Alpine Public Library News

The Fall edition of Between the Lines, the Friends of the Alpine Public Library’s newsletter, has arrived!

Here is just a sampling of what you will find inside:

• What’s Up With the New Building?
• Honor your family on the “Family Quilt”
• Kid Stuff by Children’s Librarian, Vanessa Hinkson
• Banned Books Week
• Valerie Richard: Laura Bush 21st-Century Librarian Grantee
• Homebound Services

Pick up your free copy of the newsletter today! Visit http://www.alpinepubliclibrary.org to find out how to join the Friends of the Alpine Public Library.

…Graphic Novels that is.

Honestly, the name can sound unnerving at first. But basically, a graphic novel is like a comic book. The main difference between a graphic novel and a comic book, however, is that whereas a comic book as a story that is told in installments, the graphic novel has a complete story in one volume.

Actually, you are probably already familiar with some subjects of graphic novels:

The X-Men

The Punisher

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

The Justice League (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman…)

In fact, all of these and more can be found in a display just behind the Circulation Desk at the Alpine Public Library. There is also a master list of the graphic novels available.

Like all other materials, you are more than welcome to check out the graphic novels. They may also be placed on reserve. We also welcome suggestions for new graphic novels to add to our collection. Please place these suggestions in our wish box, which is also at the Circulation Desk.

Come and get Graphic with the Alpine Public Library!!

Thank you once again for all of the responses to the Question of the Month regarding audio books. We are now above 100 responses!

If you have not let your voice be heard, this is a reminder that this is the last week of September and the last week for September’s Question of the Month. You may come to the library to respond or enter your response right here on the blog.

As an added incentive, here is a preview of the October Question of the Month, just for our bloggers:

How do you prefer to receive information about the library?

(Check one or more)

• Radio
• Newspaper
• News blog (internet)
• Visit the library
• Friends
• I do not keep up with library news
• Other ____________________

You are more than welcome to respond here. Also, beginning the first of October, you may respond to the October Question of the Month at the Alpine Public Library.

Let your voice be heard!!

The Friends of the Marathon Public Library is having a quilt donation to raise money for the Friends of the Library. The quilt was made by Carol Townsend and is queen size, jalapeno fabric and is a tied quilt. Carol has been making these types of quilts since she was 9 years old. The quilt is on display at the Marathon Public Library. Carol received a 3rd place ribbon on the quilt, in the tied quilt section, in the Marathon Quilt Show this year.

The donation tickets are $5.00 each 0r 3 for $12.00. We are having the drawing on the July 4, 2008 dance at the “Post Park” in Marathon. This gives us time to attend some avtivities to sell the tickets.

If you wish to puchase  tickets please contact Carol at 432-386-4136.

Marathon Public Library is a branch of the Alpine Public Library. We are a great little library with wonderful community support. Our goal is to try to raise some funds to have a covered porch for the MPL Summer Reading Program. Please help us support the library by purchasing a few tickets. You could be the winner of a beautiful Jalapeno Quilt! Have a great day.

My name is Valerie and I have received a grant called “Grow Your Own Librarian”. The grant requires me to volunteer 150 hours at the library, and learn all that I can from my mentor Mrs. Connie Roe and her staff. You will see me every Friday for the next month or so learning to do all the things that librarians do. I plan to get a Masters in Library Science and become an official librarian in west Texas. There are several reasons I’d like to be a Librarian but most of all I think libraries are amazing places. I have had help on my taxes, found hidden parks, found a job, and entertained myself all for free at libraries.

My favorite librarian was one who used to help me find books at the Houston Public Library when I was in college. He looked just like Andy Warhol and wore a black leather jacket, boots and bad hair. I thought he was the coolest librarian I had ever seen. I would go to him and tell him what kind of project I was doing. The problem was, I was majoring in Graphic Design and many times I needed to make cultural references that did not directly relate to a topic. Ultimately, I never knew exactly what book I needed. He would take me all around the library grabbing books off the shelf until I had a handful of books. I was amazed at his ability to find all the books I didn’t know I would need. (If you have a favorite librarian too, I’d love to hear about it- leave me a comment.)

More about me: I am from Houston and arrived in Alpine last January with my boyfriend Dave, and my cat Fred. I also brought along a 200lb old lever-pull printing press which I learned to use at the Houston Museum of Printing. I plan to fix it up and begin printing on it soon. My other hobbies include exploring strange Texas places, hiking, and making art.

Stop by the library on Friday and say hello!

SUPER BROWNBAG

BOOK SALE!!!

$5.00 for a brown bag and you can fill ‘er up!

1 or 20 – we don’t care!

Need to make room for new arrivals!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Alpine Public Library

Driveway north of the library

(money goes to the old library)

Sponsored by:

The Friends of the Alpine Public Library

Thank you so much for all of the responses to the September Question of the Month. (Just to reiterate, the question is: How do you prefer to listen to audio books?) We had already received over 50 responses by the fifth of September! Our greatest joy was when we received our first online response.

The month is almost halfway over, but don’t let that stop you from giving us your input. Visit the library to submit your response to the Question of the Month. You are also more than welcome to respond to this blog entry or to the original entry, Time To Give Your Point of View.

Be on the lookout also for the September Question of the Month survey results. They will be posted on or around October 1.

Anyone who has been a patron of the Alpine Public Library any amount of time can clearly remember the wall of VHS movies that used to be behind the Circulation Desk. “Used to be” is the operative phrase because they are now on the shelves, back in their original cases.

You may be asking, ” Why should I care?” or “Why is this newsworthy?” Well, this change has advantages for you.

1. The time waiting for video tape cases to be exchanged is eliminated.

2. What you see on the shelf is what you get. (If the video cassette is on the shelf, it is available for checkout.)

Remember, the checkout period for movies has been extended to one week. You may check out four movies at a time. See you at the library.