Wednesday, February 04, 2009

 

Business as Usual - We're Busy!

Chambers County Library System – January, 2009

The new year brought the library system staff back to our regular schedules, and the pre-school children’s Story Time programs, our adult Computer Classes, the Home School program, the Book Discussion Group, and the Writers’ Interest Group events all cranked back up at their usual times. We even had time for some additional special occasions.

On the 7th, Anahuac held an Open Game Day for the teens, and the participants were able to play the Wii and Nintendo software in a large group environment. The Anime Club met twice this month, and the S.T.A.B. (Student Teen Advisory Board) met on the 21st.

The 8th and 9th brought the final book sale of our last-minute rush to Winnie; we have already begun to receive donated materials for the spring book sales. Our GED Prep Class teacher sent another student to take her test and to get her diploma/certificate. We continue to strive for new students in this free class, but retention of the people who need that paper is a real struggle.

Several of the staff members had an online web training session with Overdrive, our new downloadable audiobook, ebook, and video service. Some staff members have been using it with library cards at other libraries, but those new to the service were impressed! We will be unveiling the service as soon as all the technical details are completed.

Lee College’s Financial Aid Department offered free training on FAFSA, the government-sponsored funding package for college students. This was held on the 28th, and Kim Hart was able to attend. Many of our staff members have attended in previous years, and this training really helps when the students start coming in to do their applications online.

Our biggest event this month also took place on the 28th. Thanks to a grant from the Houston Area Library System, author Bill Hill visited CCLS for programs at Anahuac and Mont Belvieu. Primarily a teen author, Mr. Hill treated those attending to a running lesson in how to get ideas, using words creatively, and developing story lines. In between, he threw in magic tricks to illustrate his points, creating a lot of ongoing interest among his teen and adult audience members alike! In a recent development, the Texas Education Association has allowed continuing education units for HALS programs, and several local teachers were able to attend the program for credit, a real added benefit. We were very glad we were able to help coordinate Mr. Hill’s appearances.

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