Ready Set Library!

Celebrate with us!

National Library Week 2024 will be celebrated Sunday, April 7th through Saturday, April 13th. 

We'd love for you to stop in your local library. Every time you check out an item during the month of April you get entered into a drawing for a gift basket. Drawing held May 1.

We've got many services and items to check out that you may not even be aware of! Need any of these things? We've got them!

• photocopy
• scanned document
• fax
• notary public service
• magazines (print & digital)
  
• ebooks
• movies & TV series (DVD & streaming)
• music (CD & streaming)

Days of note during that week are:

Monday, April 8: Right to Read Day is a National Day of Action in support of the right to read. The State of America's Libraries Report is released, including Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2023. You'll be surprised to learn that some of your favorite books may have been banned recently or in the past. AND our Eclipse Viewing Parties!

Tuesday, April 9: National Library Workers Day, a day for everyone to recognize the valuable contributions made by library workers. Stop by and say thanks. We always try to provide the best service to our community.

Wednesday, April 10: National Library Outreach Day, a day the dedicated library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are. We're going to try to be out in the community today.

Thursday, April 11: Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates to urge members of Congress to protect the freedom to read.

Stop by your library in person, or digitally. You can find us on the web at Russell County Public Library and on social media at RussellCountyVALibrary on Facebook and @rcplva on Instagram.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

 

 

Strong Men & Women in Virginia History

Library Opens Exhibit... Celebrating Black History

Russell County Public Library hosts the Strong Men & Women in Virginia History exhibition in the Lebanon Library Cumbow Meeting Room through mid-March. Each year the Library of Virginia and Dominion Energy celebrate the contributions of African Americans to Virginia’s history and culture.  The exhibition includes Virginians from Roanoke to Norfolk and includes the 2023 honorees.

People of African descent have been a part of Virginia’s — and America’s — story since European colonization of the North American continent began. Yet the contributions of African Americans often have been ignored, obscured, or underappreciated by those who recorded history. The Library of Virginia and Dominion Energy honor distinguished Virginians, past and present, as Strong Men & Women in Virginia History for their important contributions to the state, the nation, or their professions. 

These men and women offer powerful examples of individuals who refused to be defined by their circumstances. Their biographies are a testament to the determination and perseverance displayed by extraordinary people during challenging times. These individuals demonstrate how African Americans have actively campaigned through education and advocacy for better lives for themselves and all Americans. 

This program, which combined Dominion’s Strong Men & Women: Excellence in Leadership series and the Library of Virginia’s African American Trailblazers in Virginia History, operates in Virginia only, and was inaugurated in January 2013.

With this program is an annual student contest where students and classes nominate Virginians to be honored. If their nominee is selected, the students and their schools receive an award. The public may also nominate Virginians; nominations are open for 2025. Click Strong Men & Women in Virginia History to make a nomination.

The public may view the exhibition through mid-March, anytime the Lebanon Library is open.

RCPL is Holiday Central!

Christmas books on display

Did you know that your local library is holiday central?

Want a new recipe to add to your annual holiday rotation? Check out our selection of cookbooks and cooking magazines. In addition to print, we have hundreds of digital titles available on Libby and Magzter. Listen to a holiday playlist from Freegal while you're in the kitchen to help set the festive mood.

Time to mix up your holiday decor? We have crafting and decorating books and magazines to inspire you. Bring that seasonal scrapbook paper hiding in a drawer and use the library's die-cut machine to make shapes to decorate your table or tree. Or, make a handmade present for a friend. You may still have time. Remember, there are twelve days of Christmas!

Your Russell County Public Library is the antidote to a commercial holiday. Grab a cozy holiday read - or a murder mystery set during the holidays - or a seasonal movie. From It's a Wonderful Life to Die Hard, we've got you covered. Hallmark Christmas movie addicts can get their fix with the Hallmark Movies Now BingePass on hoopla. Get seven days of unlimited access to all the feel-good movies you love.

You don't have to spend money to enjoy the holiday season. Attend a community event, like the Heart of Appalachia Community Orchestra's free concert, or wander through town looking at the lights and the trees. And stop by your local library. We're always here for you.

 

Honoring Veterans

During November, we celebrate Veteran's Day. It's a day that we honor those who served in times of war and peace in our armed forces. The Russell County Public Library Local History Collection contains a wealth of information about the men--and women--who served in the armed forces.

RCPL's Local History Collection

Some stories are sad: Robert Calvin Hawkins was killed during the Korean Conflict. We have a small digital collection of his papers donated by his family. It's poignant to read the exchange of letters from the War Department to the family, informing them when and how his body would be returned to them for burial--by train to Abingdon.

Others are amazing. Russell County native Giles Jessee Adams, the only son of John Robert Alva Adams and Maude Puckett Adams, was a naval veteran. He continued serving after World War II and was on USS Noa when astronaut John Glenn and his Friendship 7 capsule were pulled out of the Pacific in February 1962.

The Cumbow Meeting Room at the Lebanon Library houses a memorial to the Russell County service members who were killed in action during the 20th century. Did you know that the Lebanon Meeting Room had a name? It's named for William C. Cumbow, a WW II veteran and prisoner of war, who was chair of the Library Board of Trustees when the building was constructed.

Stop by and take a look at the memorial wall or the collection of books on military history. You can learn about how war is conducted by looking at the wall. Just don't stop by on Saturday, November 11. We're closed in honor of Veteran's Day.

However you honor or remember Veteran's Day, never forget: we owe our freedom to those who serve.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Historic Russell County Day

 

Join us to celebrate Russell County History! The Library of Virginia is coming to Russell County Public Library with their LVA On the Go van. They will offer short talks and workshops listed below. There will be children’s activities and a chance to record your stories about the RCPL or your family. Where was the library the first time you visited? Do you remember the bookmobile - and Marion, the bookmobile driver?

Come to explore research resources, discuss regional and family history with knowledgeable LVA staff, discover educational materials, and much more. The Sons of Confederate Veterans will be camping on the lawn for the day, so you can even take a trip back in time.

You can visit all three Russell County museums this Saturday. The Dante Coal Miners and Railroad Museum, the Old Courthouse at Dickensonville, and the Honaker Heritage Museum will be open on Saturday, October 21. Explore your history and heritage!

10:30 am  Genealogy 101
11:00 am   Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative
Noon         Digital Resources from the Library of Virginia
1:00 pm    Russell County in Maps

Historic maps of Russell County will be on display in the Lebanon Library Meeting Room in October. And if you stop by the Honaker or Lebanon Library this month, we’ll give you a question you can use to start writing your family history. By the end of the month, you’ll have several pages of your family history.

Learn more about the Library of Virginia’s 200th anniversary. And visit your Russell County Public Library in October when we celebrate our 64th birthday.