Fresh New Look

January is passing rapidly, thank goodness.  Old Man Winter just couldn't pass up Iowa, could he?  But that doesn't mean that Dubuque County Library is not a busy place.  Last week, despite the snow, a band of valiant Friends of the Library gave Epworth Branch a new coat of paint.  With paint and supplies paid for by the City of Epworth, Mary Groth and Mary Pfeiler organized a crew of painters, gophers, and food providers to get the job done.  The library now has lovely off white walls and a light green accent wall.  It looks amazing.  Now we are in the process of re-arranging the collection after putting up some re-purposed shelves.  You simply must stop by and take a look.  Big thanks also go to Terrie Lenger for preparing the area to be painted and putting everything back together again. 

We had a very nice open house for the new Drexler/Farley branch last week.  Many community members came out along with members of the Farley City Council, our Library Board of Trustees, and the Western Dubuque Community School District Board.  Jeff Simon, Mayor of Farley, Jeff Corkery, Superintendent of Western Dubuque Community Schools, and I cut the official ribbon.  Wayne Demmer from the Board of Supervisors also stopped by to congratulate everyone.  The Friends and the City of Farley provided tasty hors oeuvres, coffee, and punch.  I believe the citizens of Farley will love the new facility and the expanded hours of operation.  The Drexler Middle School staff has been just terrific to work with and so helpful and welcoming to the public.

Storytimes are back in full swing.  Be sure to check our website for times and locations.  Also on our calendar is a schedule of family movie times.  This time of year is a perfect time for relaxing with a movie.  Come join us for popcorn.

I'm excited because we are having a discussion of the 2012 All Iowa Reads book at our library. Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder was selected last fall by the All Iowa Reads committee. Our discussion will be on Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at the NICC/Peosta branch.  You may pick up a copy of the book for discussion at your local branch.  Along with the book will be a list of discussion questions to get you into the mood for talking about the book.  Lisa Hendershott and I will be facilitating the discussion that evening.

Here is what Amazon has to say about the book, "Tracy Kidder, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the enduring classic Mountains Beyond Mountains, has been described as the 'master of the non-fiction narrative.' Strength in What Remains is the account of one man’s remarkable American journey.  Deo arrives in America from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, plagued by horrific dreams, he lands at JFK airport with two hundred dollars, no English, and no contacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading dictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangers who will change his life, pointing him eventually in the direction of Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing. An extraordinary writer, Tracy Kidder once again shows us what it means to be fully human by telling a story about the heroism inherent in ordinary people, a story about a life based on hope."

I am also sending out another inquiry about starting a book club.  I have one other person who is interested and we would like 8-10 more people to get together and talk about organizing a monthly meeting.  If this sounds like a good idea to you, please contact me at 563-582-0008 or dawnh@dubcolib.lib.ia.us.  I really want to get this started.  Thanks!

Right now I'm reading "The Last Town on Earth" by Thomas Mullen.  It's the fictional account of a town in Washington state that isolates itself during the World War I influenza epidemic.  So far, I love the characters he has developed and the growing tension among the townspeople and nearby communities.  I'll let you know how it turns out.

Happy reading and stay warm, Dawn.

Winter has arrived

We knew it had to come sometime.  This is Iowa, after all.  So yesterday we received our second snow of the season.  Due to the blowing and continuing snowfall, many of our branches were unable to open yesterday.  I hope a lot of you were able to stay out of the weather as well.  We were here at Asbury plugging away and serving the brave ones who came in.  Terrie Lenger also opened Epworth branch from 3-5 to let people pick up books and DVDs if they wanted to venture out.

The big news this week is that, despite the snow, we had our budget hearing with the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors yesterday.  This is our opportunity to talk to the Supervisors about our accomplishments, our vision, and our needs.  The Board was very receptive and approved our request without amendment. 

There will be a public hearing about the Dubuque County Library budget on Thursday, January 19th at 6:00 p.m. at Drexler/Farley branch library. 

What does next year's budget mean for you our customers? It means we will have more money to purchase library materials (books, DVDs, databases, and e-books).  The library (beginning next July) will be able to purchase more copies of popular titles and best sellers so that everyone will have shorter waits for the hot items you want to read and view.  It means we can add additional electronic resources for you to use in a variety of areas like business and genealogy.  We also want to add more e-books to our collection beyond what the NEIBORS consortium can provide.  Again, we want to reduce the time you have to wait to check out what you want to read.  We will have additional funds for programming to pay for presenters, supplies, and advertising. 

Next week is our open house to celebrate opening the Farley branch in Drexler Middle School.  Come join us Wednesday, January 18th from 4-7 p.m. for refreshments and tours.  There will be a brief presentation and ribbon-cutting at 5:00.  Everyone is welcome.  You will love the new space!

Winter is a wonderful time to visit the library.  If you want to curl up with hot cocoa and a good book, we are just the place to supply the book part.  Maybe you just want to escape to sunny locales and we have DVDs for that.  Now would be a good time to watch "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" or "50 First Dates" which both take place in Hawaii.  I'm going to spend tonight with Brad Pitt (watching "Moneyball" that is). Perhaps tonight is the perfect night to cook up something warm like chili or a hearty soup, we can help you find just the right recipe.  Whatever your escape is, let us help you at your local branch library.

Something new

Can you believe this weather!  I can hardly remember a New Year's Eve that we didn't worry about snow or ice.  But lucky for us, the weather has been great for moving.  Things are returning to normal after the move to Drexler Middle School in Farley.  Whew!  We are open for business and the community is coming in.  I know they will like the increased hours and easy access to the library.  Everyone was so helpful during the transition including the Drexler staff and we had wonderful volunteers.  An open house is being planned for Wednesday, January 18th from 4-7 p.m.  Come join us for a tour of the library and some refreshments.

DCL staff have been working for the past couple of months to integrate our ordering system for new materials with our online catalog.  Now when we order a new book or DVD, you will see the item is on order in the catalog.  You will know that the item is coming and you may place a hold so that you can check it out when it arrives and is processed.  It is also good for staff to know what is on order so that we don't waste time ordering something that is already on its way.  We won't have to go through paper files to make sure we don't send a duplicate order.  That saves time and effort.  Also, if the holds start stacking up for a popular titile, we will know that we need to order more copies so that your wait is not so long.  Now if you are wondering if the latest James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks, or Janet Evanovich is coming to your library, just look it up in the catalog or give us a call.  All our new orders will be appearing in the catalog.

The other something new is that Dubuque County Library has chosen a new logo.  You might remember that back in October we announced a contest to pick a new design for the library logo.  We had over 70 entries to consider.  A panel of judges narrowed the choices down to four and at their December Board meeting, the library board chose the winner.  The new logo was designed by Erika Tedford who is a graphic arts student at the University of Dubuque.  Erika won a $100.00 gift certificate from Amazon provided by the Friends of Dubuque County Library.  Congratulations to Erika and yea for us.  Watch for our new logo as it will be appearing on library cards, business cards, and a re-design of our website.

2012 is shaping up to be a great year.  The Dubuque County Library is here to make it the best year ever for our customers.