Between the Stacks: 11/15/2023

This Wednesday evening, November 15th, at 6 PM Arlene Weber will be giving an old-fashioned slide show on the history of Whitehall. This is the second of three programs the Library will be hosting to share Arlene’s never-ending knowledge of Whitehall and the surrounding areas. Come bring your family for a great night of fun and discovery.

The Library has received news we have been selected for a $3,000 grant for children’s materials through the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation and the Dorothy Louise Kyler Fund, which was created to help support rural libraries across the U. S. The money will be used to purchase new books, audiobooks, and children’s media to check out to the public.

Homeschool Roundup will be this Thursday, November 16th, at 2 PM. This group is open to any homeschooled student and any student who is schooling at home online. They will be decorating the Library for Christmas on November 30th, and everyone is invited.

The Rockhounding Group will be meeting on Monday, November 20th, at 5:30 PM. This is a fun group of exploring enthusiasts who love gems, fossils, and any type of rock formation. Come learn to identify your favorite samples, see what others have found, and meet some new friends.

The Library will be closed November 23rd and 24th for Thanksgiving. We will be open on Saturday for our usual schedule of 9 AM to 1 PM. We will also be closed on December 25th for Christmas.

The county follows the following schedule for holidays, if the holiday falls on Saturday, then the county is closed on Friday. If the holiday is on Sunday, then it is closed on Monday. This is why we were closed on Friday for Veterans Day.

I love numbers so decided to share a few with you. In the first four months of this fiscal year, the Whitehall Community Library had 16,842 visitors and 182 programs which were attended by 2,040 patrons.

We checked out 6,442 items and answered 2,294 questions on technology, reference areas, and general inquiries. Patrons used 833 hours of Wi-Fi service, and 2,396 patrons used our computers. Those statistics are not bad for a Library that has 3 part-time staff and one full-time Librarian. We are able to serve so many patrons and host so many programs because of the many volunteers and friends who are constantly helping us do so many things. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year will bring!

We are still in need of quilt batting and extra fabric for our special project. If you have pieces about 36” by 36” and would like to donate them, please drop them off at the front desk. They are going to help us complete a very special Christmas project.