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Hall County Library System Newsletter

 

October 2007

 

In This Month’s Edition

News and Programs

What’s Hanging in the Galleries

Computer News

This Month in Youth Services

This Month in Adult Services

Donations to the Library

From the Director

Accessing Your Account

Web Picks: Cool Stuff on the Web

 

 

Library System Receives Repair Grant

The Hall County Library System has been notified by Georgia Public Library Service that it is to receive three grants for a total of $106,402 for the repair and renovation of buildings and equipment.

 

Dr. Lamar Veatch, State Librarian, contacted the entire state legislative delegation to thank them for their support and leadership in helping secure these funds.

 

“Besides the three grants,” said Adrian Mixson, library director, “Our delegation also managed to help secure another $20,000 through the Department of Community Affairs for repairs in our East Hall and Murrayville Libraries.”

 

The grant money will be used to update the aging elevators in the Gainesville library and repair the HVAC systems in the East Hall and Murrayville branch libraries.

 

“The Hall County Library Board would like to thank Representatives James Mills, Carl Rogers, Doug Collins, Tommy Benton, and Senator Lee Hawkins for representing the local library community during the last legislative session,” said Mixson, “It was a tough session but they still managed to look after their community.”

 

 

 

 

Foundation Center

The Hall County Library System, a cooperating collection with the Foundation Center of New York is once again offering 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.   The last class for 2007 will be November 15, from 10:30-12:30. 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 Leslie James at ljames@hallcountlylibrary.org.

 

 

Glowing Mask Workshop

The Gainesville Branch is sponsoring a “Funtastic Glowing Mask” workshop.  Participants will create a Renaissance-style Face Mask that glows in the dark.  Artist Elis Wilson will demonstrate and assist participants on Saturday, October 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  The cost is $15.00 per child with parent and pre-registration is required.  Reserve a place by calling 770-532-3311 x 116 and asking for Jeannie Crawford.

 

 

Scrapbooking Workshop

There will be ongoing Scrapbooking Workshops once a month at the Blackshear Place Branch.  The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 8th from 5:00-7:30pm.  This workshop will feature great ideas for creating 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.

 

In addition to the once a month workshops there will also be an all day workshop on October 13th from 10:00 am-4:30 pm. The cost is $20 and includes, lunch, snack, door prize and starter kit.  Please call the Blackshear Place Branch at 770-532-3311 ext. 151 for more information or click here and follow the links. 

 

 

Card Making Workshop

There will be a card making workshop at Blackshear Place Branch of the Hall County Library System on Saturday, November 17 from 10 am-4:30 pm.  The cost for this workshop is $25 and includes materials to make 20 greeting cards, lunch, and snack.  Pre registration is required.  Please call the Blackshear Place Branch at 770-532-3311 ext. 151 for more information or click here and follow the links. 

 

 

What’s Hanging in the Galleries

During October, the Blackshear Place Branch will be featuring West Virginia Blenko Glass.

 

 

 

Computer News

The library system offers free computer classes including Introduction to Email, Introduction to the Internet, Advanced Email, Introduction to MS PowerPoint, Word Processing Basics and Introduction to MS Publisher.  Classes are taught by trained library staff and are free to the public. Classes will be held in the computer training labs at the Blackshear Place Branch.  For class details and times, click here or contact the library at 770-532-3311.

 

 

This Month in Youth Services

                                                                                           

The next pajama storytimes will be held at 6:30 pm on October 1 at the Gainesville Branch and on October 9 at the Blackshear Place Branch. Everyone is welcome. Children may wear their jammies and bring their favorite bedtime buddy. The guest reader for October at the Gainesville Branch is Myrtle Figueras, Mayor Pro-Tem of Gainesville.

 

Preschool storytimes and lapsits begin the week of October 8 at the Gainesville, Blackshear Place, and Murrayville branches. Pick up a schedule in any branch and check for details by clicking on the link above or by visiting the library website.

 

Reading Patch Club for independent readers in elementary school and Jump Start Reading Club for children who cannot read on their own are now in session. Ask to register at any library branch. The clubs will end the day before the Memorial Day holiday in May.

 

For more information about any of the library’s family programming, call 770-532-3311, ext. 129.

 

New titles for children and teens:

Siesta by Ginger Foglesong Guy

A bilingual story of a brother and sister who go through the house with their teddy bear gathering items they will need for their siesta in the back yard--but there are so many things to gather and so much to be done! (Spanish EFC)

Angel Coming by Heather Henson

A family makes preparations, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the angel who will come up the mountain bringing a new baby. (EFC)

Hoot (video)

When the new kid in town discovers that a local population of burrowing owls are about to have their home destroyed, he teams up with the resident outcast and the school’s offbeat tomboy to take on the town to save the endangered owls. (based on the book by Carl Hiaasen) (J VIDEO)

Nanny McPhee (video)

A mysterious woman with special powers enters the household of the recently widowed Mr. Brown and attempts to tame his seven very naughty children. (based on the Nurse Matilda series by Christianna Brand) (J VIDEO)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Just before their 16th birthdays, when they will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally’s best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all. (YAF)

Breath by Donna Jo Napoli

Elaborates on the tale of “The Pied Piper,” told from the point of view of a boy who is too ill to keep up when a piper spirits away the healthy children of a plague-ridden town after being cheated out of full payment for ridding Hameln of rats. (YAF)

                                   

This Month in Adult Services

 

New titles in the adult area:

Dead Heat by Dick Francis and Felix Francis

MWA Dick Francis and his son Felix introduce a new hero, chef Max Moreton.

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

“Third-string Cleveland Browns quarterback Rick Dockery becomes the greatest goat ever by throwing three interceptions in the closing minutes of the AFC championship game. Fleeing vengeful fans, he finds refuge in the grungiest corner of professional football, the Italian National Football League as quarterback of the inept but full-of-heart Parma Panthers.”

Stalin’s Ghost by Martin Cruz Smith

“Moscow-based Senior Investigator Arkady Renko…investigates a murder-for-hire scheme that leads him to suspect two fellow police detectives….”

Once Upon a Quinceañeara: Coming of Age in the USA by Julia Alvarez

            A fascinating and illuminating exploration of the Latina “sweet fifteen.”

I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny by Vivian Cash

            An intimate and powerful memoir of Johnny Cash’s first wife, featuring a never-before-seen archive of family photos and Johnny’s revealing love letters.

Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer’s by Lauren Kessler

            Accomplished journalist Lauren Kessler lost her mother to Alzheimer’s, a disease that afflicts four and a half million people a year.  In order to better understand the disease and its effects on family members, Kessler takes a low wage job as an aide in an Alzheimer’s facility.  This is her compassionate account as a caregiver.

           

           

Artists’ Book Club

The Artists’ Book Club will meet at the Gainesville branch on Tuesday, October 2nd from 6 – 7:30pm.  

 

 

Donate a Book for a Loved One

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.

 

 

From the Director

 

Dear Patron,

 

Crime is popular. We just cannot seem to buy enough true crime to wet some of our readers’ appetites and the mystery is our most popular genre.  I confess to waiting for the next James Lee Burke novel and will stop what I am reading for the latest Randy Wayne White release. Cops and robbers also seem to be daily fair on our television networks and every year the big screen has one or two movies that receive critical accolades. Jodie Foster’s new release The Brave One is the most recent example. I have no idea why so many of us are fascinated by killers but the Nancy Graces of television only popularize what a good newspaper man has always known  and that is crime sells.

 

Serial killers are always popular fare for the crime hound. HBO’s Dexter is a new television series based on the novels by a Florida writer, Jeffrey Lindsay. Dexter is a killer that preys only on other serial killers. It is his way to deal with the brutal death of his mother. He collects blood samples as his trophies.  Dexter even has an evil brother who is a regular run of the mill serial killer out to turn Dexter.

 

Jeffrey Lindsay is not the only writer to focus on the serial killer. Faye Kellerman, Jefferson Parker, Ian Rankin, James Patterson and Thomas Harris are just a few who have probed into what makes one kill. I recently checked and discovered that the library system owns over 90 books that explore this dark side of man.  

 

I remember when reading Willie Morris’ North Toward Home being struck by the mention of several of his schoolmates in Yazoo, Mississippi who killed one or more of their parents. If I recall correctly this was back in the 1930’s before Morris boarded the bus for the big city. I was struck at the time with the notion that not much has changed. We never know when a friend or neighbor might act in a way we would least expect, but it never seems to cause us to lose faith in our fellow man. Most of us still trust appearances unless given cause.

 

Libraries are like malls. They are brightly lit, pleasant places that teem with cheerful people. They invite us to come in to enjoy what there is to offer. Like in malls there is no indication what is going on in the mind of the person walking an aisle or sharing a table or striking up a conversation with you. He could be just as pleasant and affable as Lindsay’s Dexter.

 

I guess what I am getting around to telling you is that we probably had a Dexter recently walk our downtown. He may have visited a couple of our parks, roamed some of our neighborhoods at night, and shopped in some of our stores. Some of you even passed him on the street. I know he walked the Gainesville Square for he was a regular in the library. Several weeks ago you read about him in the paper. He was the transient who killed one of our patrons. She was new to Gainesville, homeless and staying in one of our shelters. Library staff has since learned this might not have been his first victim. Fortunately the crime occurred miles from the library but it made some on our staff think about their encounters with him and left a few jittery and overly cautious in their transactions with some of their more difficult patrons, as it should.

 

My intention is not to keep you from enjoying the library but to suggest you use it wisely like you should your park or mall. You can never judge a person by his cover and even after you turn a few pages, you will still never know what goes on inside.

 

I hope to catch you in the stacks reading but make it safe by being aware of your surroundings, and if you bring a child try to be with him.

 

Adrian Mixson

Library Director

 

Your Account

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

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Collection of material for teachers and students in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Features an interactive map showing Hispanic history in the Americas.

The War: A Ken Burns Film Website for the 2007 Ken Burns series that tells "the story of the Second World War through personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four American towns” which include Mobile, Alabama; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; and Luverne, Minnesota.

Mattel: Voluntary Safety Recall Facts

Information about the 2007 recalls of toys manufactured by Mattel and Fisher-Price because of lead paint hazards. Includes product names, numbers, and photos for recalled items.

 

 

Editors Leslie James and Lisa MacKinney

For more information please call (770) 532-3311 ext. 134 or visit our website at http://www.hallcountylibrary.org/

 

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