TLA in Dallas
Four Marathon residents attended the Texas Library Association Conference in Dallas April 14-18. Carol Townsend, librarian of the Marathon branch of the Alpine Public Library attended classes on library management and summer reading programs. Friends of Marathon Public Library president, Steve Griffis, who is also West Texas sales representative for University of Texas Press, manned an exhibit booth at the conference. Library volunteers Sky Townsend and Arlene Griffis worked in the UT Press booth and Arlene attended some classes, as well.
On Wednesday Carol and Arlene attended the Author’s Luncheon where Carol was recognized as one of eight recipients of a Tocker Foundation grant which issues stipends to librarians from small communities, thereby enabling them to attend conferences such as TLA. The two women also attended the Bluebonnet Award Luncheon on Thursday, which honored author Lucy Nolan whose book Down Girl and Sit: On the Road is the winner of the 2007-2008 Bluebonnet Award for children’s literature.
During the conference Carol and Arlene were able to purchase approximately 100 new books which will be added to the shelves of the Marathon Library. Carol would like to thank Carole Henthorne and Lynn Lindsay for keeping the Marathon Library open while she attended the conference.