Just a reminder that the library will be closed this Saturday, December 24th, Sunday, December 25, and Monday, December 26th for the Christmas holiday!

OVERDRIVE update:  Kindle users are currently experiencing issues and we have learned that Amazon has determined it is an issue between Amazon and Overdrive.  They are working at correcting it!   I wish I had a magic wand to help them through this process, but alas, patience must be a virtue in this case.    THANK YOU for your patience and understanding!

The staff wishes all of you a safe and happy holiday!    ~~~ Miss Gayle

Our OVERDRIVE issue has been solved, and all should be able to connect once again!     Thanks for your patience and for letting us know things weren’t working!

Have a great weekend!

The Library will be closed this Thursday and Friday, November 24th and 25th.   The library staff wishes you a good Thanksgiving.  Enjoy your family time, friend time, and home time!

We’ll be open Saturday, waiting to help with your library needs and wants!   ~~Miss Gayle

Sugar Plum is just around the corner!    Don’t forget to stop into the library!   Guest readers will be reading their favorite holiday books, The Library Foundation and Library Friends group will be on to celebrate, along with beverages at the Kiwanis trailer, El Vallarta will be joining us again this year, as we are “Getting Ready To Move!”

A very special girl scout, Sammie Grabowski, will be collecting cake pan donations; The Blair Community Schools will have a table, and don’t forget to stop at our tree and see if something catches your eye – you can “adopt the library!”

Lots of good treats, crafts and FUN!   See you there!

Come visit the library and check out Metropolitan Community College’s  FAB LAB !    You’ll see a big trailer in the parking lot.  There’s also a 3D printer in the library to show you what things you can do!    Stop by and get an idea of the technology that will be available in the new library!   They’re here until 2 pm!

And since you’re here — come shop the book sale!!!!!!

Today we feature two books ….    Miss Connie’s favorite banned/challenged book is Charlotte’s Web … a classic …. why was it challenged?

n 2006, some parents in a Kansas school district decided that talking animals are blasphemous and unnatural; passages about the spider dying were also criticized as being “inappropriate subject matter for a children’s book.”

According to the parent group at the heart of the issue, ‘humans are the highest level of God’s creation and are the only creatures that can communicate vocally. Showing lower life forms with human abilities is sacrilegious and disrespectful to God.’

A junior high in Batley, West Yorkshire, England, which became the center of international attention in 2003 when the school’s Headteacher decreed that all books featuring pigs should be removed because it could potentially offend the school’s Muslim students and their parents.

Miss Celeste’s favorite is any and all of the Harry Potter books ….. why have they been challenged?

Harry Potter is now the most banned book in America, according to the American Library Association. It is undeniable that themes of death and resurrection abound in the stories, as well as detailed depictions of potions and other hocus pocus. But while there are Christians who decry the celebration of witchcraft, there are other Christians who consider Harry’s journey an edifying allegory for Jesus Christ. That is another problem with banning books: it obscures the diversity of viewpoints within its potential readership. Thankfully at least 450 million copies have been sold, so there is little danger that an eager reader will not be able to drudge up a copy.

The American Library Association sponsors Banned Book Week as a way to remind us all to celebrate our FREEDOM TO READ!   Libraries are all about Intellectual Freedom and against censorship.  It goes hand in hand with our belief in your privacy to read what you want.  Each day, and maybe twice a day, we will post on the website and our Facebook page our favorite banned books.  Some may surprise you.  Some may not.  We’ll also pass along some facts and trivia.  Be aware.  Everyone has the right to read and choose for themselves.  Read a banned book today and celebrate YOUR freedom to read!!!

Today’s favorite – Lord of The Flies by William Golding.   This is Miss Wendy’s personal favorite banned book.   The rest of the staff is fond of it as well.  🙂    If you haven’t read it, do.

Good Afternoon!

Summer reading is over, and children’s programming does not resume until after Labor Day.  Even better, the new building is “moving right along….” and that means it’s time for us to start preparing the collection for the new space!

You may have noticed we have been changing the dvds around.  Covers are now on the dvds, as are the barcodes.  Once we move, you will no longer have to use the browser window to check out a movie!!

The other change that is happening this week is the merging of large print with the regular print.  Throughout the interviews we have held with readers the last two years, no serious objections have been raised to this change.  The new building will have shorter shelving, and this allows us to keep book series together!  We hope that by changing things around now, we will all have time to get use to it so it won’t seem so new or strange in the new building.  All large print books are marked with a “large print” sticker and the staff can help retrieve books from the tall shelves until we move!

We’ll try not to spring too many things on you at one time!    Thanks for your patience and understanding while we get our move on!!  🙂   Any questions, feel free to ask!

~~ Miss Gayle