Between the Stacks: 7/12/2023

The Rockhounding Group will meet on Monday, July 17th, at 5:30 PM at the Library. Somehow it didn't make it on July's calendar, but they are ready to get back at it and plan great things for those who love geology, mineralogy, and just finding beautiful rocks and crystals. The group is open to anyone who loves rockhounding and patrons may join at any time.

The Friends will be meeting this Thursday, July 13th, at 5 PM. They have had a busy summer with lunches, summer reading, and the book sale. If you would like to see what the Friends do and what they are planning for the future, just attend the meeting on Thursday. It is a wonderful way to meet some dedicated and friendly people.

Next Wednesday, July 19th, at 10:30 AM, our favorite magician will be in town. Kyle Graves is the son of Mr. E and has taken over his magic tours. This is always a terrific show and Kyle is always willing to answer questions and have audience helpers assist him.

Mystery Book Club meets on July 18th at 5 PM. With all of the new mystery series coming out in print and media, we have had some lively discussions on which ones are worth exploring. You may have noticed multiple series from around the world coming in. That is due to patron recommendations from both our volunteers and staff.

We will be serving lunches and breakfasts through July 27th from 11:30 AM to 1 PM. Anyone under 18 years of age is welcome to a free lunch full of fruit, hot sandwiches, veggies, and drinks. There is no paperwork to fill out, just stop in.

Question of the week: How do I know which books to order? There are several simple answers to that question and a couple of harder ones. I try to divide my materials budget according to the highest-use areas like adult and children's fiction, picture books, and media. Some high-use titles have to be replaced and often series will be missing a title. I order new books based on professional journal reviews, patron recommendations, and hands-on reading. Because we have limited space and funding, I try to make sure there is at least something on main topics in the non-fiction and sometimes information on less known subjects. Donations are amazing at helping to fill in the gaps on less popular topics such as how to take care of your snake and how to make soap from sheep fat. Because we have an interlibrary loan system that enables us to get just about any book, I save our budget for things that I know will go out multiple times to many patrons. The hands-on orders come by way of my incessant need to visit every bookshop I see and come out with a stack of books. If you have an idea for a book or movie you would like to see in the collection, stop by the front desk and let us know. There is no such thing as too many books!