March "Note's on Reading" Blog

Some of the staff of Decatur Public Library spent the last few days in Nashville at the Public Library Association Conference. We were able to attend thanks to the generous support of our Friends. 

We spent 4 days and 3 nights in Nashville learning everything we could from the programs, other attendees, vendors, panel discussions and author signings.  We walked miles and miles, met authors, had wonderful lunches where we met other librarians from around the country, and learned new ideas for programming, policies, and library growth.

We are back to work now and eager to implement some of the new things we learned. We had so much fun while we were there, we decided the task for the Adult Reading Challenge for March to be-read a book set in Nashville.

Happy Reading!

February "Notes on Reading" Blog

The 8^th Annual Adult Reading Challenge has just gotten started. If you haven’t gotten by the Library to sign up yet, join us Thursday, February 6^th in the Community Room from  12 noon until 2 pm. We will be going over tasks, rules and all kinds of books.  Anything you have checked out of the library and read since January 1, 2020 will count for this challenge, so stop by and tell us what you’ve read so far this year.  We would love to have you join us.

This year we are calling the Challenge- “Notes on Reading” and the theme is music. All of the tasks and clues have a tie to music in some form. This does not mean you must read books about music. All books in Young Adult and Adult sections of the Library count as well as any digital books you read from CamelliaNet, Hoopla, and Romance Book Cloud. So if you are looking for a challenge; join us the first Thursday of each month for Book Club and see if you have what it takes to be a Reading Legend in 2020.

On February 3, 1959 a plane crashed in a snowy field outside of Clear Lake, Iowa taking the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J P “The Big Bopper” Richardson Jr. At the time of their deaths they were all well respected musicians, on their way to being superstars in the world of music. Twelve years after the crash, Don McLean wrote the single “American Pie” that called that fateful February 3^rd “the day the music died”. Lots of other musical heroes have died in plane or helicopter crashes including Patsy Cline, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Otis Redding, Ricky Nelson, John Denver, Ronnie van Zant, and Jim Croce to name a few. The clue for this month is to read a book that involves a plane crash. While you're reading a book inspired by this clue, you can listen to the music these artists left behind with the Hoopla app for free.

Happy Reading and Listening!

8th Annual Adult Reading Challenge Kick-off Party!

November Task

It’s hard to believe, the end of the 2019 Adult Reading Challenge is looming in less than a month’s time. This blog will have the last task for the year, but first let’s go over some details.

Monday, December 2^nd is the last day to turn in your reading logs.  You have until the Library closes at 7 pm to turn your reading logs into the Marketing and Outreach office. All entries must be in ink and legible to be eligible for the drawings for prizes. You must have read 15 books and completed 5 monthly tasks to qualify for the Attorney General level. You must have read 30 books and completed 7 monthly tasks to qualify for the Lt. Governor level. The level of Governor requires 60 books and 9 of the monthly tasks.

Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at the December Book Club at 4 pm on Thursday, December 5^th.  You can turn your reading logs in anytime starting today. If we are not in our office, you can slide your reading log under the door of the Marketing and Outreach office. If you have questions about any of the titles on your log, please make sure a phone number is written on the log for us to contact you.

The final task for this year is Christmas. Any book that is set at Christmas will work for this task. Alabama was the first state in the Union to declare Christmas a legal holiday, all the way back in 1836. The federal government waited until 1870 to declare December 25^th a public holiday.

Thank you to everyone who signed up and participated in the 7^th annual Adult Reading Challenge-Bama Fact & Fiction this year. We hope you enjoyed the challenge and the books you read to complete each task. We also hope you learned something new about the 22^nd state of the United States as we celebrated the Bicentennial of our home.

Happy Reading!

October Task

You can’t tell it from the weather, but it is officially fall. This is a favorite time of the year due to the scary stories, cooler weather, beautifully colored leaves, and a holiday where you get free candy. While the weather is not cooler and drought may mean less than impressive fall colors this year, there will be scary stories and free Halloween candy at your Decatur Public Library.  DPL is kicking off the inaugural year of the Halloween Gothic Gala and we have something planned for everyone. Kids of all ages can trick-or-treat from 12-5 pm at the Public Services Desk, Youth Services, and any of the offices that have a trick-or-treat sign outside the door. In addition to candy there will be a “Reading Raven” scavenger hunt, puzzles of all kinds, card games, a Gothic coloring banner, a kids fishing game, assorted crafts for kids and adults, themed trivia (starting at 3 pm in the Training Center) and a Gothic photo opportunity. At 5 pm, award-winning author Betty Bolte will be here to discuss writing Gothic fiction. At 5:30 pm the “Fiends” of the Library will set up a refreshment and spooky treats spread on the plug-in bar. At 6 pm there will be a costume contest for all ages. The finale will be at 7 pm when Mr. Rufus Wilmot Griswold (nemesis of Edgar Allan Poe, portrayed by Joshua Dickson) will present the winning story in each age category from DPL’s Story Contest. Make plans to be at DPL for a load of scary fun on Thursday, October 31st!

To get you in the mood for a Halloween party, the task this month is to read a book that is about or set around Halloween.

Scary Reading!

September Task

Since 1987, September has been Library Card Sign-Up month. In the past, DPL was hampered by the software we use when it came time to celebrate this event. We could only issue cards from inside the building, and most people coming into the Library already had a card or were entering the building to get one. We needed to be able to go out of the building, ask people “Do you have a Decatur Public Library card?”, and if they said no, sign them up and get one in their hands right then. Finally, we have that ability! So don’t be surprised if you see the Marketing and Outreach department in the community in September signing people up for the best card to carry in your wallet. As a matter of fact, check our Facebook page to find out where we are and come by and say hello. If you don’t have a DPL card, we would love to issue you one of your own. We will even show you how to access all of the online resources and digital goodies you are entitled to for FREE with a Decatur Public Library card.

The September task for the Adult Reading Challenge is to read a book with a Psychic as one of the characters. Alabama has hosted several famous psychics. The most famous being Edgar Cayce who lived in Selma for 12 years before moving to Virginia Beach to found the Association for Research and Enlightenment. Rena Teel was known as the ‘Seer of Millerville’ and read the grounds left in coffee cups. “The Sleeping Preacher of North Alabama”, Constantine Sanders of Limestone County, went into trances and made predictions about the future. Finally, we learned a lot about Miss Daisy Nolan, Decatur’s own psychic, this year in a DPL summer series program.

Happy Reading!