27 November 2013

27 November 2013 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! May everyone have a great day with family and friends and join in the celebration in thanks for the bounty which we enjoy in this country. The Library will be closed on Thanksgiving day and we will also close early today so that staff may get home to family to prepare for tomorrow. We will resume regular hours on Friday. The Brown Bag Classics Club is reading the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the December meeting. While he is best know as the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels, he also wrote about Professor Challenger in his book, "The Lost World". While a fictional character, Sherlock Holmes gets mail from people to this day, asking for his assistance. The mail is delivered to 221B Baker St and is handled by the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. We are getting into the final week of our raffle to support the South County Community Pantry. Remember, for every new item you bring in you can put in an entry. So if you bring in a package with three tubes of toothpaste, that is considered one item. If you bring in three individual bottles of dish soap that is considered as three items as each item is priced as an individual item where the three pack of toothpaste is sold as three tubes. The raffle ends on Sunday, December 8, at 5:00 pm, (closing time of the library), and the drawing will be on Monday, December 9. The need is great and the response has been good. In this final week let the response be great. On Monday, December 2, come in and say hi to Andrea Smalley, our new reference/teen librarian. She is very excited to be coming on board here at Vicksburg and has a good background in reference and teen services. As the Christmas season begins, don't forget the library. A donation to the library can go toward meeting your charitable deductions on your Federal taxes. You can make a donation in memory of a loved one or designate the donation for the purchase in a specific area of library service, i.e. children's, audiobooks, technology, etc. As always, we encourage you to consult your tax preparer. Have a great Holiday and I will write again next week. John

Wednesday, 20 November 2013 Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching and the library will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. We will resume our normal hours on Friday. Our hours are: Monday-Thursday from 10 to 8:30; Friday and Saturday 10 to 5 and beginning the Sunday after Labor Day to the Sunday before Memorial Day, Sunday hours are 1 to 5. Only two weeks left in our South County Commmunity Raffle. Last Friday I took a box of toiletries down to South County and they were very glad to see the soaps and toothpaste. We have started collecting the next box and I will take the materials donated down to South County at the end of the Raffle. Remember to enter the raffle all you need to do is bring in some toiletries, handsoap, dishsoap, detergents, razors, or other personnal hygene or cleaning products to the library. For each item you get to put an entry slip into the drawing. The winner gets a basket with Two library mugs, a box of microwave popcorn, a box of hot cocoa mix, two family dvd's and a pocket day planner. There are families in this area that need your help, please enter this week. The Brown Bag Book Club is going well. In December, we are keeping the reading light with mystery. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is our author of the month, he is best know as the creator of Sherlock Holmes but he also wrote the Professor Challenger stories; the most famous being The Lost World. On the third Monday of the month, at noon, bring your lunch and your book to the library and share your reading experience of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Check out the Staff Favorite Reads on the shelf next to the reference desk across from the Reference Librarian's desk. Check out our display case in the lobby. The display this month are Holiday Barbies, some of them going back to the 1980's and 90's. They are very attactive and if you have young girls, I am sure that they will be enthralled with it. Until next week, keep safe. John

6 November 2013 The wet weather continues which makes watching a video and reading a good book great indoor activities. We have an extensive collection of movies at the Library, from classic and foreign films to new releases. The same can be said about our book collection; we have everything from classics to new releases. Remember the Raffle to Support Community Services Pantry. They are looking for toiletries like bar soap, razors, toothpaste, shampoo and such. When you bring one of these items in you get to put one entry for the prize basket. The book for the Brown Bag Classic Club are the works of Mark Twain. The club meets on the third Monday of the month at noon in the meeting room in the basement. Coffee and water are provided. We are doing a search for a new Reference/Teen librarian. Go to the link on our homepage for the qualifications and how to apply. Until we have a new Reference Librarian in place, all computer training and help classes are canceled. Those of you who are fans of Barbie, come into the library and view the collection of Barbies' from the 1980's into the 2000's. These are the theme Barbies that were issued mostly for Christmas. A reminder for everyone. We check out our videos for three days and the charge for an overdue video is $1.00 per day per item. Please look at the date due slip we put inside the jewel case when we check the video out to you. If you notice any damage to a book please mention it to the clerk when you bring it back so we can repair the book. If the book gets wet follow these steps. Place the book in a plastic bag. If you are coming to the library that day give it to the clerk, if it will be more than a day before you return it, put the book into the freezer before you return it. Coffee, cola or chocolate stains are not always repairable but we can usually salvage a book if it is only wet with water. We do not charge a patron for materials that we can repair only those items that are lost or damaged beyond repair. We can repair a wet book if it is still wet when we get it. Once the book dries we cannot repair it and, depending on the degree of damage, we will need to charge you for the book. Have a safe week and I will talk to you later. John