6 July 2015 It has been awhile since I have written to my blog but it has been a busy time.-----First, we are almost at the halfway point in the Summer Reading Program. There is still plenty of time and lots of fun to be had.-----This Wednesday we have the robotics club coming in for demonstration. Phone the library at 649-1648 for the show times and to see if there are still openings. Due to the popularity of this show we are forced to restrict the number of attendees to 100. ---We have kicked off our renovation project. This project includes: A new roof for the library and new carpeting on the main floor. The front steps are going to be repaired and we will be replacing any furniture that is in bad repair. As far as technology, we are going to upgrade our phone system, upgrade the routers and junctions for the Internet replace all of the computers except for the ones at the circulation desk as they were replaced last year. We will also be adding to more computers for the adult area. We are also going to bring in a professional firm to help us reconfigure the floor plan for the library as the current configuration was done before libraries had computers for patron use. We are also going to replace two of the furnaces and upgrade some of the cabling and electrical wiring. The reason for such extensive work is because of age. The roof, carpet and furnaces are all nearing 30 years of age and they are at the end of their effective life times. The computers are running either Windows XP or Windows 7. There in no support or upgrades for Windows XP and so it is obsolete. Part of the reconfiguration of the library floor plan will include putting a catalog workstation in the adult area so that patrons can search our catalog without having to walk up to the front of the building. This project will run approximately $208,000. The library has set aside $60,000 and grants have been written to cover most of the other expenses. The thing to remember about grants is that they cannot be considered in the project budget until the check arrives. So we are asking our patrons to consider donations toward this project. If grants and local donations exceed the amount needed for the project, the excess of local donations will be deposited in the Vicksburg District Library Foundation. ------Our grounds keeper, Bill Brumley has retired and he has moved to a townhouse in Vicksburg. He was a pleasant addition to our staff and we will miss him greatly. Cheryl Lee, one of the Library Board members, is a Master Gardener and she is taking over the library landscaping as her project. -----This fall the library will be hosting an Osher Life-long Learning Institute (OLLI)class on writing. More details will be made public when the Fall class schedule comes out.-----I will keep you updated on the renovation project in future postings. Until next time, remember,"Outside of a dog a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it is too dark to read." Groucho Marx.