Camp Blount

Many may not know that there is a serious effort underway for the acquisition of the property in Fayetteville known as the Camp Blount site. I attended a meeting on behalf of the Library today to learn more about this effort and to find out what we can do to help. I learned much and am proud to say that the Public Library is behind this effort 100%.

One of my goals in becoming Director of the Library was to find ways to enhance the community's knowledge on local history. We are fortunate here in Lincoln County to have such a long and rich history and we need to do whatever is in our power to protect and conserve the remaining sites available to us. If/when this site is acquired it will be beautifully preserved and interpreted to reflect its importance not only during the War of 1812 but also the area's prehistory and later history. This will not only be an interpretive park area but will also be a site of significant archaeological importance.

So, in the coming months you can expect to find some displays in the Library pertaining to Camp Blount and 1812. You can also look for a speaker (or perhaps even a few speakers) during the Friends of the Library Speaker Series this season who will talk about the site and the efforts under way. As a historian, I am truly excited about the potential of this effort and we hope you will join us in our support of it. And, as always, we hope to see you at the Library!

Jillian Rael
Director

FLCPL visits Capitol for Library Legislative Day

This is an extended version of my weekly article in the Elk Valley Times, which will be out next Tuesday.

 

February 19 was Library Legislative Day in Tennessee, and the FLCPL was well represented for the first time in several years. Library board members, Margaret Nell Fowler and Vincent Kearns, myself as Director, and Jan Frazier of the Friends of the Library motored to Nashville to ensure that Lincoln County was part of the action. We met with Rep. Pat Marsh, who expressed a sincere concern for the state of public library funding. Many may not know that Tennessee is last among the 50 states in public library funding per capita and with the current threat of sequestration, I am concerned with the seemingly dismal future of such funding. Nonetheless, this was an opportunity to express our thanks for the state funding we do receive and to let our representatives know what we are up to here at our library. If you would like to voice your opinion on library funding or to tell our representatives why you feel our Library is important, the Library staff can help you acquire contact information for our state representatives.

The greatest concern for me as Library Director is that if state and federal funding is further cut the greater burden falls not only to local government but also the community. With funds stretched thin on the local level as well, the only way for a public library to survive is through the generosity of patrons and community members. Since I took over as Director I have been working continuously this past month to find ways to make the Library a community center and bring activities that both enrich our minds and entertain. It goes without saying that the Library budget is also stretched thin and if further cuts take place, we will have ONLY funds provided by local government and friends. Our pocket books are thin these days, but I hope we will find creative ways to allow our Library to not only endure but also grow. We have fantastic volunteers, but we need more! Most importantly, we need to ensure that children's programs are allowed to continue so that we can aid local schools in enhancing literacy and developing a love of reading in children at a young age. 

There are some new happenings here at the Library that I am so proud of which to speak. First, we have a new volunteer reader, Mary Fox, who will be reading to The Learning Center Daycare and Preschool on Wednesday mornings beginning February 20.  We need more volunteer readers to read on behalf of the Library at other places around town. Please contact me if you are interested.

Schools will soon receive information regarding an essay contest the library is hosting. There will be three age groups and the topic will be “My Public Library is Important to Me Because…” I want area youth to tell me why they believe Lincoln County needs a public library. Moreover, this exercise will enlighten me as to what area kids wish to see in their library. I also hope to open up a dialogue between the Library and local teachers so that I can find ways to better serve the community. Winners of the essay contest will receive an e-reader, and Library staff will aid in loading the READS program, and runners-up will receive a gift certificate to The Book Inn. We are truly excited to see what the kids come up with.

This year marks the 200^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice and the Library will be celebrating with events hosted in conjunction with the Carriage House Players opening of their play in April. We are still working out the details but we hope to have some events for kids that include some of the cast of characters in costume. As a serious P&P fan, I cannot express my excitement over these upcoming events, and we hope to see you at the Library!

Jillian Rael

Library Director

Harry Potter Turns 15!

On February 13, Scholastic announced that the Harry Potter series will be getting new covers to celebrate the 15th anniversary

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57569260/harry-potter-gets-new-book-covers-for-15th-anniversary/

Lewis & Clark rifle

This is an interesting video from the Firearms Museum, and really highlights a common issue in museums and libraries...people often overlook the most important things in a collection. It is an ongoing struggle to find new ways of presenting and highlighting items while also protecting them.

Happenings at the Library February 2013

Today we placed an order for a large number of new non-fiction titles for children and young adults. Everything from writing papers and speeches to living in Medieval Castles will be arriving soon! We also purchased a great deal of titles dealing with the Civil War, WWII and the American Revolution for young people.

The Director is also working to complete orders for the books thus far requested by patrons. So, in the coming weeks there will be lots to share!

Our new computers have arrived just today!!! It will take a while for them all to be up and running but all in good time. We are waiting for the last software licenses to come through and then the state techs will be here to set everything up for us.

Wednesday February 20th will be our first Story Hours and the topic will be Presidents. Story hours will be every Wednesday and topics vary tremendously. Ages 3-6 are at 10 AM and the Trailblazers will meet at 3:30 (ages 7-11).

March 1 is Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss's Birthday! We will be having a special celebration here at the library at 10 AM. Miss Sue will be reading Dr. Seuss stories and we will make crafts. The Iron Kettle Restaurant in Lynchburg will be donating Cat in the Hat edible hats for the kids. We are going to have lots of fun and hope you will come and join us!

We are planning some extra special events in April as well. More details to come but I will say that in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of the release of Pride and Prejudice and the opening of the Carriage House Players production, the Library will be teaming up with the cast to host some really fun events for kids of all ages (that means kids at heart too!).

FLCPL Announces Mother Daughter Book Club Selection

The Fayetteville-Lincoln County Public Library announces the selection for the Mother-Daughter Book Club for March 2013. The M-D Club will have its first meeting on Tuesday March 19 at 6 pm in the Library Workroom (second floor). Future selections will be decided at this initial meeting.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer

 

Life As We Knew It is a heart-capturing story about a teenager and her family whose lives are thrown into chaos. Miranda, about to be a senior in high school, has much going on in her life—aside from the moon-asteroid collision that will take place in the coming week. But once the asteroid hits, Miranda’s life as she knew it is gone, along with the rest of the world. Miranda and her family face new challenges, such as growing their own food, portioning out their resources, defending their home from marauders, overcoming family divisions, and working together despite their adversity. The book is written in the form of Miranda’s journal entries, giving the book a look into the emotional and personal struggles of the family. The book deals with many issues surrounding a global emergency, including: government, climate, food supply, and personal relationships. It also deals with the struggles surrounding an entirely new way of life such as family ties and boding, being trapped in a fixed space for an extended period, learning to do without, and having no contact with anyone but family for months at a time. Miranda and her siblings grow and mature quickly while also fighting to stay as they were before the catastrophe.

Susan Pfeffer draws in the audience with suspense, trials, conflicts, and shocks. The text captivates and holds the reader with Miranda’s emotions and thoughts. Every journal entry brings fresh understanding of just how tough it would be to grow into womanhood during tragedy and chaos. Miranda and her family come into their own by the end of the book, and even though the world is never the same, life goes on and the Earth, along with its inhabitants, adjust to its new beginning.

Review by Kelsi Murphy

Library Staff