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.

 

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.

 

How Satisfied are You with Your Library?

Russell County Public Library aims to provide helpful and relevant resources and services. We are always looking for ways to improve our materials and services. How do we know what you want? We analyze data, like what books circulate, but the best way is to ask you, our patrons! RCPL wants to know if you are satisfied with our services. During September, RCPL will survey our regular patrons via email. The survey is online and has just six questions; we estimate it will take about 4 minutes to complete. We will ask patrons without an email address to complete the survey in the library online or in print.

Here's a chance to tell us what you want and need. Do you want more large print books? More science fiction? Should we offer more programs for adults? Do we need more or different library hours?

Each person who takes the survey will be entered in a drawing for a sweet treat and a free book from the Friends of the Library book sale.

In 2024, we'll ask you a few more questions. You can opt out of any survey in 2024 just by letting us know when you receive this satisfaction survey. Library patrons can watch their inboxes for a message from us.

All Together Now

Summer is a time for fun and sun, but it is also a time when many children lose much of the crucial learning that they have acquired during the school year. Summer slide may sound like something that is fun for kids though it really isn’t fun at all. Summer slide is defined as learning loss during the summer months. Studies have shown that reading 15-20 minutes a day, 3-4 days a week during the summer can help prevent that horrible “summer slide” and help students keep up their skills. Reading during the summer helps children to retain the skills they have learned and have them where they need to be when the new school year starts.

Russell County Public Library wants to help your student to stop that “summer slide.” Join us for one of our many summer programs where children and adults alike can have fun, meet new friends, and get introduced to new books at their local library. The summer reading theme this year is All Together Now, and focuses on friendship, acceptance, and love from around the globe or right in your own neighborhood. Stop by the library to sign up, or come to any program. We will have magician Matt Fore, Tampa Taiko Japanese Drumming, Rocking and Reading with Leonardo, friendship bracelets, and friendship rock painting. During summer reading you can win prizes for simply reading books and turning in your books lists. We also continue our monthly Pokemon and Lego Build programs during the summer. Our preschool programs include Mini Music on Mondays, and Storytime on Wednesdays and Fridays; bring your preschooler out to make new friends, listens to stories, sing, dance, and do a craft.

Aside from summer reading we have other programs for patrons of all ages. On Thursdays at the Lebanon Library, we have A Cup & Conversation; come in and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and a lite snack and get to know others in the community, play a card game, work a puzzle, etc. On Mondays at Lebanon we have Thread Up and on Fridays at Honaker Community Library we have Hooked on Crochet, whether you are experienced or a novice, or you simply want to sit and talk with those creating this beautiful form of art. We also have Connect with Crafts monthly on Mondays at Honaker and Tuesdays at Lebanon; each meeting we have a different type of craft suitable for adults or teens.

On Thursdays, we will have Teen Thursdays at our Lebanon branch to hang out with friends, do a craft, or simply learn a life skill.

The Summer Reads book club will meet on Tuesday evening, June 27^th, to talk about Remarkably Bright Creatures, which is suitable for adults and teens. This title is available in print, on the Libby app, and through hoopla.

You may call either library, 873-6600 or 889-8044, for more information. For a complete calendar of our events please see our website at https://russell.lib.va.us

There's More to the Story

 

 

April means spring, glorious spring! It's also when we celebrate National Poetry Month AND National Library Week.

National Library Week is an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. This year's theme is "There's More to the Story."

Libraries are full of stories in various formats, from picture books to large print, audiobooks to ebooks, and more. But there's so much more to the story. Libraries of Things lend items like nature backpacks. Library programming brings communities together for entertainment, education, and connection through book clubs, storytimes, crafting classes, and lectures. Library infrastructure advances communities, providing internet and technology access, literacy skills, and support for businesses, job seekers, and entrepreneurs.

Why a National Library Week?

In the mid-1950s, research showed that Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments. Concerned that Americans were reading less, the ALA and the American Book Publishers formed a nonprofit citizens organization called the National Book Committee in 1954. The committee's goals were ambitious. They ranged from "encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time" to "improving incomes and health" and "developing strong and happy family life."

In 1957, the committee developed a plan for National Library Week based on the idea that once people were motivated to read, they would support and use libraries. With the cooperation of ALA and with help from the Advertising Council, the first National Library Week was observed in 1958 with the theme "Wake Up and Read!" The 2023 celebration marks the 65th anniversary of the first event.

And yes, people are still worrying about how little Americans read. We'll let you in on a secret. Reading books and magazines on your phone is still reading. And you can still come to the library to grab a physical book, DVD, or magazine if you prefer.

Visit your library this month, and, to quote Paul Harvey, learn the "rest of the story." And be sure you participate in our Spinal Free Verse program, celebrating library and poetry month. You create a poem or short narrative out of book titles, April 25 & 26. No registration, just drop in!

 

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

 

The Season of Thanks and Giving

Throughout the year, participants in Russell County Public Library's crochet programs make hats, scarves, mittens, and headbands with donated yarn.

Each year they donate them to a local school. Children will lose their hats or scarves sometimes; some parents may not be able to replace the lost items. 

The crocheters--and knitters--make sure that none of the little ones do without a hat or scarf. They make sizes for the bigger kids and teens, too. This year's beneficiaries are Copper Creek and Castlewood schools. Pictured above are office staff with principal Adam Padgett from Castlewood Elementary.

The library's crocheters and knitters are grateful that they can practice this centuries-old craft to make useful items. Come February they will spend a Saturday teaching you how to do it, too.  

They are thankful they have the means and skill to create. They understand that it is better to give than to receive. It's the season for thanks and giving.

posted by Kelly McBride Delph

 

School is in Session!

G. H. Givens announces school start date as September 4, 1935

We take the Russell County Schools for granted. But the school system we know took over a century to evolve. School commissioners were first appointed for Russell County in 1818; at that time the commissioners directed the schools. Russell County included what is now Wise, Buchanan, and Dickenson counties. In the 1840s the court laid out school districts under order of an act of the General Assembly. Several public and private schools served Russell County in the last half of the 1800s.

In 1870 a school system directed by a superintendent came into being. But the district boards cooperated with the county superintendent to manage school business until 1922. The present system of a county school board was enacted by state law in 1922.

In the 1930s the school board was appointed by the Trustee Electoral Board (who were appointed by the Judge of Circuit Court.) The school board, the superintendent, and the clerk of the board were the only members of the school administration!

In honor of the newly appointed superintendent, Dr. Kimberly Hooker, here's a list of the superintendents.

E. D. Miller
D.C. Alderson
M. C Clark
W. J. Kendrick
William L. Patton
H. W. Fugate
R. N. Anderson
G. H. Givens  1928-1965
Alex Levicki  1965-1971
Omer Elkins  1971-1973
A.P. Baldwin  1975-1976
David Musick  1976-1979
Charles Long  1979-1985
Larry Massie  1985-2000
Dr. Lorraine Turner  2000-2010
Dr. Michael Puckett  2010-2012
Dr. Brenda Hess  2012-2016
Dr. Gregory Brown  2016-2022
Dr. Kimberly Hooker  2022-

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Memorial Day Mourning and Celebrating

Memorial Wall, Cumbow Meeting Room

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States of America (USA) to mourn US military personnel who have died while serving in the armed forces. Originally known as Decoration Day, it dates back to the late 1860s and has always been celebrated in May. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day) It's known as Decoration Day because it was when families would clean and decorate the gravesites of their late service members.

It seems better known now as the unofficial start of summer. But remember why government offices are closed - to honor and remember and mourn those who died ensuring our freedom.

The 20th century war dead in Russell County are honored in the Cumbow Meeting Room at the Russell County Public Library. The meeting room has a wall with the names of all men known to have been killed in service. The men are listed by the war in which they were killed. (RCPL maintains an alphabetical list of names.)

The Cumbow Meeting Room was named for William W. Cumbow, a prisoner of war from Russell County during World War II. Mr. Cumbow was chair of the Library Board of Trustees when the current library building was constructed. During construction the Library Board voted to name the room in Mr. Cumbow's honor.

A brief look at the memorial wall illustrates the scale of the different wars and the changes in warfare. Korea and Vietnam involved fewer soldiers and sailors, and battlefield medicine improved dramatically over the 20th century resulting in fewer lives lost. Yet our 21st century battlefield actions have already cost of the life of one Russell County native, Ryan McGlothlin, in Iraq.

War extracts a terrible price. Some of the wounds are invisible, while others are obvious. During Memorial Day weekend, remember those who paid the ultimate price. But do feel free to celebrate; those who paid the ultimate price did so that we can live freely and pursue happiness.

 

 

posted by Kelly McBride Delph

 

School Memories and Teacher Appreciation Week

Photos of old Russell County schools

Since it's Teacher Appreciation Week, we have a suggestion. Call that teacher you remember fondly from your school days. Call that teacher who was so hard on you, because s/he believed you could do more than you thought you could. 

Teachers make us think of schools, so we also want to highlight the history of Russell County Public Schools. In the first half of the 20th century, most schools in Russell County were one- or two-room frame buildings. In 1930, for the white population, there were 81 schools. Seventy-two were elementary schools, and while no elementary school had more than five teachers, 43 schools had only one teacher! The five high schools were Cleveland, Dante, Honaker, Lebanon, and Temple Hill (Castlewood.)

In 1930, there were four elementary schools for African American children and no high school. One school serving these children was the Arty Lee School in Dante. It was named after Artemus 'Arty' Foster and Lee Long. Arty Foster, an African-American community leader, is credited with convincing Long, Clinchfield Coal Company vice-president, to build the school. High school grades were not added until about 1940. In 1953 a new Arty Lee School was opened that contained all eleven grades.

When they added the high school grades at the African American school in Dante, African American students were bused from Lebanon, Castlewood, and adjoining counties (as contract students.) In the middle of the century, Virginia and the Southwest Counties had high drop-out rates. Arty Lee School helped address this issue.

During May we will feature photos of some of the old schools on our social media accounts. Stop by the Lebanon Library where we will have a large frame with pictures of many of these schools.

Do you have memories of a school that has been closed? Share them. Time marches on, but the memories remain. And give that teacher a call.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Connect With Your Library

National Library Week is April 3 through 9. The theme this year is Connect With Your Library. Our Russell County Public Library calendar is full of events for April. We have given you a reason to connect (or re-connect) with your library almost every day!

We are very excited about the talk The Face of America: One Woman’s (and Her Family’s) Adventures as an American Diplomat. On April 14, Rose Likins, a retired U.S. State Department diplomat, will share stories from her years stationed in Latin America and her experience raising kids abroad. Ms. Likins is presently Library Director at Smyth County Public Library. Please join us for this talk at 6:30 pm at the Lebanon Library.

A Cup and A Conversation is a new weekly adult program. Each Thursday at Lebanon from 10 am to noon we welcome adults to drop by and have a cup of coffee. You can work on a puzzle, play cards or just chat. Action Tables are another opportunity to talk about how to put your values into action; this program expands on the Values Tables from earlier this year. Action Tables meet at 1 pm on Mondays at Honaker and Fridays at Lebanon. 

Paracord, book art, collage, and crochet are some of the crafts we feature at our libraries this month. You can drop in and learn or grab a bag of supplies and take it home. Connect with Crafts is at 4 pm on Mondays at Honaker and Tuesdays at Lebanon. 

We Demand: Women's Suffrage in Virginia is a free exhibition at Lebanon Library from March 29 through May 3. This traveling exhibition comes to us from the Library of Virginia and is an excellent opportunity to learn more about Virginia history. On April 20 at 7 pm, Brent Tarter, Barbara Babson, and Mari Julienne will discuss their book The Campaign for Woman Suffrage in Virginia via Zoom. We can send you a link to the Zoom meeting, or you can watch it in the Lebanon Library. 

Spring is here, and Covid is fading (mostly), so come in and pick up a book or a magazine, try a new craft, or listen to a talk, but most importantly, connect.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

The Invisible Half of the County

Russell County Public Library founded 1959

For thousands of years, women were the invisible half of the population. History records the men who led or excelled. Yet, when women were not elected to offices or appointed to boards, they still served. Women led. Look at this picture. The Women's Club was instrumental in the foundation of the public library in Russell County. And they did it in hose, heels, and hats. (And they had to iron much of what they wore...when was the last time you used an iron?!)

Women are more than half the population, yet we are still not represented fully in our communities' jobs and roles. We need to step up to the plate and serve--apply for the job, run for the office, coach the team.

As we take our full and rightful roles in society, we need to remember the women in the past and the present who have filled important roles, large and small. The Women's History Essay Contest is your opportunity to honor a women who is native to or lived in Russell County. Russell County Public Library holds the Women's History Essay Contest every other year and the judges use the essays to recommend women for the Russell County Women's Hall of Fame. 

Write the women of Russell County into history with your essay.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph 

Being Thankful

It's that season when we are reminded to be thankful. Here at the Russell County Public County we are thankful for so many things--most of all, for you, our library patrons. We seek to serve our community and you allow us to do that. Books, computers, magazines, movies...we can't do it all, but we try to cultivate a community of lifelong learners through reading, digital connectivity, access to information resources, and programming. (That's our mission statement!)

We are thankful for the RCPL Board of Trustees. These folks serve without any compensation and always seek to have the library be a better place and meet the needs of our community. They make sure the library is a good steward of the resources we are given. We are also thankful for our local governments who entrust us with resources to provide services for our community.

We can't neglect our volunteers. We are especially thankful for the folks that volunteer for the library. Some of them are Friends of the Library--library volunteers, who help us staff tables at community events, decorate the libraries, and raise money. Some of them are volunteers from other community organizations, like the Master Gardeners. They all fill in the gaps where our resources are stretched too thin.

And as library director, I'm most thankful for the library staff. Our staff come in every day. Some days they help someone find the book, movie, or relative (think family history and genealogy!) they were seeking. Some days...well, let's just say, everyone remembers the bad days, like when the heavy downpour flooded the meeting room and everyone took a shift with the shop vacuum! Some days they keep a little frown, thinking about the patron they couldn't help, wondering what they can do better next time. That's why I'm so thankful for the staff. They come in every day ready to do good and serve the community.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

A New Wizard in Town

A Wizard of Earthsea logo

Calling all Harry Potter fans! There's a new wizard in town and he's known as "Sparrowhawk," and he sprang from the mind of Ursula K. Le Guin. Russell County Public Library is pleased to join Lonesome Pine Regional Library for the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read focusing on A Wizard of Earthsea by Le Guin. 

We want as many people as possible reading this coming-of-age story, so we are giving away copies of A Wizard of Earthsea at the Lebanon and Honaker libraries. Follow Sparrowhawk as he learns rudimentary magic from his aunt, trains at the wizards' school where he gains his true name, and battles the shadow that he brought upon himself. 

Pick up a brochure at either library or check our online calendar. We will have book discussions at the libraries as well as at local restaurants and local schools. Listen to the "Fantasy Across the Disciplines" panel discussion in Wise, VA, on October 22.
Visit the Wizard Convention on Saturday, October 30, 10 am - 4 pm, at the Lebanon Library. You can wear your Halloween costume, make several crafts (a wand or staff?), and play an Earthsea board game.

We'll end our celebration of Earthsea with a concert by the Heart of Appalachia Community Orchestra on Sunday, November 7th. 

Don't forget to wish Ms. Le Guin a happy birthday on October 21!

 

 

 

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Agricultural Roots of the Fair

Photo from the Virginia Tech Imagebase

When you think of the county fair, what comes to mind? A midway with rides and bright lights? Or once-a-year food treats like funnel cakes and cotton candy?

Demolition derbies and well-known entertainers are standard attractions now. But there's still the horse and mule pull and the horse shows, where you see little boys so small they can walk under the bellies of their mounts, girls racing around barrels, and men and women with fast walking horses, their manes and tails streaming behind them. 

Our agricultural roots are the foundation of fairs. The annual fair was an opportunity to show off your livestock. A prize-winning bull or mare might be sold for a good price, or bring income when bred. When we rarely traveled outside our county, the annual fair was a chance to catch up with distant neighbors, as well as take a breath after the long days and hard work of growing and harvesting.

Photo from the Virginia Tech Imagebase

Folks still enjoy the exhibits. Fairs are a chance to show off your culinary skills (canned goods to pies), growing prowess (the biggest pumpkin or tomato or dahlia), and artistic skills (sewing, painting, photography, crafts.) The commercial exhibits give local businesses a chance to talk face to face with current or future customers. 

The 1890 Census of Agriculture shows Russell County with over 1500 farms producing 144,489 bushels of apples (43,259 bearing trees), plus the cherries, peaches, and pears. Sheep production for that year was 9161 fleeces (35,084 pounds of wool.) The cows produced more than 1 million gallons of milk in 1890. Russell County produced 840 lbs. and 48 gallons of maple syrup (with 170 acres in sorghum, making 85 gallons of molasses.) Over 150 acres of potatoes (Irish and sweet) produced over 10,000 bushels.

In 1954 Russell County had over 2,000 farms with over 200,000 acres in production. In the 2017 Census of Agriculture, Russell County had 918 farms with 170,285 acres in production. The volume of crops produced in the 21st century pales when compared to the variety of crops produced a hundred years ago. A big buzz has been about growing hemp; Russell County grew that in 1890. But in 2017 no production of sorghum or wool fleeces.

The earliest fairs date from 1916 and the Russell County Fair and Horse Show began at Lebanon in 1923 and resumed after World War II in 1948. The community changes but the rituals remain... for nearly 100 years. 

 

 

 

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Get Outside - Be a Citizen Scientist!

Volunteers collecting samples

Spring is here and everyone wants to gets outside, pollen or no. Here's your excuse. April is Citizen Science Month and we are giving all you citizens a chance to explore your environment with RCPL's Clinch Water Watch.

Clinch Water Watch is a program for citizen water quality monitoring funded by a Department of Environmental Quality grant. Citizens (that's YOU) take samples of water from the banks of the Clinch River and some of her streams. The results are recorded and compiled. And we will have a program to share the results in the fall. (Watch our Facebook page for a sneak preview.)

Mark your calendar for April 25. We will take samples from Lewis Creek in Honaker (on the library lawn) at 2:30 pm. A date earlier in the month will be held just for school-aged children. Call the library if you want to participate in either event; due to Covid, you need to register.

RCPL sought the grant with partners UVA Wise,  Clinch Valley Soil & Water Conservation District, Estanoa, Upper Tennessee River Roundtable, and Virginia Tech. But it is up to us to make sure our water is safe. Get outside and make a difference, because science is for everyone.

If you can't join us, follow our progress on Facebook: Clinch Water Watch. 

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

RCPL Reporting for Duty

One of our new Kindles

A five letter word that makes people angry/tired/annoyed and begins with ‘C’ and ends with ‘d?’
C-o-v-i-d

Despite that 5-letter word, library services are still here for you.

• Need a copy or fax?  √
• Need a book, magazine, or DVD?  √
• Want to download an ebook, eaudiobook, or magazine?  √

Russell County Public Library is still open for business, as long as you wear your mask. If you can’t wear a mask, we have face shields or can provide curbside service at both libraries during regular hours. 

RCPL is loaning ereaders and tablets to patrons for one week. Download a book or magazine or read the news on these devices. It's 2021 and we want all our patrons to have the opportunity to use the library 21st century-style! (We will start technology classes soon if you feel like you are behind the curve.)

Our new book drop at Lebanon is accepting returns--be sure and push them all the way in! The contactless lockers are now available at both branches if you can't get by when we are open or just don't want to come inside.

These lockers, like the convenient new outside book drop at Lebanon and the devices, were made possible by a grant from the Institute of Library and Museum Services and the Library of Virginia funded by the CARES Act.

RCPL is committed to removing barriers and making information, learning, and reading available to all Russell County citizens.  Our wireless remains available 24/7 for students and other members of the community. Please call 889-8044 or 873-6600 today with any questions.

Stay safe and be of good cheer. Spring is coming.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

RCPL in the Age of COVID

The COVID pandemic has launched the Russell County Public Library into new territory. We are trying new ways to allow you to use the library--safely. New print materials are still arriving slowly, so we are building our downloadable collection of ebooks and digital audiobooks.

Our new holds lockers

Tablets and e-readers will be available for check out later this fall. So even if you don't have a tablet or Internet access, you can borrow an e-reader and download a few books while in the library. 

RCPL is excited about our new holds lockers. You can pick up the material you placed on hold without entering the building. The lockers will be on the porch of each library. You'll get a message that your hold has arrived and is available for pickup in a locker. Input your simple four-digit PIN number and the locker opens!

Lebanon Library will also get a new after-hours, outdoor book drop. We plan to place it so that you can drive by and return your library materials when the library is closed--no getting out in the rain and snow. 

Our first virtual program for adults and teens has launched. Family History Month is a mini-genealogy course with its own website, videos, links, and resources. Check it out.

To help our school students, RCPL is providing each student with an RCPL card so that they can access our ebooks for youth. The school librarians are issuing each student a patron card number (no actual card) that only allows digital access. It looks like we added a lot of patrons to our database, but over 3500 of them are named "Generic Student."

We are tweaking and building new services to meet patron needs in the times in which we live. The public library isn't merely a building. The public library is a community institution meeting the needs of citizens for information, access, education, and entertainment.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Digital and Distanced

As the summer ends, Russell County Public Library is moving more programs to digital platforms like Facebook and Zoom. Storytime returned today, September 9, on Facebook. In the weeks after, watch for book groups and crochet groups to start ‘meeting’ online.

Newspaper clipping in the Lebanon PTA minutes

We have beefed up our collection of juvenile ebooks since the children will have limited access to their school libraries under the current hybrid schedule. We are also issuing each K-12 student a generic digital-access-only library card. The school librarians will distribute them in late September.

As the coronavirus continues through the population, everyone continues to adjust and become accustomed to the new normal. We will provide programs and suggest books and movies, allowing you to keep that safe distance of 6 feet.

We have loads of old, archival material coming available online this fall. School pictures from Castlewood (1940s-1970s), the Parent Teacher Association Minutes for Lebanon Elementary (1928-1950), business records for J.H. Lockhart, Dentist, of Honaker, and more will be linked from our Local History Page by October 1.

Family History Month will be celebrated in October. To introduce you to genealogy and recording your family history--while on a little screen--our plans include an ‘instructional’ video, a video chat/check-in, a webpage with links and downloadable pages, and a packet with forms and hints to help you each week of the month.

Posted by Kelly McBride Delph

Reopening the Libraries

Resuming Regular Operations...sweet words to the library staff.
    
We have a phased reopening plan, subject to approval and change. Our primary concern is the health and safety of our patrons and staff. And we will change our plan anytime we deem it safe and prudent. Phase 1 and 2 are getting staff back in the building to prepare for reopening under state and local emergency guidelines.

When we reopen, we will expect you to respect the 6' social distancing rule while you are on the library property. You will see public (and staff) areas have been rearranged to better accommodate social distancing. We will have an entrance and exit door, to facilitate social distancing. We have a sneeze guard at our Circulation Desk and staff will be wearing masks and/or gloves. We hope you will wear a mask while in the building, too. (We have some to loan--washed after every use--because we are a library!) We take your safety and ours very seriously.

"WHEN?!" you ask. After Memorial Day, during Phase 3, we will resume curbside pickup and computer use by appointment. Computer use will be limited--to economic development and business needs, such as un/employment applications, faxing, and printing. Then we transition to library visits by appointment, followed by 'regular' operations--open doors but social distancing as long as recommended by health agencies. Lebanon Library reopens first, followed by Honaker Community Library--after we work the kinks out of our plan! Once Lebanon reopens, patrons in an at-risk population may come in between 9 am and 10 am.

We miss seeing our regulars. We know that members of our community depend on the library for work, pleasure, and education. You use computers (for employment, business, fun, communication, and more); check out books, DVDs, and magazines; send copies or faxes, and use the wifi. The only thing you CAN still do is use our wifi and download. You can download books and magazines and music.

Staff have been working during the closure. Learning via online webinars, and in staggered shifts, in the buildings. You'll see changes to make it easier to find what you want in the library.  We will even try to help you find things you didn't know you wanted!

We look forward to reopening. But we understand if you want to stick with using curbside service for a while. Check here soon for an update on the Summer Reading Program for children, teens, and adults. And remember, you are...
#saferathome

posted by Kelly McBride Delph