The-Librarian-Blog

Chambers County Library System – August, 2015

August was once again full of activities at the libraries.  Everyone was still coming down from the Summer Reading high, but it wasn’t long before we picked right back up for back to school activities and fall program planning. 

The Friends of CCLS held their annual summer book sale at the West Chambers Branch in Mont Belvieu.  This week long event brought in over $1000 profit to benefit library programs and services.  Book donations provide us with such great stock to sell for the public, but we’ve had to put a temporary halt on book donations at Mont Belvieu so we can have the space to start boxing up office supplies.  I know this isn’t the most convenient for those of you who haul in boxes of books, but it’s all part of the move and effort on our part to make a seamless transition into the new library.  The new Sam and Carmena Goss Memorial Branch will house a permanent bookstore, which will be open several days a week to the public. 

We said goodbye to our summer helpers on August 8th, and welcomed our part-time after-school workers shortly after.  Summer help provides us with full time student workers for 10 weeks, while the after-school help (called Pages), gives us 15 hours each week of assistance shelving books, and doing other much needed tasks.  

On the 11^th we held our quarterly Library Advisory Board meeting.  The group discussed and voted on updating several policies.  We also managed to snap a group photo.  Library Advisory Board meetings are open to the public, and members are appointed by Commissioners’ Court based on a recommendation from the County Librarian.  Current members include: Sam Little, Carolyn Caldwell, Sarah Kathan, Katie Jackson, Marlin Moore, Susie Davis, and Rhonda LeBlanc. 

The branches held a Back to School Bash in August.  Anahuac held their event at the middle school in order to have the ZORB ball obstacle course, face painting, and volunteers with the Anahuac Volunteer Fire Department present fire safety.  Winnie held their event at the community building with giant games, snacks and giveaways, while Mont Belvieu had an arts & crafts day on the 13^th.  Special thanks to everyone involved – All Summer Long, John Willey, Tracie Lasater, Yvonne Morgan, and not to mention the hard work of the entire library staff.

Staff member Kim Silcox held a game night at the Juanita Hargraves Memorial Branch in Winnie.  Over 20 tweens and teens enjoyed video games, board games, and of course lots of snacks! 

Valerie Jensen and Annie Vass attended a United Way committee meeting to update the group on the success of after-school tutorials at the Chambers County Library in Anahuac.  A partnership with United Way planted the seed for the success of this program.  Ongoing cooperation from the school and Sheriff’s Office allow the library to provide a space for students to receive extra help after school.  Once the bell rings, the library is often times the only place where students can access computers in order to finish up homework, check out books, or access library resources.

The adults at Anahuac were treated to Painting With a Twist on the 13^th.   A standing room only crowd enjoyed creating a “Happy Hydrangeas” masterpiece that they could paint and take home. 

The Chambers County Historical Commission was recognized at Commissioners’ Court on July 14^th for receiving the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Historical Commission.  Congrats to the group on their dedication to the county’s history and their ongoing work to preserve local landmarks and sites.    

Finally, the library system received a donation towards the Sam and Carmena Goss Memorial Branch from the West Chambers County Pilot Club.  The members presented a check for $10,000.00 to be used for the purchase of Early Literacy Station computers.  We can’t thank the Pilots enough for their support of the library!

Until next month!