Tax forms and computer classes

It's everyone's favorite time of year, tax season! Lots of people have been coming into the library looking for tax forms and I'm happy to say that we now have some Federal tax forms but we have all the Montana Forms and booklets. If you want to file your taxes online you can use library computers. We can help you get online but we are not allowed to give tax advise.

We are holding computer classes every Wednesday at 6:00. Upcoming classes are:
Wed. Jan. 19th Files and folders
Wed. Jan. 26th no class
Wed. Feb. 2nd Web browsers
Wed. Feb. 9th Internet searching
Wed. Feb. 16th Social media
Wed. Feb. 23rd Downloading books and music
Wed. Mar. 2nd Playing with pictures

New stuff @ the library!

New fiction January 14, 2011

An unlikely blessign by Judy Baer
The Sentry by Robert Crais
The Inner circle by Brad Meltzer
The Border lords by T. Jefferson Parker
The Gathering storm by Bodie Thoene

New videos

Dinner for schmucks
Easy A
Land girls
Lottery ticket
Vampires suck
Wish me luck

New non-fiction videos
Backroads of Montana: News, brews, and views
Through a dog's eyes

Saturday matinee movie

Saturday April 3rd we will be showing The Fantastic Mr. Fox at 2:00. Free popcorn!

Upcoming activities

Drop an egg and win a prize!
Friday April 2nd we will be holding our first ever Egg-drop contest in conjunction with our Easter party that starts at 6:00. We will be dropping eggs from a six foot ladder and the winner will be the one that uses the least amount of cushioning to survive the drop. Materials that will be provided for cushioning are:
• sticks,
• rubber bands,
• straw,
• tape,
• string,
• sheets of paper
• Styrofoam cups
All ages are welcome to participate.

Movie night!

Friday April 24th, 6:30 p.m. we will be showing the movie Twilight. We will also provide pop and popcorn! This movie is rated PG-13 so only children over the age of 12 will be allowed.

New story time schedule

Story time at the library is held every Friday at 10:30.

March 13th: M is for March, Montana, Moose Magnets and Music!
activity link
http://tinyurl.com/djt96m

March 20th: Music 'N Movement with Donna Weldon

March 27th: Magnets or "I'm stuck on you!"
activity link
http://tinyurl.com/djqhup

April 3rd: A is for April
activity link
http://tinyurl.com/bnc9jo

April 10th: National Ocean Week
activity links
http://tinyurl.com/cc2wau
http://tinyurl.com/aurpeo

April 17th: National Library Week
http://www.first-school.ws/theme/books.htm

April 24th: Music 'N Movement with Donna Weldon

Fire in Whitehall

Yesterday, March 6th, was a very sad day for Whitehall. Four buildings in our very small downtown burned down and two were badly damaged by smoke and water damage. That is most of our town! One of the biggest losses was the drug store as so many depend on them for their meds. That building didn't burn but with all the water and smoke damage I don't see how they can reopen any time soon. This disaster has affected the whole town. Jobs have been lost and who knows when any of those business will reopen? Link to news story http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2009/03/07/area/hjjajgjcjifihj.txt

I wish there were more the library could do to help but about the only thing I can think of is helping people file for unemployment.

The library did have to close Friday afternoon as the power had been cut to most of the town. We experienced a little collateral damage because of the power being off. All the trout in our aquarium
died because the water chiller was shut down for so long. I'm so glad they were the only deaths due to the fire.

Story time for your preschool children.

I love story time! All those little kids who are so thrilled to listen to me, you can't beat that! This is our fall line-up:
Friday 10:30
November 9th Being thankful
November 16th A musical Thanksgiving with Donna Weldon
November 23rd Closed
November 30th Winter birds

Glorious numbers

Every month I prepare statistics for the Jefferson County Library Board and I am so sure you all would like to know all about it. So, here for your edification, are our monthly stats.

Jefferson County Library System
Whitehall Community Library
Fiscal Year 2007-2008
	Jul. 07	Aug. 07	Sep. 07	Oct. 07
Total Circulation *	2311	2444	2105	2275
Paperbacks	99	133	91	75
Computer Use	902	1067	885	943
Attendance	2301	2484	2164	2301
Hours	123	134	126	130
Storytime	15	24	37	27
Ill Requests	41	49	73	47
Titles Added (see *)	196	133	98	142
Titles Weeded	14	75	35	145
New Cards	18	20	15	15
Reference Questions	64	83	69	73
Programs	8	2	0	1
Program attendance	193	110	0	10
*mcn added	3	3	5	1
*donated	66	0	19	23
*purchased	67	130	74	142
		15
Ill In-state loaned	10	25	11	15
ILL In-state borrowed	24	21	21	17
ILL Out-of-state loaned	3	6	3	3
ILL Out-of-state borrowed *	16	25	11	16

Fall workshop

I'm currently in the lobby of the Yogo Inn at Lewistown, taking a break from library classes.

.

The library here in Lewistown is quiet old and very beautiful. The picture to the right is from the Lewistown Public Library web page. I just heard that this great library has suffered a huge budge cut. It is so hard to manage a library in Montana where money can be very hard to come by. I feel very fortunate that Jefferson County is doing okay money wise this year.

My next class is about econtent and libraries such as downloadable audio books. The State Library is looking in to a state-wide contrance with an e-book company to provide downloadable books for Montana libraries. The State Library is really most excellent! Off I go to learn more stuff so I can better serve my library patrons!

Live from the Montana State Fall Workshop @ Lewistown

I am sitting in the Web 2.0 class at the Fall Workshop in Lewistown, learning about blogs, Myspace and other social software. If only there were only more time in the day. I just learned how it's better to do a post in Edit Html rather than compose. A lightbulb goes off.

The drive here was so beautiful and I saw hundreds of antelope and wild turkey. I wonder if you can raise wild turkeys? Hmm, maybe I should get a book!

New summer reading!

We might not have a beach to do any beach reading on but the back fourty can be used for lounging and reading as well as for ropin'. Here are a few of our new books:

New Fiction
Simple Genius by David Baldacci
The Sleeping Doll by Jeffery Deaver
Web of Evil by J.A. Jance
Be My Valentine by Debbie Macomber
The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer
Spare Change by Robert Parker
Exile by Richard North Patterson
Robert Ludlum's the Bourne Betrayal by Eric Van Lustbader
The Quest by Wilbur Smith

New Non-Fiction
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
Just a guy: notes from a blue collar life by Bill Engvall

Get a clue @ your library!

Wednesday June 13th was the big start day for the Whitehall Community Library's summer reading program. The reading program has special programs every Wednesday at 10:30 from now until August 8th. Summer readers can pick up their reading journals at the library any time. For every hour a child reads or is read to they are awarded a Mystery Dollar. The Dollars can be used to purchase coupons good for pop, candy video rentals, and movie tickets, or the Dollars can be used in a drawing for some great prizes. Schedule of events:
Friday June 15, 10:30 Montana Raptor Center
Wednesday June 20th, 10:30 Who Pooped in the Park with author Gary Robson
Wednesday June 27th, 10:30 Search and Rescue Dogs
Wednesday July 11th CSI with Sherif Steve Margolis
Wednesday July 18th Insect Guy Bryon Miller
Wednesday July 25th The Art Mobile
Wednesday August 1st Leapin' Lizards with County Extension Officer Cameron Clark

Mysterious Movies
Every Saturday starting June 23rd from 2 to 4. Bring a snack!

Mysterious Crafts
Every Tuesday starting June 19th from 4 to 6.
Call 287-3763 for more info.