also email the Circulation
Manager for additional information.
Web Picks: Cool Stuff on the Web
Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an
Excavation-Attempts to make available the complete records of the
excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Holiday
Retail-Collection of news stories related to the
current winter holiday retail season. Topics include toys made in China, toy
safety, holiday price cuts, sales figures, and other retailer and consumer
actions.
The Story of Christmas Seals-History of Christmas
Seals, labels originally placed on mail during the holiday
season to raise funds for
tuberculosis and now benefiting lung disease programs. Discusses
the events leading up to the sale of the first Christmas Seals on December 7,
1907. From the American Lung Association.
Editors
For more information please call (770) 532-3311 ext. 134 or visit
our website at http://www.hallcountylibrary.org/
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