Athenaeum | Library Blog

Seeking the treasures of summer

jantonuccio — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:31:41 +0000

You can feel summer in the air around here, and it's not just the heat. It is that glorious feeling you have when school is out, knowing you have the whole vacation ahead of you. This summer, the Athens County Public Libraries challenges you to set out into June, July and August with eagerness to discover.

Begin with the Great Summer Reading Adventure! Pick up a map at the library, or download one here. Once this map is completed, you can receive three recommendations by either bringing your completed map to the library, s ubmitting it online, calling your library, or sending it in the mail addressed to the library. You are NOT required to complete a map to receive recommendations; any librarian would be happy to help you. You can also find recommendations on this page and click through the Lists on the menu to link to books in the catalog.

Book Camp also has plenty of riches in store. Found at each branch throughout the summer will be live animals, snakes, gardening and food education, dinosaur and soil exploration, as well as playful movement, games and creating.

Free meals will also be served at four branches Monday through Friday. Glouster, Coolville and Nelsonville will serve lunch beginning June 3, and Chauncey will serve supper beginning June 10.

Make your vacation what it was meant to be: Adventure!

Bike Rodeo

jantonuccio — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:56:48 +0000

Throughout the last ten years that the annual Bike Rodeo has been at the Community Center, 2,000 helmets have been given away alongside bicycle saftey education. Since that time, only 4 helmets have been broken in accidents. Dr. Jay Shubrook says, "We'd like to think we were responsible for saving those lives."

Today's Rodeo started out with rain, but it didn't dampen the free fun had by all. We had two of our Book-a-Bike bikes for community members to test -- the popular recumbent and the tag-a-long.

The Bike Rodeo is presented by the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Student Association American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians.

Wright State does it again

jantonuccio — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:48:13 +0000

A team of three co-instructors and twelve students helped reshape the functionality of a whole library in less than a day and a half. This is the second year the Libraries have benefited from Wright State's Ethics of Sustainability in Applachia class, as they spent their 2012 spring break helping shift the fiction and non-fiction in Athens. But this year's efforts were for the Glouster Public Library. A space has been created for young adults, and the children's and adult shelving areas have been shifted. With Wright State's class focus on social and environmental sustainabilty, the capstone of the class is giving up a week to serve. The team also helped numerous other organizations in the area, including: Good Works, Monday Creek Restoration Project, Rural Action, Green Edge Gardens, and ReUse Industries. Many thanks to Wright State instructors and students!

Athens Public Library Open House: April 27, 2013

jantonuccio — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:56:19 +0000

Couldn't have asked for better weather for an Open House. :) Many folks dropped by from 1 - 4pm at the Athens branch to celebrate what we love best: our local community. Events throughout the afternoon: creating wood block prints with Skip French; reading outdoors while strolling on a Book Walk; testing gardening skills by making paper pots for seeds with Kira Slepchenko, and exploring the science of grafting with Troy Thompson; listening to pianist Bob Montalto's lovely tunes; and snacking on local foods. Thanks to all for helping us celebrate our favorite thing -- you!

Book-a-Bike

jantonuccio — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:50:01 +0000

When you were younger, you might have spent a lot of time on a bike. Wind blowing through your hair, hands tight on the steering wheel, the happy sound of a bell...

These days, biking has grown in popularity, as have bike-lending programs, especially in larger cities.

Our community has a bike path, one that continues to extend to connect us all to one another.

And now, you can explore that path. On a bike. From the library. For FREE. :)

Starting May 1, patrons with a current, valid library card can choose from: 16 classic-style bicycles in two sizes, 3 adult cargo trikes, an adult recumbent trike, and a hand trike (for those with limited leg mobility). For those with smaller children, a tag-along, and a Burley trailer, which quickly converts to a stroller, will be available. Bikes and equipment can be borrowed during normal library hours for up to two hours. Helmets will be required and available, or users can bring their own, too.

Bikes will be ready for check-out in Athens, Nelsonville and The Plains.

At the Athens branch on May 1 at 4:30pm, everyone is invited to a party to test ride the bikes. We'll decorate a May Pole and eat rainbow popcorn! The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, see myacpl.org/bikes. The bikes and equipment were purchased from Athens Bicycle with funding from a grant from the O'Bleness Foundation.

Spring break Carnival

jantonuccio — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:30:10 +0000

The Athens branch celebrated Spring Break by putting on a lively Carnival during the afternoon hours. Balloon hats were made and donned, faces were painted, bowling was played, marshmallows were shot, stories were told (by Mrs. Ohio Beauties of the Nation), and books were given away after a BookWalk (like a CakeWalk). There are many more scheduled activities for this week at each branch. Please see myacpl.org/events for more listings.

To warm you...

jantonuccio — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:23:29 +0000

Last year's daffodils were blooming early, too. And we had thunderstorms! The one on the right is from March 16th.

This is from this year. The first daffodils bloomed over the weekend, technically making the date March 10th. Today's were undeterred from the morning snow and cold.

Legislative Day: Ohio Public Libraries

jantonuccio — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:19:51 +0000

Wednesday, March 6, 2013 surprised the majority of Ohio in the wee hours of the morning with a snowstorm. The snow was thick, fluffy, and wet, and caused a plethora of delays and closings round the state.

But it was also Legislative Day, and an important one for Ohio Public Libraries.

Librarians around the state made their appointments and presented their case about the proposed budget and the need for continued support to continue with what we do. Because it is so much more than just about books.

As Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, William Batchelder, put it: "A regular day at the library for you might be a big day at the library for someone else."

Senator Bill Beagle was presented with the Andrew Carnegie Award in recognition of support of public libraries in the State of Ohio. He mentioned that he was once a stay-at-home dad, and he practically "lived at the library".

A generally well-received round of positive support was met by all, but even Speaker of the House Batchelder reiterated that the battle isn't over. We need to constantly remind the powers-that-be. "You've got a lot of support in the legislature," says Batchelder, "but you always need to convince them of your mission."

Athens County Public Libraries' mission: community resources for information and entertainment with friendly service and welcoming spaces.

^{The Capitol Rotunda; meeting with Senator Lou Gentile, leaving the Capitol building}

Amy Tan visits with us

jantonuccio — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:48:46 +0000

What a treat to have bestselling writer Amy Tan come to visit with us today. She chatted about the writing process, of wrestling with words, the joys of discovering the voice of her characters, and, the wonders of being a pet-owner. :)

Special thanks to Ohio University and the Kennedy Lecture series for allowing this opportunity.

Please attend her free lecture tonight at Templeton-Blackburn Memorial Auditorium at 7:30pm!

Amy Tan, in our town, at our library, on Wednesday at 2pm. :)

jantonuccio — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 14:39:28 +0000

"When I write, I begin with a simple question: How do things happen?" Amy Tan writes this in her biography, The Opposite of Fate, a Book of Musings.

And things happened for Ms. Tan, starting at the age of 33, when she began writing fiction. Her first book, a collection of short stories called The Joy Luck Club, was published when she was 37. Since then, she's written The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, The Opposite of Fate, The Moon Lady, and Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat.

A Kindle "single" is out now, called Rules for Virgins. The Valley of Amazement will be published in November 2013.

As part of the Kennedy Lecture series at Ohio University, Ms. Tan is slated to speak at 7:30pm on Wednesday, February 27, at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

As a part of her visit to our town, she has also agreed to sit down and chat in a one-on-one interview at the Athens branch of the Athens County Public Libraries at 2pm that day. Little Professor will be selling her books, and she will autograph them following the interview. Herbal Sage tea from Donkey Coffee will be served, along with cookies from the Village Bakery.

Please come for this very special treat! Seating is limited, so come early! The event is free.