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January 9, 2015
Bolivar County Library System
Special points of
interest:
•
The LePoint Cassibry Smith Newsletter
Volume IX, Issue 1
Director’s Corner—A New Year, A New Director
The Grape
Expectations
Benefit Gala is
January 30th!
•
PBS Kids Writers
Contest
•
Luncheon With
Books Welcomes
Michael Farris
Smith
•
Looking for a Good
Book? We Have
Recommendations
The New Year is often a time for renewal and reflection. We make New Year’s resolutions in an attempt to drive positive change in our lives or to redefine and recalibrate the direction of our lives. For the Bolivar County Library System,
the New Year coincided with the retirement of longtime Assistant/Interim Director, Linda Kern. With a new Director
and a new Assistant Director, the library system will be experiencing our own changes and readjustments this year.
Change is always a little bit scary, but it can also be exciting, and I am very excited about joining the Bolivar County
Library System as the new Director. This library system has a long history of outstanding service to the community
and that’s one thing that won’t change. I believe very strongly in the power of public libraries to transform people’s
lives. High speed internet and computer access are resources that people can’t live without in today’s world; our free
practice tests and online tutorials help individuals gain skills that will allow them to pass the commercial driver’s license
test, become certified teachers, or improve their ACT score enough to get a scholarship; good old fashion books (and
new-fangled e-books!) and library programs such as Luncheon with Books or Preschool Story Hour nourish people’s minds
and emotions. Our commitment to provide services that make a difference in people’s lives won’t change.
I’ve been working in and with public libraries for thirteen years and am convinced that a library’s greatest asset is its
people. The Bolivar County Library System has a wonderful staff that is dedicated to serving the community. The
relationship between a community and its library is a reciprocal one where community support and great library service
go hand and hand. And this is a community that very obviously loves and supports its library. If you haven’t already
done so, make sure you buy a ticket to the Friends of the Bolivar County Library System Grape Expectations Benefit
Gala on January 30th. It’s going to be a fun night that will benefit the children’s room at the Robinson-Carpenter
Memorial Library. Your support helps us do what we do better, and in turn by continuing to develop and improve our
services to children, we make our community stronger and more resilient.
I am delighted to join this library and this community and I believe that great things
are on the horizon for us in 2015. While the fundamentals of our library service won’t
change, I do want to know what the community dreams about for our library. The next
time you’re in the library, please stop by my office and introduce yourself and tell me
what you dream about for the library.
Inside this issue:
Happy New Year!
Luncheon With
Books / Tabs
2
January Calendar /
Laurie Parker
2
Interim Director
Linda Kern Retires
2
PBS Kids Writers
Contest /
3
Friends of the
Library
3
Looking for a Good
Book?
3
Community Events
4
Grape Expectations Benefit Gala is January 30th
We hope you’ve marked your calendars for January 30th for the 4th
Annual Grape Expectations Benefit
Gala! The Gala is hosted by the
Friends of the Bolivar County
Library System (the Friends) and
they have prepared a delightful
evening for the community.
The Friends are
that Alphonso
volunteered his
entertainment of
the Wine Pull will
by Bob Wilbanks
happy to report
has graciously
talent for the
Gala guests and
be presided over
again this year.
As in the past, the Gala will feature
the cuisine of local chefs who have
generously agreed to donate
delicious hors d’oeuvres that will be
offered on tables resplendent with
flower arrangements created from
flowers donated by local florists.
The Wine Cash Bar will feature a
choice of white or red wine, as well
as soft drinks and water.
Tickets for the Gala are $25 each
and will be available for purchase at
the Robinson-Carpenter Memorial
Library, where the Gala will take
place, and will also be available for
purchase at the door the night of
the event. Wine Pull tickets will be
available for $15 each at the Gala.
We hope you will plan to join us for
Bolivar County’s premier social
event to benefit the library system
on Friday, January 30th from 5:30
to 8 p.m. We know you won’t be
disappointed!
Page 2
Luncheon With Books with Michael Farris Smith Tabs for St. Jude’s
The Friends of
the
Bolivar
County Library
System
are
proud
to
welcome Mississ ip pi
awardwinning
author
Michael
Farris
Smith as guest
speaker for the January Luncheon
With Books program.
Michael Farris Smith is the recipient of the Mississippi Library
Association’s 2014 Mississippi
Authors Award for Fiction for his
Rivers was
debut novel Rivers.
named to the “Best Books of the
Year” lists by BookRiot, Hudson
Booksellers, and several other
regional and national outlets and
was described by Booklist as, “[A]
powerfully written apocalyptic
tale…” In addition, his essays have
appeared in many newspapers and
magazines, including The New York
Times, Deep South Magazine, and
Catfish Alley. He makes his home
in Columbus, Mississippi with his
wife and two daughters.
We invite you to bring your lunch to
the Luncheon With Books program
featuring Mr. Smith on Tuesday,
January 13th at the RobinsonCarpenter Memorial Library in
Cleveland at 12 noon.
A book
signing will follow the program and,
as always, admission is free and
drinks are provided. We hope to
see you there.
January Calendar
"A good book is the
best of friends,
the same today and
for ever."
~Martin Farquhar
Tupper~
Writer & Poet
January 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th &
February 6th—Preschool Storyhour at 10 a.m.—Registration
Required at Robinson-Carpenter
January 13th—Luncheon With
Books with Michael Farris Smith
at 12 Noon—Open to the Public at
Robinson-Carpenter
January 21st—Cleveland Library
Commission Meeting at 10:00 a.m.
—Open to the Public at RobinsonCarpenter
Just a reminder that the Cleveland
Woman’s Club is still collecting
aluminum “pull tabs” to benefit St.
Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The jar for donations is on the
black cart in the foyer at the back
entrance of Robinson-Carpenter
Memorial Library in Cleveland.
Please consider helping by bringing
your “pull tabs” in and dropping
them in the jar when you visit the
library. Thank you for helping in
this worthy cause.
Author Laurie Parker
January 21st—Board of Trustees
Meeting at 1:30 p.m.—Open to the
Public at Robinson-Carpenter
January 30th—Grape Expectations
Benefit Gala @ 5:30—Ticket
Required at Robinson-Carpenter—
See Article on Page 1 For More
Information.
February Calendar
February 6th—Preschool Storyhour at 10 a.m.—Registration
Required at Robinson-Carpenter
Mississippi
author
and
artist
Laurie
Parker
was
guest speaker
at the December 9th Luncheon
With
Books program.
Ms. Parker talked about her books,
including her most recent Yonder
Breaks the Morning, and graciously
visited with those in attendance at
the book signing that followed her
program.
Interim Director Linda Kern Retires
Linda’s beautiful cake was created
by The Sweetery
The Friends of the Library hosted Linda’s Retirement Party on December 20th. As reported in last month’s newsletter, Linda retired as of December 31st after 14 years of service to the library system. Left, Linda with her
mother Doris Bird, who was member of the Friends and a volunteer at the library; middle, Cleveland Mayor Billy
Nowells presents Linda a recognition plaque from the City of Cleveland; and Right, Linda with her family, who came
from as far as Kansas City to attend the Party.
Page 3
Volume IX, Issue 1
PBS Kids Writers Contest—Children K-3 Enter for Prizes!
Calling all kindergarten through 3rd grade patrons! Try your hand at being a young author or
illustrator by entering into the PBS Kids Writers contest. Enter your own stories (fact or fiction)
or poems with illustrations for a chance to win prizes and your story published online.
What prizes? First-place prizes (one for each grade) is a tablet computer or learning devices worth
$200 each. Other prizes include eReaders and gift cards.
Eligibility Requirements to Enter
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
You must be in kindergarten, first, second or third grade.
If your parents are employees of PBS or anyone affiliated with PBS or this contest, you are
not eligible.
You must be a legal resident of the U.S. (not territories) or Washington, D.C.
You may enter only one time.
The story or poem with illustrations you enter must be your own work, not co-written or
illustrated with someone else.
Your story or poem may be fact or fiction.
If you don’t follow all Contest Rules, you may be disqualified.
For a complete list of rules and prizes, go online at <www.Pbskids.org/writerscontest/>.
For more information contact Mrs. Bobbie Matheney at <[email protected]> or 662-843-2774 ext 105.
Need story ideas? Go to the website listed above to read stories that were submitted in previous years.
The deadline to enter is March 31st. Good luck!
Friends of the Library Annual Membership Drive
Friends of the Library groups are
non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations
that were created to support and
promote libraries.
The Friends of the Bolivar County
Library System (the Friends), our
local chapter, has worked tirelessly
and generously for the benefit of
our library system for many years.
The Friends host two major fundraisers each year: the Grape
Expectations Benefit Gala the last
Friday in January and the Annual
Book Sale in April. Additionally,
the Friends operate a Book Sale
Room in Cleveland that sells books
and magazines year round.
Where are the funds that are
raised spent? The Friends sponsor
library programs, including Summer
Library Program, Seniors Day Out!,
and Luncheon With Books; purchase
equipment and furnishings, including the new circulation desk at
Robinson, new computers, and
blinds for Cleveland, Rosedale, and
Benoit; and library services,
including providing Book Page to our
patrons free-of-charge.
Please consider supporting the
library system through yearly
membership in the Friends. There
are five membership levels:
•
•
•
•
•
Youth/Student ($5)
Individual ($10)
Family ($20)
Organization/Business ($35)
Lifetime ($150)
Applications are available at the
library or you can print one from
our website <www.bolivar.lib.ms.us>
and click on “Friends.”
Looking for a Good Book?
Martha: Virtue Falls by Christina
Dodd.
Elizabeth was only four
when she witnessed her mother’s
murder, a murder for which her
father was sentenced to life in
prison. Now a respected geologist
like her father was, she’s back
home with her husband Garik to
reconnect with her father who has
early stage Alzheimer’s while
studying earthquakes in the area.
When a natural disaster strikes
Virtue Falls unearthing old bones,
the race is on for Elizabeth and
Garik to find a serial killer—before
the serial killer finds them! This is
a suspense novel that will keep you
turning the pages trying to figure
out “whodunit!”
Very enjoyable
book. (Print and eBook)
Tamara: Revival: A Novel by
Stephen King. Jaime meets Rev.
Charles Jacobs, a dedicated minister and devoted family man, when
he’s six—an acquaintance whose life
will be intertwined with his for the
next five decades. When tragedy
strikes his family, Rev. Jacobs
turns down a different, disturbing
path, a journey into the power of
electricity—and madness.
King
captured my imagination and filled
me with dread. Loved it! (Print)
Tamara: Blue Labyrinth by Preston
& Child. The 14th in the Agent
Pendergast Novel series opens with
a bang when Agent Pendergast’s son
Alban is found dead on his doorstep! Now with the help of old
friends Vincent D’Agosta, Margo
Green, and Constance Greene, the
agent must race against time to
solve his son’s murder—before he
loses everything.
A clever and
exciting page-turner! (Print)
"When I get a little
money, I buy books;
and if any is left, I
buy food and
clothes."
~Desiderius Erasmus~
Dutch Renaissance
Humanist
Celebrating 56 Years of Service to Bolivar County!
Bolivar County Library System
104 South Leflore Avenue
Cleveland, MS 38732-2607
Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00—6:00
Friday
9:00—5:00
Saturday
9:00—1:00
Closed Sundays & All Federal Holidays,
Except Columbus Day
Phone:
Toll-Free:
Fax:
Email:
(622) 843-2774
(888) 268-8076
(662) 843-4701
[email protected]
Individual phone numbers and email
addresses may be found at our website.
“Like” us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/1bcls; you may also
access the page from our website.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
January 1st-15th M-F 8 a.m.—5 p.m.—Vietnam: Tour 365 (Exhibit)—DSU, University Archive
Gallery
January 10th from 11 a.m.—5 p.m.—The Mississippi Delta Bridal Show—Bolivar County Expo Center
January 21st-22nd from 8:30 a.m.—4 p.m.—42nd Annual Delta Agricultural Exposition—Bolivar
County Expo Center—Free Admission
January 22nd—February 27th from 8 a.m.—8 p.m. M-Th and 8 a.m.—4:30 p.m. Fri.—Chris Martin:
Asa Sawa, Reflections on Ghana (Exhibit)—Wright Art Center Gallery
January 27th from 7:30-9 p.m.—Anything Goes (Musical)—BPAC; Contact BPAC for Ticket
Information
January 27th-31st @ 5 p.m. daily—Cleveland’s Restaurant Week—For More Information Contact
Lisa Cooley at the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce at <[email protected]>
January 30th from 5:30-8 p.m.—Grape Expectations Benefit Gala—Robinson-Carpenter Memorial
Library in Cleveland; Tickets are $25 at the Library or at the Door (See Page 1 For More
Information)
January 31st @ 9:30 a.m.—The Art of the Piano—BPAC, D&PL Theater
Contact the Friends:
Phone: (662) 843-2774
Email: [email protected]
February 5th @ 7 p.m.—Popovich Comedy Pet Theater—BPAC; Contact BPAC for Ticket Information
February 6th @ 6:30 p.m.—Delta State Jazz Band Gala—Cleveland Country Club
We’re on the Web
@
www.bolivar.lib.ms.us
Bolivar County Library System Information:
Board of Trustees:
Library Staff:
Ms. Geraldine Grammer, Chair
Jennifer Wann, Director
Marie Shorter, Shelby
Mr. John Raymond Bassie,
Vice-Chair
Sharon Williamson, Assistant
Director
Kanesha Collins, Shaw
Bobbie Matheney, Youth Svcs
Clara, Housekeeping
Ms. Deloris Johnson,
Secretary
Ms. Natalie Peeler
Seated (L to R): Sharon, Nan, Board Member Geraldine Grammer,
Megan; Standing (L to R): Clara, Board Member Natalie Peeler,
Melanie, LaShaunda, Tamara, Former Director Lynn Shurden, J.R.,
Martha, Bobbie, Terrye (partially obscured), Board Member Deloris
Johnson, and Brett.
Terrye Jackson, ILL/Special
Services
Ms. Rebecca Lewis
Melanie Free, Systems
Administrator
Cleveland Commission:
Tamara Blackwell, Reference
Svcs / Newsletter Editor
Ms. Jurist Green, Chair
Brett Jordan, Technical
Services
Ms. Dorothy Tolliver, ViceChair
Louarian Wadlington, Circulation
Ms. Weegie Walker,
Secretary
Jasmina Norris, Circulation
Ms. Carol Tatum
LaShaunda Evans, Circulation
Ms. Cheryl Line
Nan Williamson, Benoit
Megan Fleming, Circulation
Bethany Brooks, Circulation
Martha Lawson, Rosedale/
Gunnison
Evelyn Brown, Merigold
Branch Information:
Benoit (662) 742-3112
Hours M & Th 9—1
Gunnison (662) 747-2201
Hours T & Th 1—5
Merigold (662) 748-2105 (ph) /
(662) 748-2596 (fax)
Hours M, T, W & Th 1—5
Mound Bayou—Closed Until
Further Notice
Rosedale (662) 759-6332
Hours M & W 10—5, F 12—5
Shaw
(662) 754-4597
Hours M & W 1-5
Shelby (662) 398-7748
Hours M & W 10—5, F 12—5