A day at the Library........

There is a Greek word:  “Agora” which literally means “assembly’ or “gathering place” or “discussion place.”  If ever there was an appropriate word for the Lee County Library, agora is it.  This is especially true on Friday afternoons.  We have a rotating cast of characters who come in and the discussions are wide ranging and open.  As well as books, current events and top news stories are discussed.  All the debates are good natured and usually pretty funny.  Our Friday regulars really light and lighten up the day. 

Not long ago, a friend/patron returned a book and recommended it to me.  It was called “Still Life with Crows,” by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs.  I read it and loved it and recommended it to another friend/patron.  We all started recommending it and everyone loved it.  We are now having a run on Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs books that cannot be believed.  Once, we had an entire shelf of them and now at last count there were about three of them on the shelf.  Showing the power of word of mouth!!

These could be classified as mysteries, but they are way, way more.  The protagonist, Aloysius Penergast is an FBI agent with some really unusual abilities.  He also has a back story that is dribbled out with new twists in each book.  This is a book series but they can be read as standalone novels.  All the ones I have read are slightly eerie, maybe even scary, but they are definitely interesting.  This brings us back to the Lee County Library “agora.”  Last Friday there was a heated discussion on old Aloysius’ back story and each of us had something different to add.  We are ordering copies of the titles we don’t have from SCLends. 

The upstart of all of this is that the original friend/patron who recommended it to me came in Friday and couldn’t find any copies.  I think he was a little cranky!  But we all had a good laugh; since we are all reading the copies and the original recommender couldn’t find his.  

New and improved.........

Okay, Update on 'lil 'ol Lee County Library.

I am still working on the new website. Will be up and running soon! Meanwhile, some county citizens are organizing a community event calendar and I have linked it here on our blog. (Third link on the right.)

If your local organization would like to post an event please contact me at the e-mail listed.

The main purpose of this calendar is to help organizations plan their events so that they do not overlap.

Right now, we have a limited number of administrators. If your organization would like to name an individual as administrator; giving them the authority to post contact me, Don Mathis or Retta Tindal.

Will try to be more consistent in posting, but really, I want to get the website done!!

Strong Partnerships make strong communities......

Caption: Director Dawn Ellen and Librarian Brenda Brisbon examine the register tape from Dollar General 20106

Yikes, it has been awhile since your faithful blogger has posted. Between the 2012 Summer Reading Program, new programs here at the library and new partnerships in the community there has been plenty to write about. Of course, with all the new stuff happening at the library there comes a certain restraint to the time it takes to write about everything.

But, I digress.

The one thing that happened this week that I did want to note was the great partnership we have with the Dollar General store in Sumter. Gary Fredericks the manager of Dollar General store 20106 has always stepped up and helped the library with donations and close outs at the end of the seasons. This week however, he out did himself. When Librarian Brenda stopped by the store Gary was ready for her and by the time she was done, she had a cash register receipt measuring about 30 feet. The total bill? (Wait for it.....) $36.15. Yep, about a buck a foot. The summer seasonal things she got are going to fit right in with the 2013 Summer Reading Program theme: "Dig into Reading."

We wish to thank Gary and his staff for all their support.

Pork Chop Productions......

Last Thursday's production of "The Musicians of Bremen Town" was such a huge success that we have decided to asked these two talented actresses to return. Back by popular demand!!

The ladies will be staging "Sleeping Beauty" at the Bishopville Opera House on Thursday August 11th at 1:30PM. We can't wait!

Following are some snaps from last weeks production.

We thank our partners at the Lee County Arts Council and The Bishopville Opera House. The 2011 Lee County Summer Reading program is partially funded by a grant from the SC State Library and the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Summer Reading 2011.....

So far we have in excess of 150 youngsters signed up for the 2011 Summer Reading Program. This is a substantial increase over last year and we are thrilled to be offering such a diverse program. Thursday June 16th, we will be offering a production at the Opera House presented by Bright Star Productions. . This event is open to the entire community. African Folktales is a 45-minute production that brings to life the vastness of the African landscape and a variety of clever animals. Join Akili as she shares these exciting tales that were traditionally passed down by word of mouth. With imaginative costumes and lots of audience participation, this production also includes valuable character-education themes. Celebrate world cultures, literature and the art of interactive African storytelling with the newest show in the Bright Star repertoire. The “Library Ladies” hope the entire community will come and join us for this great show. Admission, of course, is free.

Never was so much...

Never was so much...
Originally uploaded by Phil Bradley

Wow, I LOVE this stuff. History, vintage posters and a message. It's all good @yourlibrary!!

Wow.......

I found this image at the British Library = too cool and timely!

**Attribution: Phil Bradley's Weblog

It's all true......

“Forget about that image of librarians as mousy bookworms. More and more of today’s librarians must be clever interrogators, helping the patron to reframe their question more usefully. Librarians then become high-tech information sleuths, helping patrons plumb the oceans of information available in books and digital records, often starting with a clever Google search but frequently going well beyond....."

Well, it's all true and here at the Lee County Library and we have FUN too!!


..Attributiom: quote from US News and World Report....

It's a steal......

Well, not really a steal. The Librarians are weeding out our Juvenile Fiction shelves and we will be selling our books for $1.00 a volume. If you have youngsters who are into chapter books, this is a great opportunity to increase their library without breaking you wallet.

Come down to the Library and check out the selection. There's always something going on @ your library!!

And the Winner Is.......

For the past three years the Lee County Library has won the statewide photo contest held each year during Library Week. For three years we have won the Best Overall, Most Humorous and gotten three honorable mentions. These contests are sponsored by the South Carolina State Library and all the county libraries compete. Our photos have been published in both state and national publications.

This year, during the South Carolina Library Association annual meeting in October we were awarded not one, but two Presidential Citations to honor these achievements. Because it is a statewide competition to win top honors for three years is quite an accomplishment. We were thrilled by the recognition and thank the SCLA for the honor.

“I was so surprised and shocked when they called me up the second time that I didn’t know what to say,” Director Dawn Ellen said, “I just sort of stammered ‘thank you’ and ran off the stage!”

We also thank our patrons who allow librarian Elizabeth the chance to take their picture. All of our photos are candid shots and with them we try to portray our library in it’s true light – as a community meeting place where curiosity is welcomed and encouraged.

Marketing your library 2.0.....

Since my primary occupation is to promote and market the Lee County Public Library "brand", I found the following an interesting marketing concept regarding social networking.....

Simple Social Media Truths

1. Everyone thinks they are a social media expert.
2. Everyone is not a social media expert.
3. Not every company should have social media initiatives.
4. We’re all still figuring this out.
5. Conversations are important, but not as important as some people will have you believe.
6. Traditional advertising isn’t dead and won’t be for a while, if ever.
7. Blogging is hard work.
8. Twitter will not make or break you.
9. Don’t always cave to the mob.
10. The barriers to action are now so low that it’s incredible easy to act without thinking it through.
11. If you speak your mind, you are going to piss someone off eventually.
12. There’s no excuse to not be listening to the conversations online.
13. If the words “unless we get caught” are part of your plan, quit now.
14. Purists, Pessimists, and Doomsayers are almost always wrong.
15. The wrong way to do things is always the easiest.
16. There is still a ton of potential in this space.

This was posted on "LibraryTrax" and attributed to Matt J. Macdonald of Charleston SC.

Annual Food 4 Fines Program.....

Make it a point to come to the library and participate in this worth while program.

Whoops

Well faithful blog heads - it's been quite awhile since I posted. "Whats up?" you may be asking. Well, boys and girls, your fellow blog head has had an extreme case of writers block or writers cramp. All that means is, sometimes overwhelmed with options, it is hard to choose what to write about.

We had such a great wrap up of our summer reading program that I had too many pictures, too many ideas and too much "stuff" that I couldn't choose or prioritize. Well, I cannot promise that the quality of writing will be great, but the flood gates have opened so be prepared. The next few posts will be coming at you pretty quickly!

Thanks for your patience, and keep reading - feedback is ALWAYS welcome.

Excitement at the Library!!!

We are getting ready to welcome Clifford the Big Red Dog next Wednesday, May 21st here at the library!

Check it out:


http://www.scetv.org/about_etv/pressroom/highlights/ETVsRoadShow10thEdition.cfm

Whoo - hooo free publicity......

Well blog buddies, the Lee County Library has gone national, international and now we are REGIONAL!!!! Mr. Mola Lenghi, reporter for News Channel 15. WPDE, came in today and taped a segment for the 6:00PM newscast here at our library. What a treat!! We were all sooo excited. Thanks to Mola for remembering us. We met him on Main Street doing another story awhile ago and brought (dragged) him in to the Library. He Promised he would do a feature on us and he DID! Thanks Mola.

Annual Contest is back...............

We are having our annual “Guess the Candy in the Jar” contest. Children under the age of 13 who check out three books become eligible to guess how many candy corns are in the jar. This is a very popular little contest we have and everyone loves it.

"Ask a Librarian" feature in process.....

How about having the ability to contact the Library from your home computer? Does that sound like a good idea? Well, we thought it did! In the near future we will be initiating the new “Ask a Librarian” feature to the website. Several of the larger libraries in the state have this feature as well as the State Library. I have used the State Library’s “Ask a Librarian” section several times and it really is easy, cool and very, very helpful. We are working our best to get our own section up and running shortly.

August at the Library

During the dog days of August the Librarians get a chance to regroup, rethink and reevaluate the programs and services offered at the Lee County Public Library. It’s going to be hard to achieve the success of the Summer Reading Program but we are pretty sure that we can.

So far, the “Food for Fines” program has been very well received. We will have a nice selection of non-perishable food items to donate to the food bank. This program is limited to the month of August. So take advantage of this opportunity and bring back our books! This offer does not apply to outstanding fines prior to August 1

Summer Reading Field Trip...to Pizza Hut!!

The Summer Reading group had a great time this morning as they met and went out to the Pizza Hut. The readers had a quick review of restaurant etiquette, then headed off to the kitchen. In the kitchen everyone washed their hands then, with the help of Derrick Hickman, they each made their own personal pan pizza. On the other end of the oven conveyor, Ms. Cindy Durant unpanned and cut the pizzas. The children were fascinated with the process.

Many thanks to Mr. Hickman, Ms Durant and Ms. Ruthie McLeod for all their assistance and good humor.

State Library Honchos visit the Lee County Library....

The Lee County Library hosted a lovely drop-in for the Lee County Council, Bishopville City Council and the members of the 10:00 Coffee Club this morning to meet and greet some guests from the South Carolina State Library. Mr. David Goble, Director of the South Carolina State Library and Dr. Curtis Rogers, Director of Library Services came to visit our new facility along with Felicia Vareen and Shae Tetterton. Their visit corresponded nicely with the one year anniversary of our move so we thought we would have a little party. Coffee and cake was served and a fine time was had by all.