Monday, October 01, 2012
September @ The Library
Chambers County
Library System – September, 2012
September seems to have been a blur at the library. With so much going on it seems like our
“slow” months have officially disappeared.
September kicked off fall
programming at all the libraries with Toddler Time, and Teen Advisory Boards
back in full swing. Here’s a snapshot
of just a few things we did last month.
In September the library had quite a presence around the
county. The Anahuac branch had an educational
booth at Gatorfest passing out library publications, bookmarks and tons of
promotional materials for the hundreds of people who stopped by. It’s always great to see the people
recognize and compliment us on a job well done!
Branch Librarian Aquilia De la Cruz also represented the library at the
Anahuac Elementary Open House event on the 24th. The Juanita Hargraves Memorial Branch in
Winnie has a weekly “mobile library” at the Arboretum of Winnie. Each
week the staff rotates bringing books and magazines, and a couple times a month
they also treat the residents with a story or two. The West Chambers Branch in Mont Belvieu continues
their outreach at the middle school promoting teen services at the
library. Hitting the classrooms is a
huge factor in the success of our programs and it pays off! Overall, the staff held 15 outreach programs
to 1,699 people in September.
Kim Hart with the Mont Belvieu branch started her Homeschool
programs last month and was received with over 100 kids and their parents
attending. Kim’s idea to divide the
Homeschool program into 2 units was a success, focusing on a book club and
science club to better target the needs of the Homeschool demographic. In October she plans on having a curriculum
swap so parents can exchange curriculum materials. Also at Mont Belvieu, staff member Lori Knapp
held her first book club meeting with 14 patrons in attendance. Each of the libraries now offer book club
meetings and it’s obvious with Anahuac about to start on year 5 of their book
club, the other branches are eager to get started.
Lesa Boutin with the Anahuac branch held a “Grown-up” movie
night featuring the British program, Downton Abbey. The hugely popular television series was
brought to life with beautiful china teacups and lace doilies decorating the
room. Those in attendance also learned
the British National Anthem; it was quite the adventure and a good time was had
by all.
County Librarian Valerie Jensen attended the Lee College
Educational Opportunity Center meeting where local librarians and faculty meet
to discuss how to better serve the educational needs of the people in our
community. Currently, GED and ESL
classes are held in Anahuac. We’re
working on some additional services early next year to assist with Financial
Aid and GED testing. Earlier in the
month, Valerie also instructed a staff training class for newly hired staff as
well as those who wanted a refresher course.
Each year the library tries to have as many training opportunities as
possible so we can better serve our patrons.
Until next month!
Larry Hansing with Dignity Memorial teaches seniors how to avoid scams and fraudulent situations
Staff member, Lesa Boutin at the Library's educational booth at the Texas Gatorfest
