The-Librarian-Blog

Chambers County Library System – March, 2014

March came and went in a flash and the libraries were buzzing as usual with almost 10,000 people coming through our doors.  It’s such a wonderful thing to see the amount of people visiting, but I shouldn’t be surprised with the talented and dedicated staff we have providing our county with such quality programs and service. 

Speaking of being busy, this time of year our newly purchased books with our new budget have all been cataloged.  But over the last couple of years, other services such as Interlibrary Loan, book sales, inventory, summer reading preparation, etc. have picked up and overshadowed this priority.  People don’t always think about the work and time that goes into getting all those pretty books, DVDs, Interlibrary Loans, audiobooks, and other materials to their hands for checkout.  But it takes a great deal of effort and eye for detail.  We’ve been forced to take an hour here and there from an existing staff at Anahuac to help lessen the load from our Technical Services Librarian, Kathy Fielding so we’re able to stay on task.  With the upcoming new library on the west side, all these “behind the scenes” jobs will increase and so will the need for additional personnel in that department.  I have to give a huge thank you to Kathy who has done a stellar job at keeping Tech Services running smoothly and those popular best sellers on the shelves in a timely manner. 

March started with our annual “Read Across America” programs celebrating the anniversary of the birth of children’s author, Dr. Seuss.  Each year on or near March 2, the birthday of Dr. Seuss is celebrated by encouraging adults and children to read together.  All 3 Chambers County libraries celebrated Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a special visit from Cat in the Hat and celebrated with reading some Dr. Seuss, activities, games, and other fun activities.  

After-school tutorials continue at the Chambers County Library in Anahuac.  Students attend weekly tutorial sessions led by volunteer tutors and library staff.  Volunteers are always needed on a rotating basis to help the middle school aged students with their math and reading homework.  Contact Aquilia De la Cruz if you are interested at, 409-267-2554.

Teens at Anahuac and Mont Belvieu were treated to a field trip to see the popular film adaptation of Divergent.  Divergent is the first in a popular book trilogy for teens, and our reserve list is pages long! 

In January, GED and ESL classes were put on hiatus.  We attempted to seek alternate funding to support the program and thanks to the Anahuac Municipal Development District, they have agreed to fund the program for the next year.  GED and ESL classes have always been well attended and much needed, and with this grant we’ll be able to purchase new and updated materials for students.  If you’re interested in attending any of these classes, please contact the Anahuac branch at 409-267-2554.  Classes will resume May 5.

The County Employee Health and Benefits Fair, held on the 26^th, was an opportunity for the library system to preach to our peers.  Our library booth featured a variety of exercise, disease, and health-oriented DVDs and books.  We also managed to work in a few items of interest from our general collection, like our online database programs for downloading audiobooks, and other online services.  Quite a few employees who stopped were very interested in what we can offer them.  We also managed to get a donation of fruit from Food Town in Baytown.  Apples, bananas, and oranges were quite a hit with our visitors! 

Until next month!