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.

Teen Summer Library Program

This year the Teen Summer Library program theme is Make Waves @ Your Library. This summer we are doing more than making waves and reading books. During the month of June teens who sign up for the program will have an opportunity to particpate in the designing of the new Teen Zone space. We will be meeting every Wednesday from June 9-30 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. We will discuss paint colors, furniture choices, wii games , board games, books, and magazines. If you're a local teen in grades 7-12, you're invited to sign up and participate, and if you bring a friend you get an extra chance for the raffle.

If you're not into room design, have no fear. We will still be doing crafts, playing games, discussing the latest books, and raffling off prizes. On June 16, we will have a special guest from the County Extension Service to talk about healthy eating through hands on activities and of course, there will be FOOD!

So if this sounds like fun and you haven't signed up yet, call the library for more information.

New Teen Room

It’s that time of year again – registration for the Summer Library Program is underway. The theme for this year’s program for children is Make a Splash – Read!

The Teen theme is Make Waves @ Your Library.




We are looking for a few good surfers to ride a really BIG wave – our new Teen Room! We have written a grant, which if funded, will furnish our room with all kinds of stuff: a Wii, games, a big-screen TV, comfy furniture, craft supplies, storage …. (the list goes on!). We hope to know by the end of this month if our grant (a Library Services and Technology Act grant administered through the Mississippi Library Commission) request is approved.

If our grant is funded, we'll need your help to design the new Teen room and to develop a new Teen program to go with it. We want this room to be a hangout for the teens of our community – for them to have a safe place to come, have fun, interact with other teens, study, and read – to find out that the Library is much more than a place to come when they have a school project to research or complete. We want this room to reflect the needs and wishes of our teens. What better way than to just ask? We have some ideas, but we want to know what the teens and the community think. Please email our Teen Librarian or call her at 601.445.8862 and let her know your ideas.

Check out the Teen section of our website for more information on the Teen Room and the Teen Summer Library Program.

Make a Splash-READ!

Parents, are you looking for things for your children to do during the summer? Hurry on down to your Library and sign up for the FREE Summer Library Program. Our theme this year is  Make a Splash –READ! . The children will explore the world of water through presentations, stories, songs, and other activities about oceans, rivers, lakes, pools, and the creatures that live there.

At the Armstrong Library in Natchez, children in grades 1 through 6 have their program on Tuesdays, June 8 through 29. There are two programs each day - one is 10 - 11:30 am, and the other is from 2 - 3:30 pm. PreK and Kindergarten children have their program on Wednesdays from 10 - 10:30.

In Wilkinson County, the program is on Tuesdays at the Centerville Library and Wednesdays at the Woodville Library - both from 2 - 3:30 pm.

Children who participate will maintain or improve their reading skills and enjoy a fun filled series of programs, which will help them develop the library habit. The goals of our program are to encourage our children to keep reading during the summer and to introduce them to the public library as a place for lifelong learning.

We want the children to be summer readers. The ability to read and enjoy reading is an important factor in the success of our children.

You can go to our website for more details and to download a registration form and agenda.

How Libraries Stack Up

In the United States, we go to libraries to find jobs, create new careers and help grow our small businesses. We borrow books, magazines, music, and movies. We learn to use the latest technology. We get tools and information needed to reenter the workforce. We get our questions answered, engage in civic activities, meet with friends and co-workers, and improve our skills at one of the 16,600 U.S. public libraries. Every day our public libraries deliver millions of dollars in resources and support that meet the critical needs of our communities.

Here are a few ways that our public libraries stack up:

Every day 300,000 Americans get job seeking help at their public library.

Most public libraries provide free wireless Internet access for their users. Nearly 12,000 now offer free Wi-Fi. That's more than Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, or Borders.

2.8 million times every month business owners and employees use resources at public libraries to support their small businesses.

Library cards are about as prevalent as credit cards. Two-thirds of American's have a library card. For many young people, the first card in their wallet is a library card.

More libraries - 5,400 - offer technology training classes than there are computer training businesses in the U.S. Every day, 14,700 people attend free library computer classes, a retail value of $2.2 million. That's $629 million worth of computer classes annually (based on 286 business days per year).

Every day, Americans borrow 2.1 million DVDs from libraries, and we spend over $22 million for DVD rentals at outlets like Netflix and RedBox vending machines.

Americans turn to libraries when searching for new jobs. Both public libraries and One Stop Career Centers provide career counseling resources, resume assistance, and help in filling out online applications.

More public libraries offer free meeting rooms than there are conference centers, convention facilities, and auditoriums combined.

Every year, Americans visit the library more often then we go to the movies and six times more often than we attend live sporting events (includes professional and NACA football, baseball, basketball, and hockey).

U.S. public libraries circulate as many materials every day as FedEx ships packages worldwide.

Libraries are at the heart of our communities, a resource for people of any age to find what we need to help improve our quality of life.

Save some money - visit your Library!

Amazing Animal Facts

A cat can run about 20 kilometers per hour (12 miles per hour) when it grows up. This one is going nowhere today - it is too lazy !.

Bears whose brown fur is tipped with lighter colored hairs are called grizzly bears . The smallest species of bears is called sun or Malayan bears. Male bears are called boars. Bears are native to the continents of North America, Asia, Europe, and South America. Alaskan brown bears, world's largest meat eating animals that live on land, can weigh as much as 1,700 pounds (771 kilograms)

No two zebras have stripes that are exactly alike. Zebras' enemies include hyenas, wild dogs, and lions. Male zebras are called stallions. Zebras usually travel in herds.

There are more than 50 different kinds of kangaroos. Kangaroos are native of Australia. A group of kangaroos is called a mob. Young kangaroos are called joeys.

How do reindeers survive in the extreme cold? Most animals don’t eat moss. It’s hard to digest, and it has little nutritional value. But reindeer fill up with lots of moss. Why? The moss contains a special chemical that helps reindeer keep their body fluids warm. When the reindeer make their yearly journey across the icy Arctic region, the chemical keeps them from freezing—much as antifreeze keeps a car from freezing up in winter.

A cheetah can run 76 kilometres per hour (46 miles per hour) - that's really fast! The fastest human beings runs only about 30 kilometres per hour (18 miles per hour). A cheetah does not roar like a lion - it purrs like a cat (meow).

The largest frog in the world is called Goliath frog. Frogs start their lives as eggs often laid in or near fresh water. Frogs live on all continents except Antarctica. Frogs belong to a group of animals called amphibians.

Up and running!

Since the Library reopened March 29th, we have been thrilled with the response from patrons. Everyone who has walked in has just marveled at the openness and lightness of the space. Many have asked, "What did you do? This is amazing!" Really, the only new thing in the library is the carpeting - the open effect is simply a result of better use of the space. There are little seating areas that were created by spacing the bookshelves so that the windows are visible as one looks down the rows.

Removing the curtains has also opened up the space wonderfully. There will be some type of clear UV protection on the windows, but no curtains. Our surrounding views are stunning - and having them visually available has been a huge improvement.

Of course, we are far from finished. The Nonfiction Section is finally open, and our Geneaology Section is up and running again, although not totally complete yet. It also has a much improved layout which makes it easier to use. When the former reference room is finally cleared out, the new Teen Zone will take shape. We are planning new furnishings for the space with the help of a grant applied for through the Mississippi Library Commission. New furnishings are on order for the former periodicals room, the new Dr Clifford Tillman Memorial Reading Room, thanks to the many donations given in his name. The dedication is scheduled for 2 pm on Tuesday, May 11 during our Open House. We hope you'll stop by and see how nice your library is looking.
Here are the most recent pictures. Click on the arrow to replay the slide show, or click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)