Newsletter

The Community Librarian

Carpet & Koha…

The summer months have been busy at the library! Details of our activities can be found throughout this newsletter.

If you have not been in to see us recently, you’ll notice we have a new, cleaner look. Thanks to a generous donation from the North Topeka Rotary Club, we were able to carpet the library. Their donation also allowed the purchase of a new computer, book covers, and other miscellaneous supplies. Many thanks to the North Topeka Rotary Club.

Koha is another big change coming up. It is our new computer software – the same software the entire Northeast Kansas Library System will soon be using. On September 6^th, we will “go live” with Koha. This allows us to progress further towards joining this consortium. All patrons will be asked to complete a library card application so we can make sure your information is accurate in our computer. Please be patient with us as we transition into this new system.

If you have suggestions improving our library, please bring them up to a board member or any of our volunteer staff at the library.

The PLCL Board of Trustees

www.PLLibrary.org

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Origami Class – Chris Warren hosted several origami classes during July & August. Turnout was good for these classes – and Chris had requests for additional class sessions. Thanks, Chris, for your time & patience!

Chris Warren shows Toby Meyer how to make a swan.

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:

August 30^th – Last day to turn in summer reading logs. Don’t forget to stop by the library to return the logs and pick up your prizes. Prizes include coupons from area merchants

Children’s Story Times – all at 10:45am:

September 6^th

September 20^th

October 4th

October 18^th

November 1^st

November 15^th

December 6^th

December 20^th

November 29^th 10am-4pm will be the PLCL’s 2^nd annual Holiday Bazaar – Details to Come!

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Patron traffic – We continue to see an increased number of patrons stopping in to visit us. During July, we had 320 visitors. This brings our total visitors since we opened to 1584! Thanks for the support!

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Support your library – T-shirts and tote bags available for purchase. See a library volunteer for more information!

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Catch the Reading Bug was the theme of our summer reading program. Storytime themes centered around bugs…buggy books, creepy-crawly snacks, and insect inspired craft projects.

Our young patrons were invited to an end-of-the-summer party on August 16^th. We watched the movie “Bugs Life” on a big screen while savoring dirt cake and other snacks.

All participants received a goodie back which included coupons/prizes from the following area merchants:

-Casey’s

-City of Perry

-FastTrax

-First State Bank of Perry

-Golden Pizza

-Lecompton Ball Association

-Perry-Lecompton Thriftway

-Perry Milling

-Worthington’s Hardware

Many thanks to all of our sponsors!

Adult patrons were invited to play Book Bingo. Congratulations to Jessica Ratzlaff! She won a PLCL t-shirt and T-Bones tickets in our raffle for playing Bingo.

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“A room without a book is like a body without a soul.” - Ciecero

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Reading Outreach Program - We’re currently in the beginning stages of establishing our reading outreach program. If you are unable to physically come to the library – but would like a volunteer to read to you – OR if you are interested in volunteering as a reader contact Beverly Warren at bevkwarren@embarqmail.com.

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Help chart the course of our library by joining the PLCL Friends. Membership is $25/family, $10/individual or $1 student. Memberships run from June 1^st-May 31^st each year. Membership for anyone who has joined (or will be joining) since the library opened will be good thru May 31, 2009. Application forms are available at the library.

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Internet Service Now Available for all patrons. Thanks to Embarq – internet service is now available at the library for all patrons. We currently have one patron computer available – and hope to have a second up & running very soon.

To use the internet, ask the librarian for an internet service agreement. Once signed, any patron can access the internet.

If you will need the computer for a sizeable time block, please sign up in advance. Sign up sheets can be found next to each computer at the library.

In addition to the link to the internet, our patron computers are equipped with basic word processing and spreadsheet programs.

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What to get for the hard to buy for bibliophile on your Christmas list??? How about a 2009 Book Lovers Calendar? Pre-order before September 15^th to receive the special price of $4. The cost for orders submitted after that date are $5. This calendar retails at $11.99!!

To submit your request, pick up an order form at the library. Leave the completed form and your payment with the library volunteer on duty. We will contact you as soon as the calendars arrive!

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But where are MY books??? Have you stopped by the library – only to wonder where the books are that you donated from your personal library?

Our library has been so very fortunate to have tremendous support from our community in the form of book donations. If you do not see your donation, don’t be alarmed. We have quite a few books in circulation at any given time – so it may be checked out.

If your donation was a duplicate of a book already on our shelves, please be assured that we work to find good homes for all extra books. We are currently working with churches, schools and other Friends of Library groups to ensure that no quality book goes to waste!

Unfortunately, due to space constraints, we cannot accept donations of magazines or encyclopedias older than 1992. We also cannot accept books that are dirty, moldy or have water damage. We appreciate your understanding.

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Do you have an idea, but are not sure who to share it with. Below are the library’s Trustees:

Beverly Warren – bev@pllibrary.org

Karla Meyer – karla@pllibrary.org

Jan Stewart – community@pllibrary.org

Lynn Ward – lynn@pllibrary.org

Vicki Lindberg – friends@pllibrary.org

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Visit our website www.pllibrary.org .

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WE HAVE BIG PLANS……..

In the upcoming months, we will:

-Begin working towards holding a special election to become a District Library. This means that your existing tax dollars for library services will flow back into our community – instead of going to other libraries in the northeast Kansas area.

-Continue to catalog the generous donations we have received so that more materials are available for our patrons.

-Provide classes/programming of interest to our patrons.

Watch future newsletters for more details regarding the issues & programs above.

OLDER NEWSLETTERS

April 2008

April showers bring May flowers….
And, at the library we have been showered with books and generosity this month. Donations continue to flow in – literary and financial – for wzzazhich we are grateful. The library is operating 100% on donations, so please know how much your gifts mean to our existence.

The library now has over 3200 volumes cataloged and ready for check out. Stop by to peruse at your leisure.

Our spring benefit on April 13th – Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Horseshoes was quite a success. Thanks to our generous patrons who came out to support the library and the volunteers who made this event a success.

If you have suggestions improving our library, please bring them up to a board member or any of our volunteer staff at the library.

The PLCL Board of Trustees
www.PLLibrary.org

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Volunteer Andrea Dennehey peruses the selection at the book sale.

CONGRATULATIONS, BEVERLY
AND THE PLCL FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY GROUP!!

On April 9, Beverly Warren and the PLCL Friends of the Library Group (represented by Jan Stewart) were recognized at the Kansas Library Association Conference in Wichita for outstanding contributions. Receiving both awards was quite an honor for a first year organizations.

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Thanks to our wonderful volunteers for their hard work in cataloging books and staffing the library.

And, as of 4/19/08, we have had 1,284 transactions. This means that 1,284 items have been checked out!

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MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:

May 3rd - 10:45am - Children’s Story Time

May 17th - 10:45am – Children’s Story Time

Volunteer Adelene Hinson hosts story time to an eager audience.

June - Kick-off date for Summer Reading Program. Watch the May newsletter for more information.

June 6th - 10:45am – Children’s Story Time

June 5th – 5:30pm – Donations accepted at 314 Isacks, Lecompton for the Library’s Garage Sale

June 6th – Lecompton City Wide Garage Sale – Stop by 314 Isacks to browse. All proceeds support library funding.

June 20th - 10:45am – Children’s Story Time

November 29th 10am-4pm will be the PLCL’s 2nd annual Holiday Bazaar -

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are seeing a steady increase in visitors to the library. During February 269 patrons visited. This is up from 122 visitors during February.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR POSTER CONTEST WINNERS

Colby Hetherington, Shelby Hetherington, Blaise Ball and Emily Hamm accept their awards.

To celebrate National Library Week, the library held a poster contest. All children in our school district from Pre-school to 4th grade were invited to participate. Students were asked to draw a picture of a scene from their favorite book. Winners are:
Pre-K – Kindergarten
Blaise Ball (Kindergarten – PES)
Emily Hamm (Kindergarten – PES)
Colby Hetherington (Kindergarten-PES)

1st-2nd Grades
Shelby Hetherington (2nd – PES)
Hailey Showalter (1st – PES)

3rd-4th Grades
Shelby Easum (4th – PES)
McKenzie Cauldon ( 3rd – LES)

Each winner was awarded a prize at the library on April 19th. In addition, all entries are on display at the library. Stop in to see what talented artists we have in our community!

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Help chart the course of our library by joining the PLCL Friends. Membership is $25/family, $10/individual or $1 student. Memberships run from June 1st-May 31st each year. Membership for anyone who has joined (or will be joining) since the library opened will be good thru May 31, 2009.

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Our website www.pllibrary.org received 204 hits from Jan-March.

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Matt Puckett reviews a book which is cataloged.

SPECIAL THANKS – to Sherry Dugan and her IHT students at Perry Lecompton High School. They are helping catalog books in their spare time and will be working with us in the future to create fliers for our upcoming summer reading program.

Teacher Sherry Dugan checks out a library selection (right).

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Do you have an idea, but are not sure who to share it with. Below are the library’s Trustees:

Beverly Warren – bev@pllibrary.org
Karla Meyer – karla@pllibrary.org
Jan Stewart – community@pllibrary.org
Lynn Ward – lynn@pllibrary.org
Linda Aldridge – linda@pllibrary.org

And the FOL Board Representative:
Vicki Lindberg – friends@pllibrary.org

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If you would like to join the Friends of the Library group, pick up an application at the library or contact Vicki Lindberg via email at friends@pllibrary.org.

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VISITORS! The library was host to both kindergarten classes from Perry Elementary during April. The students discussed why a community library is important. The classes then chose books to take back to their classrooms to read. Thanks to teachers Jennie Harries and Debbie Johnson for bringing your students to visit us.

Teacher Jennie Harries and students (left) select books to check-out.

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Is your spring/summer schedule already starting to fill up with softball, baseball, vacations and swim lessons? If so, feel
free to sign up in advance to volunteer for the upcoming months.

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WE HAVE BIG PLANS……..

In the upcoming months, we are working to:

-Begin working towards holding a special election towards the goal of becoming a District Library. This means that your existing tax dollars for library services will flow back into our community – instead of going to other libraries in the northeast Kansas area.

-Establish a program to read to shut-ins

-Host a summer reading program

-Continue to catalog the generous donations we have received so that more materials are available for our patrons

Watch future newsletters for more details regarding the issues and programs above.

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March 2008

Thanks to all of our volunteers and friends who have helped to make the library such a success already! We have almost 20 individuals who are giving their time to staff the library on a regular basis. And without our friends, we would not have many of the terrific donations on our shelves (not to mention phone service!).

As we move into our fourth month of existence, please remember that this is YOUR LIBRARY. If you have suggestions for streamlining our processes, programming you would like to see, books you wish to request, or any other ideas – don’t hesitate to bring them up. We are a work in progress and wish to grow to meet our patrons’ needs.

The PLCL Board of Trustees
www.PLLibrary.org

CONGRATULATIONS, BEVERLY!!

Our own founding Mom - Beverly Warren - will be recognized on April 9th at the Kansas Library Association Conference in Wichita as one of their Friend of Kansas Libraries Individual Award Winners. Below is an excerpt from her nomination:

“Several years ago, Beverly Warren had a dream to open a library for the Perry-Lecompton communities. While she had no library experience, she did not let this deter her. Over the next two years, Beverly spoke to everyone she could about her vision for a library for our community. As she was given referrals for ideas, suggestions and locations, she tirelessly contacted each and every individual and business who was suggested as a potential contact of assistance.

Less than one year ago, Beverly’s efforts began to pay off. She assembled a committee of five individuals who all felt that the community needed a library. Each individual brought different talents and contacts to the group. By utilizing each person’s talents, Beverly’s vision of a library came to fruition less than a year after the group was established.

The Perry-Lecompton Community Library opened its doors on January 5, 2008. While still very much a work in progress, the library is a direct result of Beverly’s determination to see her vision through and the hard work she put into achieving the goal.”

WAY TO GO BEVERLY! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 5th Saturday – 10:45 am Children’s Story Time at the library

April 13th Sunday – Spring Fundraiser and Kick-off to National Library Week (11:00am-3:00pm or when the last shoe is thrown) – “Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Horseshoes” – We’ll have food for the entire family, activities for the kids, a horseshoe contest, and a book sale. This will be held at the Community Building in Lecompton.

April 16th Wednesday – 6:00pm – Volunteer/Friend Appreciation Reception – In honor of National Volunteer Day, we invite all volunteers to enjoy finger foods and beverages. This is a great opportunity to meet other volunteers. And, each volunteer will be recognized. **If your kids have been volunteering with you, please make sure to bring them, too! They are also an important part of our team!**

April 19th Saturday – 10:45am Story Time at the Library AND at 11:15am we will announce the winners of our Poster Contest.

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Do you have an idea, but are not sure who to share it with. Below are the library’s Trustees:

Beverly Warren – bev@pllibrary.org
Karla Meyer – karla@pllibrary.org
Jan Stewart – community@pllibrary.org
Lynn Ward – lynn@pllibrary.org
Linda Aldridge – linda@pllibrary.org

And the FOL Board Representative:
Vicki Lindberg – vicki_lindberg2@hotmail.com

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We are seeing a steady increase in visitors to the library. For the month of February, 122 patrons stopped in. For the first three days open in March, we had 60 visitors.

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If you are interested in helping out with the Spring Fundraiser on April 13th, please let any Trustee or Friends Rep know. We’ll be needing assistance with set-up, tear down, cooking, manning the book sale table and more.

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POSTER CONTEST – To celebrate National Library Week, we are holding a poster contest. Entry forms were sent home with children PreK-4th grade at all USD 343 schools the week of March 10th.

If you know a child who attends a different school or who is a preschooler and would like to submit an entry, please stop by the library to pick up the guidelines and entry form. Entries are due back to the library by March 29th.

Winners will be selected by a panel of judges from the community and will be announced on April 19th as a finale to our National Library Week activities. Winners will receive a gift certificate to the Kaw Country Café (located inside the Thriftway) as well as a surprise. All participants will be recognized.

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Sarah Ward and Austin Lindberg check out the children’s reading corner at the PLCL on opening day.

What is the difference between a library board & a Friends of the Library group???
Normally, the board makes administrative decisions such as hiring the librarian and paying the bills. And, the Friends group provides support (financial and physical) for library services. For the PLCL, we have a board (trustees) and are working to establish a functioning Friends Group.

Help chart the course of our library by joining the PLCL Friends. Membership is $25/family, $10/individual or $1 student. Memberships run from June 1st-May 31st each year. Membership for anyone who has joined (or will be joining) since the library opened will be good thru May 31, 2009.

What will the PLCL Friends group support???
That is up to you! Suggestions have included early check-out options on new additions to the library, complimentary coffee, previews for book sales. At other nearby libraries, the Friends groups also support scholarships as well as community service projects.

If you would like to join our Friends group, pick up an application at the library or contact Vicki Lindberg via email at vicki_lindberg2@hotmail.com.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PLCL FRIENDS GROUP – Our friends group was selected by the Friends of Kansas Library as an award winner for libraries our size for our outstanding achievements during 2007 prior to the opening of the library.

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The Lecompton City-Wide Garage Sales are to be held June 6th-8th. Located to the west of Constitution Hall, the Meyer family has offered their lawn to host a yard sale with all proceeds to benefit library programming. If you have items you would like to donate, plan to bring them to 314 Isacks on Friday June 6th after 5:30 pm. We’ll set up that evening and be open for business early (!) on Saturday the 7th. Browsers welcome!

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Is your spring/summer schedule already starting to fill up with softball, baseball, vacations and swim lessons? If so, feel free to sign up in advance to volunteer for the upcoming months.

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November 29th 10am-4pm will be the PLCL’s 2nd annual Holiday Bazaar. Last year we had a good turnout despite inclement weather. We’ll be selling booth space again – so please pass on the date if you know anyone who might be interested. And, if we’re lucky, the local girl scouts will again bring some of their delicious treats for purchase.

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December, 2007

Welcome to the Perry Lecompton Community Library newsletter. Here we will share what's going on with the library, perhaps some book review or just new from around our community.

We are a library! Complete with shelves, a desk, phone and computer for maintaining our library catalog and checkout records. We're still cataloging books and filling our shelves with each shift. Come in and see all the progress that's been made. While you're there, pick up a library card, if you don't already have one.

Transformation -- the early stages

At left, Bev Warren, our founding member, spent many hours painting our space before shelving was obtained. Assisting in the extreme make-over were board members Karla Meyer, Lynn Ward and Jan Stewart, along with their family members. We just wish we had taken some pictures BEFORE we started so everyone could truely appreciate the transformation from unused space to community library.

As you can see at the very top of the photo, we have a few ceiling tiles missing. They're on our Wish List. With or without them, we will open Saturday, January 5.

That's just the beginning

At left, board member Linda Aldridge along with Karla, Bev and Lynn sort through the first box of donated books. Right now we are accepting donations of any and all books, books on tape, videos and DVDs. We do reserve the right to sell or further donate any items that are extra or are not suitable for our lending library.

Cataloging has begun and will continue until all our books are identified, classified, justified and any other "fied" necessary. We have purchase software that will maintain our library inventory as well as our library patrons, lending history, outstanding books, etc.

Karla and Bev are shown at right after we "shelfed" our first books in the rolling carts donated by First State Bank and Trust, Perry branch. Thanks you, First State Bank and Trust. We really feel like a library now!

More books welcome . . . and needed

Book drops are scheduled for Saturday, December 15 (Lecompton Community Building) and Sunday, December 16 (Perry Community Building).

Feel free to drop by with your donations -- and get your new PLCL library card at the same time. You might even want to join our Friends of the Library.

FUNdraiser fun

Who would have imaged we could have had so much fun on a cold (very cold) Saturday, but we did. PLCL held its first Holiday Gift Bazaar December 8 at the Perry Community Building. (Vendor setup is shown at right.) We had a good variety of items, plus wonder refreshment prepared by the Girl Scout troop (and their moms).

We had such a good time (and made a little money, too) that we hope to do this again next holiday season. Check our Calendar of Events for future PLCL activities as the months progress.

Perry-Lecompton Community Library

Where Learning Should Be Without Limits