Happy 2012

I hope that you all had a great Christmas.  We had a chance to be with all of our family, from my 90 year-old father to my three year-old grandson, and everyone in between.  That was very special.  We had time to cook, watch movies, and play games.  The holidays are such a treat.

This week Dubuque County Library staff have been very busy bees.  Along with great volunteers, we moved the Farley branch library to Drexler Middle School.  Our new address is 405 3rd Ave. NE.  We are still settling in, but you can stop by and check out materials starting Tuesday. Community hours are:  Monday through Thursday 10am-7pm, Friday 10am-6pm, and Saturday 9-3.  The book return has been moved and is right by the library entrance.  Plenty of parking is available in the adjacent lot including handicapped access spaces.  We think you will be very pleased with the new space.  Drexler staff has been so gracious and helpful.  We will be announcing a grand opening reception very soon.

We are also updating our hours of operation beginning Tuesday, January 3rd.  Asbury branch will be open Monday through Thursday 9am-8pm, Friday 1pm-6pm, Saturday 9am-3pm and closed on Sunday.  After studyiing usage patterns and talking with many customers, we decided that it would be better to be open Friday afternoon rather than on Sunday.  We observed and you told us that you want to be able to stop by on Friday afternoon and pick up books and movies for the weekend.  Plus we will be open for students after school all week.  Sunday usage has not been strong, and we want to be open when most people want to visit us. This change means that three locations; Peosta, Farley, and Asbury will be open on Fridays.

Epworth is adding Monday morning hours from 9am-12pm and Holy Cross is adding Tuesday morning from 9am-1pm to its schedule.  Dubuque County Library is trying it's very best to serve you at a convenient location and a time that fits into your busy life.  Let us know what you think.

Dubuque County Library staff, Board, and Friends wishes you a Happy New Year!  We all have lots to look forward to in 2012.  Thank you for all your support.

Dawn Hayslett, Library Director







 

Happy Holidays and On to Drexler

This past couple of weeks has been a blur.  There is lots going on at Dubuque County Library.  Children's staff are doing holiday crafts and parties along with movie showings.  Be sure to check our web calendar to find out what is happening in your community. 

We just finished our first round of budget preparation.  Guess what?  It takes money to provide library services and more money to provide quality library services and programs.  In the budget proposal approved by the Board of Trustees for the next fiscal year which begins July 2012, we are requesting more money for materials and more money for programming and promotion.  We want to provide multiple copies of popular, best selling, titles so that customers don't have to wait for books and DVDs to be transferred between branches and don't have to wait on long hold lists for those great new items.  We need support for publicity to let people know we are here and to tell them what great services and programs we have.  I want everyone to know that Dubuque County Library, with its five, convenient branches, is a place to use the Internet, check out books and DVDs, and attend programs for all ages.  We have a great staff that is eager to serve you.  On January 12th, 2012 we will be presenting our budget to the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors.  We would love your support.  You can call or email any of the supervisors and tell them that you want them to fully fund library services.  In these economic times, library service is a bargain.  If you have questions or comments about the budget process or talking with the supervisors, just give me a call at 563-582-0008. 

We are also in the midst of the move from our 1st St. location in Farley to Drexler Middle School.  Next week we will start loading carts and the current location will be closed at the end of business on Monday, December 19th at 7:00 p.m.  The Farley branch will re-open at Drexler on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012.  The new address is 405 3rd Avenue N.E. in Farley.  We will be moving and re-shelving books and equipment while the students are on holiday break.  If you want to help load and unload carts, the actual moving days are December 27-29.  We will start at the old location on the 27th and the next two days we will be unloading materials at Drexler.  Many hands make light work.

This will be our first Christmas in Dubuque.  My husband and I are looking forward to hosting all of the family at our house.  We have put up the tree and decorated the mantle in anticipation of our grandson arriving next Wednesday.  He is three and just getting the hang of this Santa thing.  We took him to see the jolly old elf last weekend and he promptly asked for a monster truck.  Children put real joy into the holidays.  If only I had my shopping done . . .

The Board and staff of Dubuque County Library wishes you happy holidays and a wonderful New Year.  There are great things to look forward to at the library in 2012, and I am honored and proud to be a part of it all.

Dawn

We're Moving

Farley residents rejoice!  The Dubuque County Library is moving from our store front location in Farley to Drexler Middle School.  We have established a partnership with the City of Farley and the Western Dubuque School District to share library space in the new addition at Drexler.  We will be open for business at Drexler in early January. 

The Drexler school library was designed with a community partnership in mind. The library entrance is close to a parking lot with a separate entrance for after schoool hours.  Community members will be able to use the combined public/school library many more hours than we previously we able to provide.  Farley community hours will be:

10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

We will be open at Drexler/Farley year round.  Another plus is that there is a program room in the library that we can use for storytimes, craft programs, book discussions, and movies.  This room will also be available to community groups for meetings.  The library will have books, magazines, and DVDs for all ages.  We will have popular fiction and nonfiction, graphic novels, and board books for the little ones.  With a Dubuque County Library card you can check out any circulating item in the library.  Obviously, we are very excited about this new opportunity for service.  Western Dubuque School District staff has been so cooperative and so welcoming.  It's going to be a great collaboration.  I will keep you posted as we get closer to moving day.

We have a great Pearl Harbor Rembrance program scheduled for December 7th at Epworth branch.  At 2:30, Bill Mausser, local historian and veteran will share his experiences and collection of World War II memorabilia. This includes a model of the SS Arizona. There will be a question and answer session after Mr. Mausser's 45- minute presentation. The event is open to the public and all ages are welcome.

Holy Cross branch will have a family holiday movie at 2:00 on December 6th.

Check our calendar to sign up your children for our holiday craft programs.  Participants will make a wonderful holiday ornament and enjoy a snack.  This is one you won't want to miss.

The holidays are busy time.  Don't forget that the library is here to help.  We have books about holiday cooking and decorating as well as DVDs to keep the kids occupied while you try to wrap those presents. 

Remember, it's only 23 days until Christmas.  Have fun, Dawn.