The-Librarian-Blog

Chambers County Library System – August, 2016

Summer Reading might be over, but the staff didn’t have much of a break before fall program planning began.  Even with our usual movie days and book club meetings, we managed to work in a good bit of activity.  With the school year beginning, our change-over from summer visitors to students was almost unnoticed.  Add to that a board meeting, fundraising events, and interviews for after-school help, and you have a busy month!

To start the month, County Librarian Valerie Jensen and Assistant County Librarian Annie Vass attended budget hearings for the library.  With the library’s 2017 budget already submitted, this hearing allowed us the opportunity to talk in more detail about our requests.  Any questions the commissioner or judge might have, we could answer at that time.  We won’t know the outcome until later next month.  Until then we keep our fingers crossed!

On the 4^th, the Friends of the Chambers County Library System held a fundraiser at Panera Bread in Baytown.  Proceeds from sales would go back to the Friends as long as a flyer was presented at the time of purchase.  A small profit was raised, and the money will go towards their ongoing efforts to raise money for programs and other events.  A second fundraiser was held at Mont Belvieu the week of the 15^th.  Scholastic Book Fairs have traditionally been held at school libraries, but the Friends decided to sponsor a fair at the new Sam and Carmena Goss Memorial Branch Library.  With the sales totaling $1800, that gave the Friends a profit of $400. 

Back-to-School programs are always a huge deal at the libraries, and this year was no exception.  Anahuac held a water-themed program with inflatables donated by All Summer Long in Mont Belvieu.  Sno-cones were served by Friends volunteers, and kids enjoyed kiddie kickball, hydro blasters, waterslides, and more.  The Anahuac Volunteer Fire Department was on hand to cool down the kids, and representatives with the Texas Children’s Health Plan passed out t-shirts and other goodies.  Winnie held a Black Light Bash with games in the dark, refreshments, dancing, and more!  Staff member Mary Abshire had black light coloring for the adults, which turned out to be a big hit!  Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge came to Mont Belvieu for their back-to-school program.  Stephanie Martinez was on hand to talk about animals and do a fun craft with the kids. 

On the 9^th, the Library Advisory Board met for its quarterly meeting.  A few items were up for discussion this month and board members are always eager to voice their concern and feedback on library policies.  During a member’s term on the board, they become very familiar with the fundamentals of the library. 

GED prep classes are back in session at Anahuac and Winnie.  Registration started the week of the 15^th.  Classes are held in Anahuac on Monday and Wednesday, 6-9pm and at Winnie on Tuesdays, 5-7pm.  For information on registration, please contact your local branch. 

On the 17^th, the staff at the Juanita Hargraves Memorial Branch Library held a “Dog Pawty” for patrons and their 4-legged friends.  Even with the rain that day, there were dogs in costume, a therapy dog named Baxter, a dog photoshoot, and doggy bag treats.  Makenna Castaneda, the handler for Baxter, was on hand to supervise the thirty-minute reading sessions with kids who had registered.  Baxter was very well behaved and attentive to all the kids who read. 

Master Gardener’s A. Lynette Parsons presented a program at Mont Belvieu on the 18^th.  The topic was “Get the dirt on dirt”, with tips on soil preparation for fall planting.

And finally, the Children’s programmers met to brainstorm ideas for the upcoming storytime season.  This year also begins Babygarten, an infant-24 month program for the tiniest of patrons.  Babygarten is held at each branch along with traditional storytimes for the preschool ages.  Our newest kid staffer is Jinnie McLennan from Mont Belvieu, and she was able to soak up some knowledge from our seasoned storytime pros from Anahuac and Winnie.  The ladies enjoyed sharing ideas in their effort to provide quality kids’ programs throughout the school year. 

Until next month!