Banned Book Week.......

September 25th marks the start of “Banned Book Week” In support of the right to choose books freely for ourselves, the ALA and The South Carolina State Library are sponsoring Banned Books Week September 25 - October 2, an annual celebration of our right to access books without censorship. This year's observance commemorates the most basic freedom in a democratic society-the freedom to read freely-and encourages us not to take this freedom for granted.

Since its inception in 1982, Banned Books Week has reminded us that while not every book is intended for every reader, each of us has the right to decide for ourselves what to read, listen to, or view. Many libraries will celebrate the freedom to read by participating in special events, exhibits, and read-outs that showcase books that have been banned or threatened.

Great new event!

The library, in partnership with the Lee County Chamber of Commerce, is planning a "Trunk a Treat" program for Saturday October 23, 2010 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Grammar School Park.

"What's a Trunk a Treat," you ask? Well, instead of handing out your candy at your house, you put your treats in the trunk of you car and the youngsters come around to get their candy.

You can also decorate your car....and we will be having a judging contest. Stay tuned for more information about this program. We are planning lots of activities that day. So, mark your calendar for October 23rd - we'll look for you!

Congratulations to the Lee County Chamber of Commerce for the great success of the Cotton Festival. A lot of time and effort went into putting on a weekend event and it all paid off.

Be sure to tell Pam Kelley and all the volunteers what a great job they did. They are already planning next years event!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Halloween!!!

Well, Halloween is fast approaching and the library has some special events planned. Halloween is Director Dawn Ellen's favorite holiday so make sure you come to the library to check out the decorations. We always have the most interesting decorations! We are also planning some special events to be held at The Annex. Keep your eye on this column and I will be letting you know event times and dates.

We are losing a friend...

We lost a friend
Originally uploaded by Lee County Public Library - SC

We are losing a friend today. Randy Burns reporter for the Sumter Daily Item is retiring today. Randy frequently filed his stories from the Library to save him time and relieve him from having to drive home.

We jokingly designated the conference room as "The Item Satellite Office."

Lee County has had it's share of discouraging news lately, but Randy always accentuated the positives about Lee County. he is a special friend to Lee County Library - his grandchildren and family always came to our programs and Randy always gave us great press coverage.

We will miss Randy's smiling face but we know he will be no stanger to us. We hope him great happiness in his retirement.

Summer Winding Down...............

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.

This fall we will be offering new programs for children and young adults. We will have a schedule put together soon and will post it on the web as well as publish it here!!

We also invite the adult community in Lee County to contact us regarding services we offer. We have talking books, large print books and many other services available to us via the South Carolina State Library. In addition, we have Wii Fit, an interactive exercise program. Wii Fit combines fun and fitness into one product. It can change how you exercise, how you balance, and even how you move. We invite adults to contact us to utilize these services.

If you see Librarian Brenda Brisbon around make it a point to thank her and congratulate her for a fabulous and successful 2010 Summer Reading Program. For eight weeks our summer readers had a selection of fun and worthwhile activities.

The final “wrap” party was held last Friday at the Annex. The readers ate pizza, played with the video games and received their certificates. It was a great afternoon for the youngsters and their parents. We thank everyone who participated in this year’s program for making it such a success.

In the near future we will be announcing our Fall Schedule of activities, so check the future columns.