Exciting New Additions in DVD's

With the phenomenal success of Downton Abbey, interest in other Masterpiece Theatre productions has grown as well. The Library has recently added many popular titles to our DVD collection:

• The Forsyte Saga (based on the book by John Galworthy) was wildly popular when it first aired in 1967, and is enjoying a resurgence in popularity today.
• For Dickens lovers, we have Great Expectations, Bleak House, Oliver Twist, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
• Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice.
• The Brontes: Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights
• We recently added the complete BBC set of Shakespeare's Plays, which have been popular as well.
• Other British series include the hilarious and quirky Doc Martin, seasons 1-5. (If you haven't experienced Doc Martin, you're in for a treat!)
• We have purchased many of the current Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning movies, including Argo, Les Miserables, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lincoln, The Hobbit, and Life of Pi.

Thanks to a generous donation from our Friends of the Library group, we have been able to add these and other DVD titles.

Our children's DVD's are very poplar as well. Most of our selection has been donated by generous patrons. We accept donations at any time of DVD's in good condition. DVD's may be checked out on an adult card for two days, with a limit of two.

We also show Movies at the Library, and these programs have highlighted this year's Oscar winners as well as long-time favorites. Check our website or the Tracings column in the Natchez Democrat for future showings.

Come in and check out our great selection of DVD's!

Holiday Happenings in the Teen Zone

This Fall the Teen Zone has been busy with students working on their Reading Fair projects, studying for tests, and checking out the latest crop of new books.  Halloween slipped by, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, so now is the time to think about Christmas!

Local teens in grades 7 through 12 are invited to come to the Teen Zone every Thursday from November 29 through December 13 from 4:00 - 5:30. We have much planned: we will be making ornaments, christmas candy, and gifts for your friends.  We will also use this time to decorate the Teen Zone for the holidays.

Thursday, December 20 the Teen Zone will be open all day for gaming with the Wii, watching holiday movies, and to put any finishing touches to the room decorations.  Popcorn, cookies and drinks will be provided by the library. Bring a friend and get into the Spirit of Christmas! To be sure we have enough materials for everyone, registration is requested. Stop by the library or call 601-445-8862 for more information.

The Phenomenon of Downton Abby

I have been a fan of Masterpiece Theatre on PBS for a very long time. I recall the popularity of the original Upstairs, Downstairs series (which was a very long time ago indeed).

However, I have not witnessed anything approaching the phenomenon of Downton Abby. It first aired in the US in January of 2011, and the surge in popularity quickly followed. By the time the last episode of Season Two aired in late spring of 2012, fans were already asking when Season Three would be available. The series, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes, has won multiple industry awards, including at least eight Emmys. It has been generally credited with bringing new life and popularity back to Masterpiece Theatre and British programming in general.

This most unlikely smash hit will return for Season Three on PBS on Sunday, January 6, 2013.

To make the wait a little easier, I propose:

A Downton Abby Tea!
Thursday, November 15 at tea-time: 4:30-6:30.

We will show the final episode of Season Two, and the TV Special featuring the real-life Downton Abby, Highclere Hall. All of this while sipping some Earl Grey and munching some lovely scones.

To prepare, one can check out Seasons One and Two from the Library. (The Downton Abby DVD's have been extraordinarily popular.)

Hope to see you on November 15th! Cheerio!

Movie Lovers Unite!

I'm excited that our adult programs have enjoyed increased attendance and interest this summer, especially our movie events. We dreamed of Paris with Midnight in Paris, went on a great adventure with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, and made ourselves really hungry watching the great Julie & Julia. Many people have asked me what is next. I have some movies in mind, but I would like to ask you what movies you would like.

Keep in mind that our movie license (yes, a license is required even for a nonprofit charging no admission!) is based on a list of titles on their website. Not every suggestion will pass the list test.

I really would like to hear from all you movie lovers out there:

• What days/times would work best for you?
• What genres?
• Does anyone have suggestions for programs related to movies?
• Do we want monthly movies? (I say yes!)
• Do you have specific titles to request?
• How about foreign films? Or do we want to stick with American-made films?

Later this month, Hunger Games will be released on DVD, and we'll be scheduling a movie event showcasing this very popular movie based on Suzanne Collins' best seller trilogy. These books
have been popular with our teen and adult patrons alike.

A really delightful film I saw in Baton Rouge will be out on DVD soon: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and an outstanding supporting cast, it is a heartfelt romp by some of the greatest British actors of our time. I hope lots of you will join us at the Library for this outstanding film.

We'll be letting everyone know dates and times for these events, and expect to present movies roughly once a month.

Please let me hear from you! Email or call at 601.445.8862 - or just drop by and see us.

See you at the movies!

Thank One, Thank All!

This years annual Summer Library Program proved to be a blast! All thanks to, well, me of course!! But no, seriously, it all had to do with many wonderful volunteers and special guest speakers from in and around our community!

At first, I was ovewhelmed with all that I (thought) I had to do. All of the phone calls to persons of interest whom I thought would fit perfectly into this years Dream Big-READ! theme. Then days of waiting to hear back from them, and the disappointment that came with being turned down more times than I can count! I just about wanted to throw in the towel (or go run and hide until the whole thing was over - no one could blame me then, right?) But, a miracle happened just weeks before the program kickoff. Volunteers started to appear out of thin air!

My supervisor, Marianne Raley, had planned programs with two wonderful ladies, Kay McNeil and Terri Haynes, from Historic Jefferson College and Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, respectively. She asked me if I'd be interested in having them do a Nocturnal Animal program for me also. Well, of course I would! I emailed them as fast as my fingers would allow and got responses back within minutes; both said YES!

Marianne had also tried to nab Meg Kassabaum, an Anthropology and Archeology PhD student from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Meg was here on a dig assignment over at what was believed to be an Indian burial site in Church Hill. Unfortunately for Marianne, Meg was unavailable on the day of her program. Call me a lucky ducky and watch me dance because guess what? Meg was available for my last open program day!

Natalie Nobel, an Alcorn State alumni and employee called to ask if we had any time available for her program College Knowledge Project. I jumped right on that train! What better way to Dream Big than to dream of a bright future? At least, that's how I took it.

Last, but not at all least, we had return guests of honor from our local arts gallery, ArtsNatchez Inc. They took care of every Tuesday morning program for the preschoolers - and they were fantastic. Hats off to them!!

I'd also like to extend a warm hand of welcome to the parent and high school volunteers. Thank all of you for making this summer a summer to remember!

Go to our website to read all about it and see pictures.

The Last Time I Saw Paris

The last time I saw Paris? Well, in my case that was never, but I hope to change that fairly soon. It seems Paris has been on lots of people's minds lately. We've recently discussed The Paris Wife by Paula McClain and watched Midnight in Paris at the Library. It seems just about everyone I know has visited Paris, is there right now, or is going soon.

So when I was planning my Adult Summer Programs, I thought it would be fun and enlightening to invite some Paris travel veterans to share their experiences.

So far, regular patron and intrepid traveler Bill Slatter has agreed. I am planning to enlist the services of others, so if you would like to participate or know someone who might like to, please have them contact me.

We are planning this program for Thursday, July 12 from 3-5 pm. It will be a Paris "show and tell," and participants will be able to share ideas, bargains, and valuable tips.

In the meantime, allow me to recommend some recent Paris reading, all of which are available at the Library.

• The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay (2012)
• Sacre Bleu: a Comedy d'art by Christopher Moore (2012)
• The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (latest edition 2007)
• Mission to Paris by Alan Furst (2012)
• An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi (2012)
• Crime Fraiche by Alexander Campion (2011)
• Paris in Love: a memoir by Eloisa James (2012)

I'd love to hear from you if you have stories to share or would just like to come and dream along with me. (Anne White 601.445.8862  awhite@naw.lib.ms.us)

Apprendre une Langue Gratuitement

The title is French for "Learn a Language for Free". Would you like to learn another language? Now you can - without leaving home and totally free.

Your Library now has Rocket Languages available online. Like so many other successful businesses these days, Rocket Languages was started by two students who saw a need. One was taking Spanish at a university, and the other was learning French. They both agreed there must be a better way. So they set out to design a Spanish course that would:

• be fun to use
• be easy to follow
• minimize study time
• give people confidence to actually speak

Rocket Spanish was an instant online hit and was followed by Rocket French. Rocket Languages now includes Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and even American Sign Language. These courses normally cost $150 each, which is not bad - but you don't pay anything when signed up through your Library.

One of the nice things about Rocket Languages is once you sign up for a language, you have lifetime access. So you can take your time learning and check back for refreshers.

So go ahead and register. All you need is your Library card. Once you've registered, you won't need your card again. You will sign in with your email address and your own password.

Two of my granddaughters (and their parents) live in Austria, where they speak German. I'm going to register to learn German so I can impress my granddaughters. So if you see someone wandering around Natchez mumbling German, it will likely be me. "Ich lerne Deutsch." (I'm learning German.)

If a bunch of us learn a language, we can do translations for tourists!

It's Time for Summer Library Program - YAY!

Do you know what Summer Slide is? (Hint: you won't see it at the playground.) Summer break causes children to lose up to a month of instruction, and researchers refer to this as Summer Slide. Gaps in reading ability in high school is largely explained by unequal access to summer learning in elementary school. A big part of the gap already exists when children start school. Sorry but using computers, playing video games, and watching TV do not help. What have researchers determined is the best solution? Summer programs at libraries, which are specifically designed to fight Summer Slide. We make reading fun with programs, crafts, games, and prizes.

Don't let your children fall behind! Bring them to the totally FREE Summer Library Program which starts next week. We have programs for all ages and at all three of our libraries. The theme for the children's program this year is Dream Big: READ!

In Natchez at the Armstrong Library, we have programs for three different age groups:

• PreK and Kindergarten: Tuesdays, 10 - 10:30 am, June 19 - July 10
• Grades 1 - 3: Wednesdays, 10 - 11:30 am, June 20 - July 11
• Grades 4 - 6:  Wednesdays, 2 - 3:30, June 20 - July 11

At the Woodville Public Library, the program for all ages is held on Wednesdays, 2 - 3:30 pm, June 6 - 27.

The program in Centreville, also for all ages, is on Wednesdays, 3 - 4:30 pm, June 20 - July 11.

Check out the Summer Library page on our website for more details.

This Summer, Teens Own The Night

The theme for this years teen summer library program is Own the Night, and the Armstrong Library Teen Zone is getting ready to provide local area teens with fun and educational programming.  Programs will be held in the Teen Zone on Tuesdays starting June 19 and running through July 10 from 3:00 - 4:30 pm.  We will have book discussions, guest speakers, games, and snacks.  Teens can read and compete for prizes and coupons from local fast food restaurants.  Local area teens in grades 7 - 12 are invited to come in and sign up, with their registration they will receive a cool Teen Zone backpack, glow in the dark key chain, and iron tee shirt transfers. So come join the fun.

June 19: Dream the Night Away! Discover what your dreams mean and create your own Dream Journals.

June 26: Dare to Dream Big! A special guest from the Institute of Higher Learning is coming to talk about preparing for a college education. It's never too early to start.

July 3: Crime and Death! Learn about epitaphs, tombstones, and mummify a hot dog! Test your detective skills with the Minute Mystery Challenge.

July 10: What Goes on in the Nighttime? Crafts and critters will abound in the Teen Zone as teens create their own star charts and make Glow Jars filled with stars. Our special guests will slither and fly their way into the Teen Zone to talk about living the nocturnal life.

For more information, check out the Teen Zone on our website or facebook page.

Summer is the one time a librarian can get kids to read "for fun"! Put down the AR book and pick a book for the shear pleasure of reading a good story. This year I challenge local teens to step out of their comfort zone and read something different, try something new...

Dare to Own the Night!

Time Again for Adult Summer Fun @ Your Library

It's hard to believe, but summer reading programs at the Library will be starting before we know it.

The theme for Adults this year is Between the Covers, and as you can see from the picture, program planners have not lost their sense of humor! There are plenty of tee shirts, bags, mugs, and other merchandise adorned with this catchy theme that we'll be giving away as prizes for our patrons. Just fill out one entry form for each book you read starting June 4. Your entry will go into our weekly drawings.

If you fill out a book review form to post on our bulletin board, you'll receive a Between the Covers recycling bag which will hold lots of books, groceries, or anything else.

Programs for adults will be on Thursdays at 3 pm starting June 7 and ending on July 12 with a fun ice cream social.

On June 7, we will watch the 2011 hit Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows starringRobert Downey, Jr and Jude Law. A rousing start, I think! We'll be serving popcorn and soft drinks.

The following week (June 14) we will explore the quest for a good night's sleep with a bedroom makeover for maximum relaxation and tips for improving your sleep experience. We will also be decorating our own dream journals. The library will provide materials for this program.

In the following weeks, we'll have a variety of programs and movies, ending on July 12 with one of summer's great pleasures, an ice cream social! Check our website for program descriptions.

We'll Always Have Paris - At Least At Your Library

The 1920's in Paris was a unique time of concentrated creativity which has never been equalled. The presence of the expatriot writers which included Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, Sherwood Anderson, James Joyce, Ford Madox Ford, Henry Miller, T S Eliot, Anais Nin, Ezra Pound, and Gertrude Stein, created a charged atmosphere of possibilities which fueled the artistic scene as well. Ever since, readers have found the notion of this singular moment in time endlessly fascinating. Just imagine all the above-mentioned writers plus artists such as Picasso, Dali, Matisse, and the surrealist photographer and cinematographer Man Ray.  

In her first novel, The Paris Wife, Paula McClain has struck a responsive chord with readers describing Hemingway's first marriage from the perspective of his wife, Hadley. It has achieved broad popularity and undoubtedly will eventually produce a film. But last year's Woody Allen film, Midnight in Paris, addresses the entire "Lost Generation" scene and indulges the viewer in the greatest daydream of all - to live in the milieu which produced some of the greatest writing and art ever.

At the Armstrong Library, our Brown Bag Book Group is currently reading The Paris Wife and on Thursday, April 26th at 4 pm, we will discuss the book and watch the Oscar-winning film Midnight in Paris.

Please contact the Library to participate in the Book Group, or just come to the showing of the movie on the 26th!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

What could be more basic to our well being than food - its sources and its quality? If you have been contemplating becoming a home farmer, even on a very small scale, the Armstrong Library can help.

For the next few weeks, we will be offering a series of programs to help you make a solid start in growing your own food.

On Saturday, March 17, representatives from the Farmers' Market of Alcorn University will be on hand from 11 am to 1 pm to discuss how to get started.

On Thursday, March 22 at 4pm, the program will feature choosing healthful snacks, and Dr Brad LeMay, heart specialist, will speak on heart health and fresh foods.

More programs will be offered in April on the growing movement to choose foods grown locally. Dates and times will be announced soon.

This is the time to get your garden started, so join us for these informative programs. The Library has a number of books available to help you along the way. We'll all have a bounty of home-grown goodness to share later on! Call us for more information.

Celebrate Reading & Dr Seuss @ Your Library

The Cat in the Hat was silly but smart. He said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Kids of all ages can come to the Armstrong Library on Friday, March 2nd, to celebrate reading and the wonderful Dr Seuss. From 10:30 to 11 am. and again at 1:30 to 2 pm, kids can stop in to hear stories, sing songs, rhyme, and color! The event is free, and no registration required.

Every year, schools and libraries across the country mark the March 2 birthday of Dr Theodor Geisel, aka Dr Seuss, with Read Across America events promoted by the National Education Association. It's an annual reading motivation and awareness program that calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading. Motivating children to read is an important factor in student achievement and creating lifelong success. Research has shown that children who are motivated and spend more time reading do better in school.

If you can't make it to the Library, then just "pick up a book and read with a child".

You're never too old, too wacky, too wild,

To pick up a book and read with a child.

You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot,

To pick up a book and share what you've got.

In schools and communities,

Let's gather around,

Let's pick up a book,

Let's pass it around.

There are kids all around you,

Kids who will need

Someone to hug,

Someone to read.

Come join us March 2nd

Your own special way

And make this America's

Read to Kids Day.

Courtesy of NEA

Grown Up Fun at Your Library

It's an encouraging trend that more and more libraries across the country are offering summer programs for adult readers. It's about time! Kids have had all the fun for years during the summer.

Here at Armstrong Library, we are in our second summer of adult programming. The theme this year is Novel Destinations, so our events are predominately travel related. On Thursdays through July 21 from 4-5:30 pm, we are presenting travel dvd's, individual accounts of interesting trips, and tips on taking better digital pictures. We'll also be watching and discussing the movie Eat, Pray, Love.

Once again we are having weekly drawings for recent hardback titles and theme related prizes. This activitiy was very popular with patrons last year, and there are plenty of entries again this year. Just fill out one entry form for each book read. Drawings are each Wednesday. Patrons willing to write a short book review to post on our bulletin board will receive a Novel Destinations book bag (while supplies last!) Click here for copies of both forms and details about the program.

If anyone has taken an especially exotic or beautiful trip and would like to share pictures and experiences with our group, please let us know.

Next month we will start a brown bag book discussion group. We will be reading Brad Watson's Aliens in the Prime of their Lives, a collection of short stories which recently won the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters 2011 Fiction prize. Participants will bring their lunches, and the Library will provide beverages. Please contact us to sign up.

We are always open to ideas for programs! If you have a skill or interest you'd like to share, or have a collection we might display in our front foyer display case, please let us know.

If you're on Facebook, be sure to friend Judge George Armstrong to receive updates on events. Also, National Public Radio has a wonderful book page on Facebook which has excellent interactive book lovers' information. It's NPR books. Who says the book is dead?!

Have a great summer and keep on reading!

"No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!"

"No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks!" I remember singing this Alice Cooper song when I was a kid.

Yes, school was out for summer. No more homework, no more getting up early to catch the bus. All the way home I fantasized about playing outside all day with my friends - staying up late at night watching movies rather than doing homework.

Yes, my summer was planned, and I thought I would never get bored. However, that idea was short lived. By mid June, several of my friends were away at camp or on family vacation. I had nothing to do, and nowhere to go. All I had left was to stand on my head and spit wooden nickles, as my mother suggested.

That was until I went to my local public library and found out they were running a summer program for middle schoolers. The library was going to put on a puppet show, and we got to make the puppets and the stage. I signed up immediately and went to the first meeting and had a great time. I made some new friends. I learned all about puppets and made one of my own. We read Pinocchio as a group read.

The last day we had a big party, and we performed our puppet play for the smaller children and our parents. That summer made a difference in my life. Ms Patty was the library assistant, who was a college student working at the library for the summer. She was cool, and she was fun, so she made the library cool and fun, too. I was always a reader, but this experience made me a library user for life. That was back in the days of tie dye and bell bottom jeans, back in a time when we thought summer lasted forever.

Now this may be the 21st century, and kids today may have so much more to occupy their time, but I still hear kids telling their moms they are bored, that they have nothing to do. So my suggestion is to get them down to your Library and sign up for the free Summer Library Program. Let us help make your kids library users for life.

PreK - Grade 5

We are offering something for everybody in the family. One World, Many Stories is for children from preK through grade 5, You Are Here is for tweens and teens from grade 6 through 12, and Novel Destinations is our Adult program. We will have special guests and speakers to read stories and share interesting facts about different cultures. There will be games, crafts, and prizes. Most importantly, the kids will keep up their reading skills and make new friends while having fun learning.


So don't get stuck standing in the corner spitting wooden nickels all summer come see whats happening at your local library.

The Prince Is Coming to Natchez

Earlier I posted an article about the Prince from Natchez, and the film about him. Now the film is coming to Natchez.

Film & Conversation

Prince Among Slaves is an award winning PBS documentary about the fascinating life of Abdul Rahman, a West African prince enslaved in Natchez, Mississippi for 40 years, who through improbable circumstances won his freedom and became one of the most famous men of his day.

Sunday, June 5, 2:30 — 5:30 pm
City Auditorium
FREE and open to the public

Special guest Terry Alford, author of the book upon which the film is based, will introduce the film, describing how he came to write this story and how it became a film.

Following the film, the audience will break into small groups to talk about the film. Leading the conversation will be special guest Amad Shakur, founder of the Center for the African Diaspora, a research institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.



All attendees will receive a free DVD of the film and are invited to attend a reception with refreshments following the event to honor the guest speakers at the NAPAC Museum.

Event Partners:

• Alcorn State University
• Antioch Missionary Baptist Association
• Bluff City Post
• City of Natchez
• Copiah Lincoln Community College
• Friends of the Armstrong Library
• Historic Natchez Foundation
• Judge George Armstrong Library
• NAACP
• Natchez Association for the Preservation of Afro American Culture
• Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Natchez Historical Society
• National Endowment for the Humanities
• National Park Service
• Unity Productions Foundation

The Prince from Natchez

Did you know that Natchez once had a Prince? Right around the beginning of our country, a remarkable man came to Natchez.

Abdul Rahman was trilingual, a successful military general, and the heir to Futa Jalon, the West African Empire, which was the size of Great Britain. However, during a war with another African country, he was captured and sold into slavery.

He was bought by Thomas Foster of Natchez and brought to his small, struggling plantation. Abdul Rahman told everyone that he was a Prince and his father would be happy to pay a ransom for his return. Of course, no one paid any attention, but they did start calling him Prince. He was a valuable slave and helped Foster develop the planation into a successful, profitable venture. He also married and had 9 children.

Through improbable circumstances, twenty years into his enslavement he was reunited with a marooned sailor that his father had rescued decades earlier. This event brought the first public attention to the Prince and over the next several years led him to become the most famous African in America. He regained his freedom, spoke to paid audiences across the country, dined in the White House, became a national celebrity, and eventually returned to Africa.

His story of courage and forbearance under the meanest of circumstances is a powerful drama that not only speaks directly to the African American experience, but also to the human experience. His incredible story was first told in 1977 in the book Prince Among Slaves by Terry Alford, which was republished in 2007 as a 30th Anniversary Edition. The book was made into a film by Unity Productions Foundations (UPF) and was shown on PBS in 2008. The book and the film are in our Library available for checkout.

Through a grant from the National Endowment for Humanities, UPF is sponsoring a series of events all over the country, showing the film along with lectures and discussions on the issues raised in the film. As the home of the Prince, Natchez has been chosen as one of the sites. Our event will be held on Sunday, June 5 in the City Auditorium. We are very fortunate to have the author of the book, Terry Alford, as one of our speakers. The event is free, and attendees will receive a free copy of the DVD. We'll have more details later, but put it in your calendar.

Just think. People all across America will be talking about a famous person from Natchez. Who knows what kind of interest in or visits to our City this may cause! You'd better learn the story, in case tourists ask you abut the Prince.

Love your library - at the Natchez Little Theatre!

This Wednesday, February 9, at 7 pm is the preview performance of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Buying a ticket to this performance for the bargain price of $10 will benefit your Library!

The Natchez Little Theater designates the preview performance (the night before the official opening) of each show as a benefit for a worthy cause in Natchez. This time, your Library has been selected! We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Executive Director Layne Taylor for choosing us. All funds raised from ticket sales to this performance will be used to offset budget cuts made by the City for books, materials, and programming.

The Friends of the Library will be providing delicious refreshments at intermission. Library staff will be taking tickets and greeting you at the door. This is a great chance to show your support for your Library and see a classic of American theatre performed by talented local actors.

Events like this one are a great example of community involvement and support. The Library wins, Natchez Little Theater wins, and the community wins. When you purchase tickets, you are voting with your feet and pocketbook for your favorite community causes.

The benefit performance is this Wednesday, February 9th at 7 pm. (Please note the starting time is earlier than regular performances.) You can purchase your tickets at the door or reserve them by calling 601.442.2233 or emailing theatre@bellsouth.net. Be sure to specify that you want tickets reserved for Wednesday's benefit.

Let's have a full house for our Library! See you there!

Natchez Teens Have a New Hangout!

Calling all Natchez Teens ages 13 to 18.

Do we have a place for you!

The new Teen Zone is awesome. We want to provide a really fun, safe place for teens to hang out, meet new friends, and learn new things - while being around positive role models who want them to succeed.

The new room will be painted in bright, eye catching colors. We have soft, comfortable chairs, a new colorful carpet, stackable chairs for events, and stools for quiet conversation or for reading your favorite books. A 46 inch tv, a Wii console with games, a popcorn machine, and a Kareoke machine will be used for special programming throughout the year. A large storage locker is filled with board games and craft supplies that can be accessed anytime by asking a librarian for assistance. Check out the new teen magazines: Teen Vogue, GamePro, Spin, Mad Magazine, something for everyone! There will also be two new computers with internet access that will be exclusively for the teens. NO ADULTS ALLOWED!!

Come check it out! Join us Thursday, October 28 at 3:30 pm for our Open House. Bring your parents, invite your teachers and school librarians -  this may be their one and only chance to step into the Teen Zone and see what the Armstrong Library has to offer. And be sure to bring all your friends.

The Teen Zone was made possible by funding under the Federal Library Services & Technology Act administered by the Mississippi Library Commission. Matching funds were provided by the Friends of the Library. At a time when libraries are struggling with cuts in funding, it would seem we always find a way to provide services to the public.

Click to see photo gallery of Teen Room Renovations.

Water Your Mind - Grownup Summer Fun

Why should kids have all the fun making a splash at the Library this summer? We have some things in mind that should give grownups that great feeling of summer vacation reading.




Scrapbooking Group

If you've been curious about scrapbooking or even are a long time scrapbooker, join us on Saturday mornings from 10 am -12 noon for our summer scrapbooking group. If you're working on a project, bring it along. The Library also has some helpful books on scrapbooking and card making.

Book give-away

We're giving away some nice hardback new releases this summer as a reward for grownups reading. For each book read, enter a slip into a weekly drawing. We'll give away two books each week through July 15.

Book Review bulletin board

If you've recently read something you thought was particularly wonderful, we'd love to have you write a short review to post on our Water Your Mind bulletin board. Take a few minutes and read some of the reviews - you might discover a new author to love.

Have suggestions for other fun activities? Would you like to form a discussion group for mystery lovers? How about a rose growers group? Questions? Call your Library at 601 445 8862.