Between the Stacks: 8/21/2024

As always, the Whitehall Community Library will be closed for Labor Day but open regular hours during the rest of the week. Labor Day is a yearly celebration of American workers’ social and economic achievements. It began in the cities during 1885 and 1886 when ordinances were passed and then moved to the state level, according to the Department of Labor. On June 28, 1894, it became a yearly federal holiday on the first Monday of September. President Grover Cleveland signed the law to begin, and now Labor Day is celebrated nationwide with parades, picnics, family gatherings, and more. The Department of Labor is nearly 20 years younger than the holiday’s creation.

We are working on resolving our printer situation. The library’s printer has made over 250,000 copies and finally collapsed. We hope to have a brand new one before September, but patrons may make a few copies at a time on our Canon printer. We can still fax and scan, but we can not produce large amounts of copies. The staff is doing our best and appreciate your patience until our copier is replaced.

Remember to have a free blood pressure check on Tuesdays from 12:30 PM to 1 PM. Our favorite people from Public Health are offering this service to anyone, old or young, who needs or wants to have this life-saving check done. It just takes a minute and can help give an early warning of more serious conditions.

You may have noticed the new bookshelf is packed with new mysteries, science fiction, romances, and non-fiction. Our order has been coming in this week and last so there are new selections by James Patterson, Vivien Chien, Jonathan Kellerman, and more. I always love this time of year as publishers are starting to get the Christmas blockbusters out for those early shoppers.

The History Book Club will meet on Monday, August 26th, at 5 PM. This is a great group of amateur historians who love to discuss how the world was and how it could have been different. Subjects include events, historical figures, historical fiction, eras, countries, and different genres as they apply to historical literature. Join us for a night of looking at the past.

Eric Beal will be here on Wednesday, August 28th, at 1:30 PM for our veterans. Veterans or their spouses are welcome to come and receive information, assistance with agency requests, medical and housing help, and much more.