Between the Stacks

I received word this last week that the Library will be hosting “Erin’s Exiled Children” during the month of May this year! There will be all types of special programming to accompany the exhibit so watch here for special announcements. A full itinerary of the programs will be on the March Programming calendar so everyone will be able to plan ahead for special evening events.

Summer Reading is already in the planning stages. This year the theme is “Building a Better World” and the ideas are already flowing from the staff. Clifford the Big Red dog is scheduled to visit Whitehall during the summer. His visit is part of a state-wide program by Montana PBS to reach out to young readers during the reading programs.

The History Book Club’s choice for the February discussion is “The Boy’s In the Boat” by Daniel James Brown. It is the fascinating story of nine American working-class young men who came together in 1936 to compete in the Berlin Olympics. First, they had to beat the far more experienced and well-funded teams from the American East coast and Great Britain; then they went on to compete against the Germans in an amazing race. The book was based on many primary sources and will be a great discussion on February 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Library. Stop by and get a copy if you would like to join the group.

I had an interesting question this week about Inter-Library Loan. A patron wanted to know the difference between the two types of Inter-Library Loans or ILLs. There are actually 10 sister libraries in our partners group around the area. When we borrow books for patrons from these libraries there is not a cost. We have individuals who travel around the valley delivering books from different libraries. When a patron asks for an item which none of us have, then the staff looks for it around the state, then around the United States. These books are then mailed to us and do not go through the regular checkout system. It costs a $1 to borrow these items because the real cost is around $3 with the Library picking up the extra fee. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at 287-3763 or stop by the Library.