Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana

Articles written by Jeannie Ferris


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  • Between the Stacks: Week of September 2nd

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Sep 2, 2026

    Fall is arriving, and the Whitehall Community Library (110 W. First St) will once again be closed for Labor Day. The library will be open the rest of the week for regular hours, and the book drop will be open 24/7. Fall programs begin this week with Reading Rangers at 10 AM and Story Time at 11 AM, making Wednesday mornings an early reader paradise. Come join us for reading readiness, stories, crafts, music, and more. Mommy and Me will begin next Thursday, September 10th at 11 AM for children...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of August 26th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Aug 26, 2026

    I love statistics, and this year the Whitehall Community Library's (110 W First St - Whitehall) end-of-year report amazed even me! From July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, your library had 56,469 patrons cross our doors; they checked out 24,276 items, and 9,605 attended 664 programs. Staff gave out 144 library cards; answered 2,762 reference questions, 1,402 technology questions, and 3,876 general questions. The computers logged 4,873 hours of use, while 660 patrons used the Wi-Fi for 1,234 hours....

  • Between the Stacks: Week of August 12th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Aug 12, 2026

    Summer is the time for singing, and this Wednesday, August 12th at 11 AM, at the Whitehall Community Library (110 W First St), Miss Erica will lead a magical musical storytime. Many of you enjoyed her this summer, and we managed to talk her into coming one more time before school starts. Bring your preschoolers and come join the fun! Next week's Mystery Book Club will meet at 3 PM on Tuesday, August 18th. We also have a new book club beginning on Monday evening, September 14th, at 5 PM. The...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of August 5th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Aug 5, 2026

    Summer Reading and Feeding at the Whitehall Community Library (110W First - Whitehall) are over; patrons are getting ready to go back to school, the weather is granting a few cool days, and the library is gearing up for September programs. We are still accepting submissions from readers who have completed their sheets for prizes. There are many children who split the summer between parents and will be returning this month, so feel free to come and collect all three prize levels. On August 12th...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of July 29th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jul 29, 2026

    The last two months have flown by at rocket speed here at the Whitehall Community Library (110 W First St - Whitehall)! Summer Reading ends on July 30th with our big end-of-summer party at 9:30 AM for preschoolers and younger, then 10:30 AM for everyone older. The store will be set up in the basement, with ice cream and toppings, and crafts for all. Please bring your reading log to go to the store. We will be feeding lunch one more day, on July 31, then the lunch program ends for the summer. We...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of July 15th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jul 15, 2026

    Can you believe we only have two more weeks of Summer Reading/Feeding left at the Whitehall Community Library (110 W First St - Whitehall)? We still have plenty of great programs, including Planet Making next week on Wednesday at 10:30 AM. Wear old clothes as we will be using nail polish to design our planets, and I don't want anyone's best clothes to get a little dab on them. Then, on July 30th at 10:30 AM, will be our end-of-summer reading party. It is always a great time of snacks, prizes, an...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of July 8th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jul 8, 2026

    It is lovely to have all the cool weather we have been having. Summer hasn't seemed like summer this year, but it is coming. If you are without air conditioning and the weather is hot, please feel free to come to the Whitehall Community Library (110 W First St., Whitehall) to cool off. You can pick up a lunch for your children, read books or magazines, participate in a program, or just sit on the couches and enjoy the cool air. It will get hot in the coming months, and we want everyone to know...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of July 1st

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jul 1, 2026

    The Whitehall Community Library is in the second month of Summer Reading and Feeding, and things are going great! We are feeding 160 patrons, and summer reading sign-ups are nearly 250! On July 8th at 10:30 AM, we will be making slime to take home. It is wonderful to play with all summer and keeps well in a plastic container (such as a butter dish). Even though the 21st Century group is not meeting again until July 13th, everyone is invited to all our programs. Summer is a terrific time to join...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of June 24th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jun 24, 2026

    July arrives next week, and with it, many families are headed to the mountains, lakes, or to be with family. Knowing that from years past, we will not be having a program on Wednesday, July 1st at the Whitehall Community Library. We will be serving lunches from Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to 1 PM. The library will be closed on Friday, July 3rd, and Saturday, July 4th, for the Independence Day holiday. Programs happening the week of June 29-July 2 include History Book Club on Monday, June...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of June 17th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jun 17, 2026

    It is a great week to visit the Whitehall Community Library! We are kicking things off with a bang with programs and lunches galore. On Wednesday, June 24th, Markie Schulz will be here with her amazing dragon puppets at 10:30 AM. It will be a great time for everyone, and lunch will be available for pickup from 11 AM until 1 PM. The library was approved for the Senior Planet Digital Education Program and will offer classes this fall on a range of technologies and computer programs. The classes ar...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of June 10th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jun 10, 2026

    As I am watching the price of everything go up, I am so thrilled that the Whitehall Community Library will once again be providing lunches through our friends at Action, INC and East Middle School in Butte. Anyone 18 and younger will be able to pick up a hot lunch at the library starting June 15th from 11 AM to 1 PM, Monday through Thursday, for free. There is no paperwork to fill out, no sign-up required, just free food and full tummies. Wednesdays are our big programming days, and June 17th...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of June 3rd

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Jun 3, 2026

    The wait is almost over! The Whitehall Community Library's 2026 Summer Reading Program: Flash Tomereader Explores the Galaxy starts June 8th. Readers can pick up signup sheets and calendars on the 8th and start reading away! The summer feeding begins on June 15th, and meals will be served from 11 AM to 1 PM. Meals are free to anyone 18 and younger from Monday through Thursday. No signup is required for the feeding program, just come and have lunch on us. This week there will be no Storytime so...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of May 20th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|May 20, 2026

    Summer is upon us, but I wish someone would inform the weather. As I am writing this, patrons at the Whitehall Community Library are telling me it is supposed to snow tonight. Given that forecast, it seems strange to state that the library will be closed on Monday, May 25th, for Memorial Day, then open the rest of the week at regular hours. I am working on a licensing agreement with an organization dedicated to teaching people over 50 all aspects of the digital world. The program includes workshops, classes, resources, hands-on experience, and...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of May 13th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|May 13, 2026

    It is beginning to be summer holiday season, and Memorial Day is just around the corner. The Whitehall Community Library will be closed on May 25 but will be open for regular business hours the rest of the week. Due to the closing, the History Book Club will meet at 5 PM on May 18 and the Mystery Book Club will meet on May 19 at 3 PM. This is a week early for the History fans, but I think everyone is looking forward to the three-day weekend. This Friday the library will be hosting students from...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of May 6th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|May 6, 2026

    You may have noticed the beautiful blue irises in front of the Whitehall Community Library. The flowers are coming up all over town, and spring is definitely on the way. In the library world, that means that summer reading is almost ready to start, and orders of new books, prizes, and craft supplies are pouring in. We will be reading and feeding again this summer, so plan on having lunch on us starting in June. I actually had a few minutes to order $2,500 in new books. Summer is my second favorite season for best-selling authors to launch...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of April 29th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Apr 29, 2026

    April has flown by, and I cannot believe that Andy Laszlo is coming to the Whitehall Community Library this Thursday, April 30th, at 5:30 PM to speak at the closing of the Anne Frank exhibit. I have watched class after class of middle school and high school students process the sadness of the Holocaust through the life of one teenager their own age. The "Dear Anne" wall has touched so many people, as the notes to Anne by our students have shared their compassion and commitment to stop bullying w...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of April 22nd

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Apr 22, 2026

    A great thing about attending the Montana Library Association (MLA) Conference is coming home with tons of ideas I want to put into practice right away at the Whitehall Community Library! One of them is a library of things, including our brand-new telescope. Each library received a new telescope to check out to patrons just in time for summer. Libraries lend out fishing rods, cooking pots, bicycles, and anything you can think of that patrons may need but don't use all the time or cannot afford....

  • Between the Stacks: Week of April 15th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Apr 15, 2026

    The opening of the Anne Frank exhibit at the Whitehall Community Library on Monday, April 6th, was amazing! The library wants to thank Rabbi Chaim Bruk and Willem Volkersz for coming to share with a packed room of patrons! Willem is the artist who made the suitcases honoring the 183 children who died in the Holocaust from his school in Amsterdam. It was the perfect start for the exhibit. We have hosted so many wonderful middle and high school students over the past week. They have shown so much...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of 4/1/2026

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Apr 1, 2026

    April is like a giant flower ready to burst into full bloom at the Whitehall Community Library. Monday, April 6th, at 5:30 PM, will be the opening program for the Anne Frank exhibit from the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina. There will be special guest speakers, including Willem Volkersz, who created the suitcase project for the children who perished at the Montessori school in Amsterdam. Rabbi Chaim Bruk will be sharing his family's experiences during the Holocaust. There...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of March 25th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Mar 25, 2026

    With this beautiful weather we have been having, everyone seems to be in full spring cleaning mode at the Whitehall Community Library. One of the questions we are always asked this time of year is what types of donations the library takes. Books make up the largest percentage of items donated to us, but there are a few things we ask of patrons before they bring books in. The first is that patrons do not bring boxes of moldy or dirt-covered books to us. It is dangerous for staff when we empty boxes filled with mouse remains or excrement. If...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of March 11th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Mar 11, 2026

    I am trying to finish a huge knitting project before Friday (yes, it is a gift) and spent the weekend listening to my favorite spy novels by Daniel Silva. It reminded me that some stories are so good that you can read them over and over again with great enjoyment. It also reminded me that some books serve their purpose, then become outdated, contain inaccurate information, or just lose popularity as society changes. Over the last two months, the Whitehall Community Library has been weeding the...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of March 4th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Mar 4, 2026

    March is a busy month for the Whitehall Community Library as we fill up April tours, plan the rest of summer reading, and finish up our regular programming. Our tour bookings for the Anne Frank Exhibit are filling up fast. If you would like to bring a group to tour the exhibit, please call the library at 406-287-3763 to confirm your spot. We have four school districts coming with over 30 tours already filled. There is still room to book tours outside of school hours and on a few days during the week. We can do some Saturday tours or evening...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of February 25th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Feb 25, 2026

    March is starting out with a bang: the Whitehall Community Library will be closed all day Monday, March 2, for training. We will be open for regular hours the rest of the week. The library is hosting special guests from the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina, who will be doing our docent training that day. The exhibit will open on April 6th with a special evening program including guest speakers, refreshments, and a preview of the exhibit. We are currently weeding the entire...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of February 18th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Feb 18, 2026

    I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful weather as much as I am! It really puts me in the mood to plan summer reading and feeding at the Whitehall Community Library. We generally have the entire summer planned by the end of March to secure special programs and order all our supplies. Speaking of planning, the library will be closed on Monday, March 2, for training. We have three school districts scheduled to visit the Anne Frank exhibit, and our docents will receive the training they need to...

  • Between the Stacks: Week of February 11th

    JEANNIE FERRISS, Whitehall Community Library|Feb 11, 2026

    Happy February, and welcome to a busy couple of weeks at the Whitehall Community Library! Sign-ups are now open for the Speed Puzzle Contest this Thursday at 6 PM. There will be prizes for different team types, snacks, and lots of fun. Just call us at 406-287-3763 to sign up your team. This week is also the delivery of the Cupid Crew long-stemmed roses. If you have a senior in your life and would like us to take them a beautiful rose, please call us to be added to the list. Many of our seniors...

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