Newsletters, Articles, Press Releases, and Awards
LIBRARY EXPANSION PROJECT:
The Library Commission and Planning Committee made a presentation to the BMA January 14, 2008 providing information from a library consultant's study of our space needs. The recommendation was for an increase of 18,000 square feet (bringing us to 55,000) in 2013. The first thing we will do is hire an architect to do a feasibility study to see if it is possible to obtain the desired size at the current location. Click here to read "Looking to the Future." (PowerPoint required). (You must save this to your desktop and THEN open it to read.)
e-NEWSLETTERS:
Book News enewsletters
Kingsport Public Library News Fall 2008
http://www.kingsportlibrarynews.org/pages/2008_february.html
http://www.kingsportlibrarynews.org/2007_oct.html
Job Hunting Resources
College Resources/Financial Aid
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY NEWSLETTER:
http://www.kingsportlibrary.org/media/Feb2008_FOL.pdf
ARTICLES:
[April 21, 2008-- Kingsport Times-News]
Food writer to speak at Friends meeting
LEIGH ANN LAUBE
Food writer and author Fred Sauceman will present “Hot Guts, Comeback Sauce, and Lay-Row-Catch-A-Mellow: That’s What I Like About the South” during Tuesday night’s Friends of the Library Annual Meeting & Membership Drive.
The event, which is open to the public, will be held from 6 to 7:45 p.m. in the library’s Mead Auditorium.
“I plan to discuss quirky, unconventional, oddly named, weirdly concocted foods I’ve encountered on my travels through the South,” said Sauceman, who serves as executive assistant to the president for public affairs and an associate professor of Appalachian studies at East Tennessee State University.
“These include the chicken dish created out of a wronged lover’s revenge in Nashville, a bourbon-flavored bacon in Kentucky, and the misinterpreted, maligned slugburger of northern Mississippi. These illustrate not only the richness and variety of Southern cuisine but also the fun we have with our food in the South.”
From 6 to 6:30 p.m., Sauceman will sign copies of his books, and refreshments provided by Sullivan North High School Culinary Program will be served. The annual business meeting will be held from 6:30 to 6:50 p.m., followed by Sauceman’s talk from 6:50 to 7:45 p.m.
Friends of the Kingsport Public Library has a long history of providing support for the library, and relies heavily on help from the community. The library opened in 1921, and in 1949, a Kingsport chapter of the Tennessee Library Association’s Citizens Library Movement was formed. When the chapter’s membership grew to more than a thousand, the Friends of the Kingsport Public Library was created to generate even more public interest.
The group disbanded in 1965, but strong support from many organizations in the community led to the creation of a new Friends organization in 1985.
“Every year, the bulk of the money that we get in the membership drive actually goes back to the library for it to do things that regular funding doesn’t enable,” said long-time Friends board member Gail Preslar. “Some years it’s been extra activities during the summer reading program, like bringing in storytellers. There have been programs specifically targeting teens that they’ve used the money to help.
“The other thing is, that money has frequently been used for matching grants. ... Grants seldom pay 100 percent; you have to have a matching grant.”
Friends of the Library will help bring in some traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibits in the next couple of years.
“As for the future, the Kingsport Public Library , for anybody who uses it regularly, either loves it or thinks, ‘This is a neat place, but it’s too crowded’ ... There are things we need to do that we cannot do because there’s not space. We either need to expand the library or build a new one,” Preslar said. “We’re looking at 25 to 50 years from now, the library of the future. What do we need to be doing? Friends of the Library is part of that network that makes that happen.”
Friends of the Library also help with volunteer programs like Books-to-Your-Door delivery to homebound patrons.
“That is a just a true gift to the community that we have Friends of the Library volunteers deliver books to homebound people — it could be physical books or books on tape or CD,” she said.
[April 13, 2008-- Kingsport Times-News]
Formats have changed, but reading on rise
MATTHEW LANE
‘We’ve got audio books, books on tape, CD, downloadables, people listening to books in cars. For some people books are becoming more a part of their lives because of the change in the format.’ — Helen Whittaker
KINGSPORT — Fifty years ago, the American Library Association was concerned about research that showed Americans were spending less on books and more on radios, televisions and musical instruments.
To help counter that trend, the ALA started National Library Week to promote library use and support and encourage people to read more.
Fast-forward 50 years, and the ALA is still working to get people to read more, visit the library and celebrate the contributions of our nation’s librarians.
“(National Library Week) started because so many people were buying radios and television sets, and people were afraid they wouldn’t buy books,” said Helen Whittaker, Kingsport Public Library director. “I think it’s interesting where we are 50 years later, as far as people going to read, what are they turning to for information and entertainment.”
Even with the rise in popularity of the Internet, MP3 players and audio books, Whittaker said she doesn’t see books going away any time soon.
“I see people continuing to read, see them continuing also to get books and information in alternative formats. We’ve got audio books, books on tape, CD, downloadables, people listening to books in cars. For some people books are becoming more a part of their lives because of the change in the format,” Whittaker said. “Some areas, like non-fiction, we’re not seeing them being checked out as much. It’s not just in Kingsport but nationwide because people are using the Internet for that type of information.”
This year, National Library Week runs from April 13-19, and while no special celebration is slated at the Kingsport Public Library , Whittaker has announced some new features and programs being held there during the month of April.
Thanks to the Nellie McNeil Memorial Fund, the library has added a number of new reading and literacy development databases.
•TumbleBooks: animated talking picture books.
•TumbleReadables: read-along chapter books for early readers, middle school readers, teen novels and classics.
•TumbleTalking Books: audio books.
•A four-volume set Oxford Encyclopedia Women in World History.
•Books on CD sets of Shakespeare plays with full cast performance and guided analysis.
•Playaways of literary titles — several on the high school reading list.
Parents and children can search each database online by reading level, language, title and author. The TumbleReadables service also features a text-enlarging function, as well as short reviews for each title.
For more information on these features go to www.kingsportlibrary.org and select “Electronic Resources.”
Another service being offered by the library is free, individual computer assistance on a first-come, first-served basis — on Mondays from 5 to 7 p.m., Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays from 10 to 11 a.m.
The library is also holding free computer workshops. During April, these workshops are offered from 1 to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and cover topics such as basic computer skills, file and folder use, e-mail, and basic Word and Excel. Space is limited, and you do need to register at the reference department in the library or by calling 224-2539.
And if you’re interested in learning more about the library, then come down on April 23 at noon for a special tour of the facility. Whittaker said you will learn about the library layout, various library departments, basic policies, library resources and services. Reservations are not required — simply gather at the circulation desk around noon on that day. The tour will last approximately 30 to 45 minutes.
PRESS RELEASES:
[March 9, 2008]
Friends of the Library’s ‘Great Decisions’ series begins April 16 at library
“Great Decisions,” a series of pertinent discussions on national foreign policy issues, is among the Kingsport Alliance for Continued Learning (KACL) offerings this spring.
The series is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Kingsport Public Library organization.
The weekly discussions at the Kingsport Public Library will be held from 1:30 to 3 p.m., on Wednesdays, from April 16 to May 21. If warranted by enrollment, identical sessions may be offered from 6:15 to 7:45 p.m., on Thursdays.
“Great Decisions” topics for 2008 include: “Iraq End-Game,” “European Union at 50,” “Russia,” “U.S. Defense and Security Policy,” “U.S.-China Trade Policy,” and “Latin America: A Shift to the Left?”
Persons are asked to register at the library beginning March 17, and purchase through the library the $20 text provided by the Foreign Policy Association, a national non-profit non-partisan group whose goal is “a more informed citizenry.”
No other cost is involved for this special series.
Participants are asked to read the text each week and to come prepared to discuss it with others in the group.
KACL brochures with class descriptions will also be available at the library starting March 17.
Additional spring classes include five other six-week series, among the most popular of which is “Around the World,” where expatriates and those with special knowledge of various countries relate their personal experiences.
For more information or to be placed on the mailing list for the spring schedule, call Gwen Bays, ETSU at Kingsport, at 392-8000 or e-mail baysg@etsu.edu.
[March 2, 2008]
Plan your garden with lunchtime seminars
The start of spring is just 18 days away, so there’s no better time than now to being thinking about how to turn your lawn and garden into a work of beauty.
“Green and Growing,” a series of lunchtime gardening seminars, will be presented by Master Gardeners from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursdays in March at the Kingsport Public Library Mead Auditorium.
In these free sessions, beginners and experts alike will learn how to work with nature to create a beautiful, low-maintenance landscape.
The series is co-sponsored by Keep Kingsport Beautiful, Southern Appalachian Plant Society and the Kingsport Public Library .
The sessions are:
- March 6 — Right Plant, Right Place. Learn how to choose the best perennials and shrubs for your landscape with an emphasis on drought-tolerant and native plants. Taught by Christy Shivell of Shy Valley Native Habitat Nursery and Herbary.
- March 13 — Composting and Mulching. A healthy garden begins with healthy soil, and you can learn how to build healthy soil, use less chemical fertilizer, conserve water, and recycle yard waste. Led by Master Gardener Ben Hunter.
- March 20 — Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Wonderful Creatures. Learn how to plan a diversified landscape that provides food, water and shelter for watchable wildlife. Presented by Master Gardener and birding enthusiast Bill Grigsby.
- March 27 — Working with Nature to Manage Garden Pests. Discover what to plant and how to care for your garden to minimize pest problems. Led by Master Gardener Joy Moore.
Each session will include free handouts with recommended plants for Northeast Tennessee and lists of books and Web sites for further reference.
For more information call Keep Kingsport Beautiful at (423) 392-8814 or e-mail jonmoore@tricon.net.
AWARDS:
Innovator of the Month Award from Tutor.com in November, 2007 for movie theater ad promoting Live Homework Help.
Innovator of the Month Award from Tutor.com in January, 2007 for pizza box top fliers promoting online resources.
Tennessee Archives Award to the Friends of the Archives for promoting awareness of and public use of archival material – 2003.