Dog Days of Summer

It does feel like we've come to the dog days of summer--hot and sultry. The term 'dog days' comes from the Latin and loosely speaking, from the fact that the dog star, Sirius, was dominant in the sky from early July to early September (in the northern hemisphere.) Things are pretty quiet at the libraries as well this month.

Honaker will be closed Tuesday, August 9th,
when construction interrupts the power supply. But progress continues on the construction and renovation, as this picture shows. But due to the renovation chaos, programs are limited this month at Honaker.

At Lebanon, we are also taking a break from many of our regular programs (no storytime in August.) Lego Club will be meeting Tuesday, August 9, 3:30-5 pm and the Crafting Circle will try rock painting August 18 at 1 pm.

Both libraries are hosting Joe Dye, who as a Secret Service member protected a number of U.S. presidents. Mr. Dye, a Russell County native, will be signing his book From Appalachia to the White House.

Check the calendar for the book signing, computer classes and more at the libraries. Come in and get out of the heat!

America's Library

The Library of Congress is the USA's national library, although it was actually established for Congress, hence the name. C-SPAN will premiere an original documentary on the Library of Congress Monday, July 18, at 8 pm & 11 pm ET. The program will go behind the scenes and tour the iconic Jefferson Building and share the history and treasures of this American institution.

Check out C-SPAN to preview portions of the program and see an interview with a former Librarian of Congress, James Billington.You may also want to visit the Library of Congress online. The American Memory Project has amazing stuff, like old baseball cards and daguerreotype photos from the 1800s, such as one of firefighters in Charleston, South Carolina from the 1850s.

You can also listen to sound recordings; how about Southern Appalachian fiddle tunes, Civil War music, or public reactions (audio & video) to September 11, 2001? Can you believe that it has been 10 years? There are also public reactions (man-on-the-street) interviews to Pearl Harbor in 1941-42.

Take an online tour of the library if you miss the documentary July 18. And remember Virginia's unique connection to the Library of Congress--after the Capitol was burned by British soldiers in 1814, Thomas Jefferson offered to sell his book collection to Congress. After a little haggling on price (they settled on $24,000) Jefferson's collection became the seed of the new library.

Watch the C-SPAN documentary on the Library of Congress July 18 at 8 pm and you just might see a few of Mr. Jefferson's books.

July Summer Reading Programs

Bring Your Children and Join Us!

Celebrate Old Glory ... with a Basket and a Story!

Lebanon Library Friends

Silent Auction of
Book-Themed Gift Baskets

Again this year the Lebanon Friends are having their annual raiser at the Independence Day Celebration in Lebanon. Each themed basket contains a book and other gift items on the theme; the silent auction of the baskets begins in late June and is finished on July 4th about 3 pm when bids are closed.

Baskets are on display now at the library and more are arriving every day! They will be on display at the Friends booth at the July 4th afternoon festivities and you can place your bid and make sure that no one has outbid you!

All baskets are donated by individuals, businesses and organizations so the Friends put the money made into children's programs at the Lebanon Library. The baskets make great gifts and support a wonderful cause.

Stop by the Lebanon Library and look at all the baskets.

Civil War Grant and Library News

The Russell County Public Library competed successfully for a grant titled Let's Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War. Only 65 libraries across the United States were awarded this grant, from the American Library Association and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Russell County Public Library is honored to have been one of four libraries in Virginia chosen. The library will have several programs beginning in the Fall as well as several new books relating to the Civil War. Watch for more information to be announced.

The library in Lebanon has installed a new security system which will be activated this summer, and will alarm if books are taken through the doors without being checked out. The library hopes to better serve the community by decreasing theft and thereby keeping library materials available to all patrons who wish to use them.

The library has added new subscriptions which include The Wall Street Journal, Cooking with Paula Deen, and Country Sample. Stop by the library to see them all.