The heat wave is over!

Now that the temperatures are down, Emporians can take a deep breath and relax a little. That might mean picking up a good book to read or to listen to. More than 1300 youth are tracking their reading for the summer reading programs which end next week. We hope to exceed 600,000 minutes and set a new record. I think we can do it!

Our final ZOO PARTY is Wed. July 16 from 5:30 to 7 pm. We’ll celebrate all the wonderful accomplishments of our area kids. We’re very proud of them.

Our July 19 Brown Bag concert featuring the Christian rock group Sweetwater had to be held inside due to the 100 degree temperature outside. We had 150 people join us for an hour of fine music. The final concert of the season will feature Judy Coder, champion yodeler and western music award winner. Please plan to attend. We plan to be outside, with cooperative weather!

The news is full of election information. The library is a polling place for the 8th and 9th precincts for the primary election on Tuesday, August 1. You can find lots of good information on the election at http://www.kvoe.com/precinct.htm

The library will be closed on Friday, August 4 for building maintenance and staff development. It’s a time when we can clean the carpeting and take care of other tasks that can’t be done when the library is open 7 days a week year round. We’ll reopen Saturday morning. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Stop by soon to say hi - or send me an e-mail. I love to hear from our Library customers!

Sue Blechl, Library Director
blechls@emporialibrary.org

A Funny Thing Happened…Humor in the Library

You might not think of the library as a fun or funny place, but with so many people of all ages coming in and out, there are bound to be humorous experiences to be shared. Some library stories have been collected at one website. You might get a chuckle or two.
http://www.becquet.com/laughter/50.htm

Library jokes by and for kids can be found at
http://www.multcolib.org/kids/jokes.html

While I have a number of amusing stories to share from my 30 years in the library profession, a favorite happened to someone else. A young boy asked the librarian for help finding dog obedience materials. He settled for a video on dog training. The next day he returned with the video in hand. Surprised that he was back so soon, the librarian inquired if the video was of any help. The boy answered, “No, the dog just wouldn’t sit still to watch.”

The library carries many humorous items in the collection. Entering the word “humor” to search our online catalog brings up 497 items. They can be found in many different parts of the library including the children’s room. A few newer items of interest include:

---You know you're in Kansas when: 101 quintessential places, people, events, customs, lingo, and eats of the Sunflower State by Pam Grout

---Growing your own turtleneck: and other benefits of aging by Martha Bolton

---Please bury me in the library by J. Patrick Lewis (humorous poems for kids)

Have a good laugh on me!!!

Sue Blechl, Library Director
blechls@emporialibrary.org

What a summer!

We have been blessed with fine weather and great crowds for our Brown Bag Concerts. Record numbers of children are reading this summer. More records are being set for the number of checkouts and visitors. The media, especially KVOE, the Emporia Gazette, and The Shopper, have been most helpful in getting the word out about library activities and services. What more could a librarian ask!!

Please note that the library will be closed on Friday, August 4 for building maintenance and staff development. We want both our facility and our staff to be in tip-top shape. Because the library is open 7 days a week during the entire year, it is difficult to schedule such routine tasks as carpet cleaning. Being closed allows for some time to dry the carpeting, and to undertake housekeeping and maintenance work that can’t be done when we are open. We appreciate Ed Rathke and the city facilities crew who work with us on building and grounds.

Staff training is also hard to do when open 68 hours each week, so we will use August 4 to work on key library issues and projects. We are never done learning!

We hope that you continue reading and learning this summer.

Sue Blechl, Library Director
blechls@emporialibrary.org