Effective November 1, 2013, Honaker Community Library will open for nearly 25 hours per week. This change is due to additional money allocated to the libraries. Why? Because Russell County citizens called their supervisors and attended public meetings and were willing to get up and speak.
Citizens who believe in the value of their library stepped up to the plate (hey, it's World Series time!) In the coming months, the county and all its agencies and offices will begin preparing budgets for the coming fiscal year that begins July 2014. So it's not too late, or too early, to be heard. The library staff routinely attend these public meetings. But the word of a citizen carries more weight than the word of an employee.
Make a decision to participate in our democracy by attending a meeting or contacting your elected officials and telling them what YOU think is important. They can only represent you if you tell them where you stand.
And remember to exercise your right and privilege as a citizen and VOTE next week.
Honaker Community Library
Saturday Closed
Sunday 2-5 pm
Monday 12-7 pm
Tuesday 12-5:30 pm
Wednesday 12-5:30 pm
Thursday Closed
Friday 2-5:30 pm
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Moon Exhibit!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
American Stories
What is your 'American Story?' Even those folks that were born and raised here in Russell County typically came from somewhere else. Just go back a few generations and you may find that your family lived someplace else. It was not uncommon for families to move back and forth between two locations as fortunes ebbed and flowed; we think of that as a modern phenomenon, but it happened in the 18th and 19th centuries as well as the 20th century.
Do you know where your family hails from? Odds are, you have MANY places you can claim, since each of us has eight great-grandparents and 16 great-great-grandparents. You can research your family history and roots at the library and online, using census records. Just start with yourself and work back in time, recording what you know and reseraching what you don't know.
The summer is what I call 'reunion season' because so many family reunions are held. The reunion is a a great time to share those families stories and interview older relatives. Just don't be surprised if the 'facts' are different depending on with whom you talk. The facts and documents may have been altered when the behavior was outside society's norms (like out-of-wedlock births) and the memory does just fade with time.
American Stories is one of the themes of the Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys Bookshelf. The books include A Quiet Revolution, a book on the veil's resurgence from the Middle East to America; Prince Among Slaves, an account of an African prince sold into slavery in the American South; and Acts of Faith, a book of growing up Muslim in America and the belief in religious pluralism.
Other books in the library's collections tell our American stories, such as The Hairstons, a book on the black and white members of a family with roots in Virginia and North Carolina; Sweet and Low, the story of an immigrant family that created Sweet'NLow and sugar in packets; and countless book on famous families like the Adamses and the Kennedys.
Stop by your library to check our a book. Better yet, talk to your family and write your own 'American Story.
contributed by Kelly McBride Delph
Do you know where your family hails from? Odds are, you have MANY places you can claim, since each of us has eight great-grandparents and 16 great-great-grandparents. You can research your family history and roots at the library and online, using census records. Just start with yourself and work back in time, recording what you know and reseraching what you don't know.
The summer is what I call 'reunion season' because so many family reunions are held. The reunion is a a great time to share those families stories and interview older relatives. Just don't be surprised if the 'facts' are different depending on with whom you talk. The facts and documents may have been altered when the behavior was outside society's norms (like out-of-wedlock births) and the memory does just fade with time.
American Stories is one of the themes of the Bridging Cultures: Muslim Journeys Bookshelf. The books include A Quiet Revolution, a book on the veil's resurgence from the Middle East to America; Prince Among Slaves, an account of an African prince sold into slavery in the American South; and Acts of Faith, a book of growing up Muslim in America and the belief in religious pluralism.
Other books in the library's collections tell our American stories, such as The Hairstons, a book on the black and white members of a family with roots in Virginia and North Carolina; Sweet and Low, the story of an immigrant family that created Sweet'NLow and sugar in packets; and countless book on famous families like the Adamses and the Kennedys.
Stop by your library to check our a book. Better yet, talk to your family and write your own 'American Story.
contributed by Kelly McBride Delph
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Great New Downloadable Items at the Library!
Thanks to the Library of Virginia, we are able to offer two new services. Download new and popular magazines and download great audio books! Links to both can found at the bottom of the library’s website at: http://www.russell.lib.va.us/
1) Zinio allows you to view the current issue of several magazines on your desktop or mobile device. Follow the link to create an account, and then you can view a list of available magazines. If using a mobile device such as a tablet or smart phone, you must first download both the Zinio app and the One Click Digital app. The service is compatible with several tablets and smart phones; visit the Zinio link to view them.
2) OneClickDigital allows you to download audio books to your desktop or mobile device. You must first download the OneClick Digital app to mobile devices, and set up an account using your library card number. For now, these are titles that are in public domain. If you click on Help, there are several tutorials you can watch. If you go to Advanced Search, you can search by different methods, including by genre.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Computer Changes...
Patrons have commented on the layout of computers in the Lebanon Library, as well as how several of the computers have disappeared. Russell County Public Library has begun preparing for upgrades to our technology. Our libraries don't have the staff, or money to pay consultants, to stay on the cutting edge. In fact, we are often well behind that edge. In our case, our systems are still using Windows XP operating system, which was released in 2001. We stayed with XP because it was reliable and robust; it managed our environment well and we had the knowledge to manage our environment using it.
This summer we will upgrade our computer operating system software. We haven't upgraded until now in part because we didn't have the resources (read that as "staff or money") to maintain TWO operating systems. We had to upgrade them all at once. And that's what we will do this summer. So we have withdrawn any computer that doesn't have enough memory to be upgraded. The withdrawn computers were often so slow that they were useless anyway.
In addition to the operating system software, we will also replace a server in Lebanon. Our server was "fried" when a transformer behind the library blew in November 2012. Some of you may remember that it took several weeks to get our computers back on line. That was how long it took to get the server back to acting like a computer again! We've been advised that we should replace it because it will not survive another catastrophe. So everything needs to be upgraded and changed at once.
Honaker is in a little better shape as their server was replaced in 2011, and they received new computers when the new building opened. But their system software must also be upgraded so that all the computers are using the same operating system software.
Once the server is replaced and the system software is upgraded, we will have to make sure that all the patron and staff computers will communicate with each other. THEN we make sure all the other "computing devices," like the scanners and printers will communicate with the computers.
Staff have been reorganizing online files and saving and backing up data. Staff will also need to be trained on how the software works not only for their daily work but also to assist our patrons. The money we have available for the computer upgrade is not money that can be spent on staffing, and we have waited long enough that we MUST upgrade or risk having networks and systems that are not supported in the event of a crisis like the one in November.
You can understand that we are considering closing for a couple of days in order to minimize confusion. But that will be a few months down the road, after the new fiscal year begins. Watch for more adjustments as we prepare for our upgrade into the 21st century. We know these changes will be trying and inconvenient for a time and we appreciate your understanding and patience.
This summer we will upgrade our computer operating system software. We haven't upgraded until now in part because we didn't have the resources (read that as "staff or money") to maintain TWO operating systems. We had to upgrade them all at once. And that's what we will do this summer. So we have withdrawn any computer that doesn't have enough memory to be upgraded. The withdrawn computers were often so slow that they were useless anyway.
In addition to the operating system software, we will also replace a server in Lebanon. Our server was "fried" when a transformer behind the library blew in November 2012. Some of you may remember that it took several weeks to get our computers back on line. That was how long it took to get the server back to acting like a computer again! We've been advised that we should replace it because it will not survive another catastrophe. So everything needs to be upgraded and changed at once.
Honaker is in a little better shape as their server was replaced in 2011, and they received new computers when the new building opened. But their system software must also be upgraded so that all the computers are using the same operating system software.
Once the server is replaced and the system software is upgraded, we will have to make sure that all the patron and staff computers will communicate with each other. THEN we make sure all the other "computing devices," like the scanners and printers will communicate with the computers.
Staff have been reorganizing online files and saving and backing up data. Staff will also need to be trained on how the software works not only for their daily work but also to assist our patrons. The money we have available for the computer upgrade is not money that can be spent on staffing, and we have waited long enough that we MUST upgrade or risk having networks and systems that are not supported in the event of a crisis like the one in November.
You can understand that we are considering closing for a couple of days in order to minimize confusion. But that will be a few months down the road, after the new fiscal year begins. Watch for more adjustments as we prepare for our upgrade into the 21st century. We know these changes will be trying and inconvenient for a time and we appreciate your understanding and patience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)